Holiday Fun

Okay so as usual we started our holiday season off with a bang. I stood in line for an hour and a half at Toys'R'Us on Black Friday to get Koen a drum set. I had to push it around the store at 5:45 in the AM. I think the most irritating of all was the fact that the woman in front of me had 1 item that weighed maybe 1 lb and she had a cart. Some people just drive me nuts. After Toys R Us we stopped and enjoyed a recharge of Starbucks. Then off to the Walmart. I wish every day was Black Friday at the Walmart. It is the only day of the year that they have actual registers opened. I bought a ton of stuff for Emmaleigh there and I was very proud of my great savings. I got her some Hannah Montana shirts for only $2 you can't beat that. Then it was Hi Ho Hi Ho off to the mall we go and boy was that fun. Erin got Emmaleigh a beautiful Belle doll for $8 and I tried to pick up the kids Plasma car from Learning Express. Let's have a vent session now......

On Monday I was at the mall with my friend Kristin, I should never be in the mall 2 times in the same week, and I purchased a Plasma car for the kids. (If you don't know what that is then google it) I was supposed to receive a call the next day to let me know it had been assembled and that it was personalized with Emmaleigh and Koen's name on each side. However, I never received the call. So when I was there on Friday I decided to check on it and they said I never placed the order and I couldn't find my receipt. Needless to say it was tense there for a moment but all worked out well because just as I was leaving the girl who sold it to me just came on shift and so she got one out for me and gave it to me all personalized. Three days later I got a call saying they found the car and to come pick it up. However, I decided to be honest and let them know that I had already gotten it and I didn't need a second one so they will sell it discounted to someone else since it is personalized. If there is someone else on this earth with children that are named my kids names in the same family and spelled that way they should get it free.

So after the mall we headed to the Cheesecake Factory. I would say the food is good but I like Chevy's lard tortilla's better and wouldn't go back to the Cheesecake Factory. It is too expensive when you only can have like 6 bites. I had a blast hanging out with Taneia and my sister and of course we had Lauren along for babysitting Ellie and Emma.

Now we are in the baking mode of the holidays. Emmaleigh and Koen loved making sugar cookies. Although when Koen runs out of dough look out. Emmaleigh was so cute rolling out the dough and then in her adorable way she said "this is how the professional chefs do it." I love that kid.

We are hosting the Christmas Eve Celebration with Dane's family this year and I hope it all goes well. I am so excited to have enough room for once to host it.

Okay I am peace out.

Amongst Turkeys and Trees

What is it about the holidays that makes you get all excited to be alive? For me it is the family, the pure joy of knowing that I get to spend all of this time with the ones I love the most. It is the joy I see on my children's faces when they eat the turkey at Thanksgiving or open the first present on Christmas. They get so excited to set up the tree and to put the train on the track.

It is such a consumer market it is really easy to get focused on the buying and the giving and it is so easy to forget what these holidays are truly about. For instance, my favourite part of Thanksgiving is the great deals you get on Black Friday. I have been searching for the toys I want to get for my children and plotting which stores might have them on sale. I buy a newspaper once a year just to see the deals.

The worst part of it all is that it doesn't bother me. I love it. I love the Holidays. The part of the holidays I miss this year is the enjoyment of good food. Which leads me to I have officially lost 86 pounds since surgery on April 16th. Essentially, I have lost Calista Flockhart.

Anyway after Matthew's "sermon" on Thanksgiving I have allowed him to guilt me into making a list of the things I am thankful for this year. I will spend more time thanking God for the things he has provided me with and not complain for the things I don't have. So I made a list of the top 10 things I am thankful for this year.

1. Freedom to worship God
2. My nutjob mother who is praying for the end times soon
3. My nutty friend Kristin and all her forwards
4. Disposable Diapers
5. My dad and his cheerfulness and joy he brings to my kids
6. My sister because she is the awesomest Auntie EVER!!!
7. My kiddos because they keep me employed (I think I am one of few that isn't worried about
getting laid off)
8. My Blackberry :0)
9. My dorky brother and all of his dorky family
10. Dane because of course without him I would just have dusty eggs and I couldn't buy the disposable diapers. Okay, Okay and because he puts up with me and has a really cute bootie.


