Oh How They Grow

Brooklyn's vocabulary is really starting to grow- everyday she repeats more and more of what we say. I thought it was bad before but now we really really need to watch what we say around her! Her new favorite saying is "probably not." You ask her if she wants chicken for dinner, she says "probably not." Ask her if she wants fish..."probably not." It's quite comical. She also likes putting mommy and daddy in time out and when she really feels like getting bossy, she tells us "no talking." When she's excited about something she did, she says "I did it!" and she's not afraid to ask for help by screaming "need help, need help!" I never knew how independent minded a toddler could be and how strong their own personality could be until Miss Brooklyn decided to show off hers. I sure hope this strong willed attitude continues into womanhood (skipping the teen years, of course).

Sydney is so pleasant and overall is still very happy and content, so long as the basics are taken care of. Her smile is so stinkin cute and she loves to coo and make noises. She is not sleeping through the night yet, but the stretches are getting longer and longer. I love getting home from work and seeing her smiling face. When they are this age and you are away for a few hours at a time, it always appears to me like they have grown since I saw them last. I can't wait to see what trouble Brooklyn will have them all in.

Jason is enjoying his time off being Mr Mom. I check up on him every day just to see how things are going and how messy the house is. It's never dull and there's always something to keep track of...if it isn't Pugsley begging for another treat its Brooklyn wanting to be chased or Sydney wanting more bottle. And Brooklyn showed me the other day how she can breastfeed one of her dolls. They are both so different and so sweet in their own special ways.

Halloween

Halloween was pretty low key this year. We celebrated Jason's birthday and had fun at home dressing up Pugsley. Surprisingly, he was able to fit into most of his old outfits, although some were pretty snug. He is a very good poser- as soon as he hears the shutter click, he comes trotting along for his treat. I have trained him very well!

Sydney slept most of the night so we didn't dare bother her and wake her up. We'll just have to make up for it next year. We had a pumpkin costume for Brooklyn but she didn't want to wear it so she wore a cute Pittsburgh Steelers cheerleader outfit. She has developed quite a liking to candy. Too bad thy don't make candy flavored like lima beans and salmon because she loves that too!

She is also quite the helper. If I vacuum, she'll either get her little vacuum or take over the big one. I suppose I need to enjoy the help now while I can.

Daddy's turn!

I have officially been back to work for 7 days now and daddy has taken over the daycare duties. He will be at home with the girls for about 2 1/2 months while mommy slaves away at the office. He does such a good job with both of them and it makes being back at work a little easier knowing they are at home with him. By the time he goes back to work at the end of December, I have no doubt they'll understand the finer points of the stock market, know the difference between an elk call and a turkey call and how to internet shop.

The first pic is daddy and Sydney at Bass Pro Shop. Sydney looks like she is preparing for the next hunting trip.

The second pic is Miss Brooklyn protesting going to bed and deciding that sleeping in the hallway is being a rebel.

And we can't forget Sydney- she loves to smile and is usually a pretty happy baby so long as she is clean and fed. Last night I even had her laughing! I couldn't believe that just by saying the words "baby jaguar" (Go, Diego, Go) that this would make her laugh! I don't think Brooklyn laughed that early and it was one of those parent moments when you scream for your spouse to come and join you and hope that she doesn't get stage fright. It was such a beautiful sound.

Check back after Halloween!

Sleepy Time

The time is quickly approaching for me to return to work and leave the girls at home with daddy. We went to the zoo recently and while Brooklyn was very excited to see and learn about some new animals, she was also fading fast and decided to take a quick cat nap on daddy's head. One of Sydney's favorite places to doze off is in the swing- those things are life-savers!

Fun Times with Daddy

Brooklyn loves it when she gets to play rough with daddy! She loves to be swung, paraded around on his shoulders and even knows how to give him a good ole' fashioned body splash (hmmm...I don't know anyone around here watches WWE Monday Night Raw at 7pm???)

Dora!

We went to visit Dora, Boots, Backpack and the Map today! Seeing Brooklyn's eyes light up at the sight of her just made our hearts melt and made us giggle. If ever a 2 year old can be speachless, this was it. She looked like she just couldn't believe her eyes! Trying not to let her butt in front of the other kids that were waiting in line was no easy task, but she managed to patiently wait to see her idol (twice).

Bath time!

Sydney loves getting snuggly after a bath!