Oh and I will post Thanksgiving Pictures relatively soon.

The Pumpkin Farm

Today we went to the Pumpkin Farm out off of Old Auburn Road. Our friends Ashley and Andrew, Rachel and Isaac, Katie and Parker, and our surprise friends Danielle, Abigail, and Andrew came with us. Danielle and her two were there to meet their MOPS group so it was a nice surprise. Emmaleigh was so excited to see her best friend Abi. Koen melted down about 30 minutes into the farm because it is his nap time at 10 am. I got a few good pictures. Watch the slideshow for them.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Maidu Park

We went to Maidu Park for the first time and it was so great. I had never been there. Well needless to say the kids had a blast. They are growing so much and so fast I can't keep up anymore. Here are the pictures of the kids and their friends. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Emmaleigh at Taco Bell

Me: Emmaleigh would you like to pray for lunch?

E: No let Koen pray

Me: Why should Koen pray

E: Because he can't talk so it will be quick and my taco will still be hot!

Me: Amen, Lets Eat!

Emmaleigh's Musings

So I have decided to begin posting all the wonderful things my children say. This was Emmaleigh today. She was screaming this up the stairs at me while I quickly went potty.

Emmaleigh: Muh--Mahh--Muh--Mahh

Me: What Emmaleigh?

Emmaleigh: Did your brain blow apart?

Me: What did you say?

Emmaleigh: I said (imagine all the attitude in the world here) Did your brain blow apart?

Me: No, I had to go potty, Why???

Emmaleigh: Hellllloooo I said I needed chocolate milk.

Elizabeth Anne Brooks

Elizabeth Anne arrived on July 28th, 2008 at 1:21 A.M. and weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 18" long. In other words she was the most beautiful short and fat baby you have ever seen. Birthmom Sarah was in labor for about 18 hours. It made me cherish having the ziploc procedure all the more. I will take a C-Section any day over giving birth the hard and painful way. Elizabeth is the sweetest baby I could have ever hoped for she sleeps all through the night and wakes up just 1 time to feed. Koen and Emmaleigh love her to death. Koen comes and pats her head and says "YAY" and claps afterward. Emmaleigh always wants to hold her. Enjoy the slideshow.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Museums and Crabs

So while my parents were here from Missouri we went to downtown Sacramento. It was fun considering I hadn't been there in a while. The kids had a blast exploring the Discovery Museum. Their favourite part was Raley's center. They also got to dress up and play in this room that looked like a wheel house. There was a little spot where they got to set the table and play with the toy food and of course Koen stuck everything in his mouth. It is a shocker he hasn't developed some sort of horrible disease by now. Koen and Emmaleigh had a blast weighing all the different fruits and veggies. After the Museum we went to lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. Koen loved the coleslaw and Emmaleigh had the macaroni and cheese. Shocking. Then we went to the old school house and the kids really enjoyed it. My mom wanted a picture of Koen with no binky and of course as soon as she took it out he put in the chalk for his slate he was writing on he is such a boy. Enjoy the pictures.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Nut Tree

Okay a lot of people think this place is closed, and it was, but it is back open and it rocks. My parent's were here from Missouri for 2 weeks and so we all took a trip to the Nut Tree in Vacaville and it was so fun. It is relatively inexpensive. The wrist bands are $10.95 for unlimited rides. It doesn't entertain older kids but for kids under 12 it is perfect. Below is a video of what happens when you put Koen on a leash. It isn't a pretty site. Ignore the video portion of me please. The next video would be Emmaleigh. The last video will be my dad being a complete retard. Here are some pictures that we took of the kids. It was a fantastic day.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Fourth of July

So we had a happy Fourth of July that started on the 3rd of July. As a family we went to the Orangevale Grange with Auntie Tiffany and Uncle Jason and watched fireworks and ate snowcones and hotdogs. The kids also got their faces painted. Which was expensive let me tell you $4.00 per kid is that not ridiculous? The kids loved it none the less so I guess it was worth it. On the 4th we went to our Sister-in-laws parents house for a party and then they all went to the Roseville Fairgrounds to watch fireworks. Koen and I went to the airport to pick up my parents who flew in from Missouri for 2 weeks. It was so much fun. I have attached a slideshow. Please enjoy.

Huggers,

Shandela

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Father's Day 2008

So Father's Day 2008 started out with Dane staying in bed late while I got the kids up and ready for church. Dane stayed home from Sunday School and joined us later for the church service. I know that makes him a slacker but I thought he deserved it this once :o)!

As a surprise to him I wore and orange shirt as did Koen. (Orange is Dane's favorite color) Emmaleigh didn't have anything orange so she wore her brand new dress with green and peachy pink in it, however Dane loves her in dresses so he was pleased. I will take a moment here to sound like a complete snob and say that this dress is Osh Kosh B'Gosh and I almost paid $30+ for it at the outlets in Vacaville but decided to be frugal. I GOT IT FOR $6.99 at ROSS!!!!!! Moving on.....He didn't however like that we all wore orange he thought people would think it was his idea and he thought it was cheezy. Then he forgot we wore orange and he wore orange to church. It was cute this once but then it made me cringe and think of future years when we are old, like 50, and think it is cute to do this all the time! MOM IF YOU ARE READING THIS IT STILL ISN'T CUTE WHEN YOU AND DAD DRESS ALIKE! And, Dane just commented "I didn't think it was cheezy I thought it was gay!"

After church we all came home and took a nice peaceful nap. Around 4 we decided to go to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner because that is Dane's favorite restaurant. We knew it would be busy so when we left the house at 4:15 we decided to call ahead and put our name on the list because they have call ahead seating. They told us the wait was 40-50 minutes. Well it takes like 20 minutes to get there so we thought, great we will just have to wait like a half hour. NOOOOOOOOOOOO....they were miscalculating the time apparently and we didn't get seated til 6:15. It was about 90 degrees out, there was no indoor seating, and we had 2 children who are to say the least dramatic. So we wait outside for a little while and Emmaleigh starts complaining that it's too hot. Which then turns into "I'm dying of heat exhaustion". I would like to stop here and ponder where does she hear phrases like this? We don't watch the news so I have no clue who used this phrase with her. Okay so back to the story. She then ups the drama by walking in circles going "water, water, water" ! At that point I was angry and so Dane just wanted to go but then I am stubborn so I refuse to leave. Once we were actually seated each child drank an entire cup of water and then Koen had a cup of milk and Emmaleigh had pop. Dane drank 4 glasses of drink in under 10 minutes. WE WERE SO THIRSTY!

For Dinner, Dane had the Ribs and Ribeye platter, it's his favorite, with house salad and chili. Koen ate an entire basket of rolls. That would equal 5 rolls. The pictures are of Koen eating a roll and then what happens when he thought I was going to eat one of the rolls out of the basket. It proves that this fear of not having enough food runs deep in the Brooks' family. I know he
didn't get it from me. Anyways, Emmaleigh had the Macaroni and Cheese and I ate a bite of Dane's steak, 2 bites of his salad, 2 bites of chili, and 1 roll. It was a very fun evening (once we were seated). We then went home and put the kids to bed and Dane and I just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

I will take a moment here and point out that Dane is the World's Best Daddy! I am so thankful that God put him in my life to be a father to our kids. Emmaleigh just adores her daddy and he really takes the time with her so that she will never feel a lack of love from him. Monday's are their Jamba and Library night. Dane will take her out after dinner to the Library and then they go to Jamba Juice where they each get a Citrus Squeeze Jamba. They spend about 2 hours together and Emmaleigh looks forward to it so much. Koen and Dane don't do too much together yet because Koen is so small still but they love to tumble on the floor together. Koen cries everytime Dane leaves and Emmaleigh sits by the door from 4-4:30ish until daddy gets home. Below is a picture book of him and the kids on Father's Day. WE LOVE YOU DADDY!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

New things in life.

Okay so I had this dream that I would blog. It doesn't seem to happen for me. I have had requests to please update my blog so here we go. We'll start back with our Mother and Daughters Tea. Emmaleigh had so much fun getting dressed up and wearing makeup. She really acted like a little lady. I thought the best part was she picked her "Grumpy Bear" to bring because he matched her dress. I was such a proud mommy. I have trained her so well :o)!













She enjoyed grapes. I was totally shocked that she didn't like the Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. She loves strawberries and chocolate but I guess not together. For those who don't know as well Emmaleigh loves hot tea so this was especially fun. I couldn't eat anything at the tea because I had just had my surgery the previous week.

Emmaleigh is still taking Ballet. She will be going to a formal studio come January because although I have enjoyed her teacher at the NHCC Parks and Rec it is just way too unorganized and it doesn't seem to be very strict. It seems that people just come and go and so Emmaleigh never gets to learn anything new because we always have to start at the beginning again whenever a new student is added. I will be enrolling her at the Sacramento Ballet Academy.
Emmaleigh also finished AWANA recently. She received her Cubbie Bear to sew on her vest. She was so sad when it was over. At the awards night the kids sang their Cubbie song and you could hear her above all the other kids. (I haven't decided if this is a good thing or not). She can't wait for AWANA's to start up again. The picture below is Emmaleigh and her "best friend Abi". Unfortunately for Abi her night ended in stitches when her and Emmaleigh ran out of the bathroom Abi tripped and fell head first into a stool. It took 7 stitches and her parent's medical insurance didn't kick in for 2 more weeks. WHAT A BUMMER!

Okay moving on, Emmaleigh starts soccer in the fall she will be playing for the AYSO Rio Linda Division. Unlike, Jeni, we did not have to stand in line and it was smooth signup. Unfortunately Emmaleigh is very disappointed because we couldn't find Green Soccer Cleats. She ended up with Black and Pink. Also we had to buy them too big because it appears that they don't make soccer shoes in anything smaller than a 10 so she will be wearing double the socks.

With all of this talk of Emmaleigh y'all probably think I don't love Koen but I do. He just doesn't do anything to exciting yet besides WALKING!!!! YAY!!! We are so excited for him. Life is very difficult for a little brother to a bossy big sister. He has finally realized if he learns to walk he can escape her nagging and pestering. Besides the fact that he will pull Emmaleigh's hair whenever he pleases. Poor little boy I do feel bad for him some days. He has a massive temper though so I think as he gets older he will present his own challenges.
Right now Koen has 13 teeth. He doesn't say much yet but he does say "mama", "dada", "uh-oh", "she's stuck"(another whole story), and he mimics the sounds of sirens by saying "wow, wow, wow" It is very cute.
I will get back to Father's Day maybe tomorrow. I am tired of blogging now but I will try to do better. Bye y'all.

I got my date

I had my pre-op today for Gastric Bypass Surgery. I can't believe I got my date and that it will be so soon. So the surgery date is....(drum roll please)...APRIL 14th at 6:15 AM CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! So quick I was expecting to wait about 4-6 weeks. Anywhoo they loved me at the doctors office. They said I am one of the funniest people they have met and also they feel I am really well prepared for this surgery. YAY!

So I need lots of prayer to get through this and lots of support.

WOW

I can't believe that I am blogging. I am no writer and this is totally not my thing but everyone else is doing so I guess I will try to as well. Besides, now you far away people can get updates on the kids and stuff.

We have lots going on in our life right now. We are letting our home go into foreclosure. It is just way too small for our family and if we let it go now we won't have to pay taxes on the debt forgiveness. If we thought we could sell it in a year or two we would hang on but there is no way that the market will recover that quickly.

Dane has started up his own computer business on the side and it is really flourishing. We are having trouble balancing that between our normal lives.

I am having Gastric Bypass surgery and my pre-op is on Monday. I am really nervous and excited all at the same time. Life will never be the same again. The surgery will be about 4-6 weeks after my pre-op.

We also may be adopting a baby girl and so we can use tons of prayer in that regard. Prayer for the parents that they will find their way and be at peace with their decision. Prayer for financial reasons. We aren't sure of the total costs of an adoption of the type we are doing and so that is a little scary.

To think that Dane and I said our lives are so boring and that was about a month ago. WOW, they aren't boring anymore.



Hugs.