Escapee!

Well, Brynlee has officially figured out how to open her bedroom door! Her short statue has always made opening doors too difficult for her... but, apparently she has now mastered the technique! Several days ago she woke us by yelling "Mommy!" And, it sounded a little too close for it to be coming from her bedroom & it wasnt coming from the monitor! Sure enough, she was standing in the living room! But, we had a babysitter the night before so we thought, well- maybe she just didnt shut her door all the way.
But, last night WE shut her door and this morning... she was again yelling my name from the living room! Soo, I guess its time we bust out those annoying plastic door-knob covers, cause its official- my child can escape!! ;)

Our first Real Swim of the Summer

Some friends from church have told us we can come use their pool when they are at work &/or out of town anytime we want! Great friends to have! hehe :)

So- since Bobby had Thurs off, we decided to take advantage of the offer. We got there about 11am & stayed til about 2. We had stopped by Subway on the way there, so we had a little picnic poolside. By 2pm Brynlee was More than ready for a nap! :)

Here are some pics from our relaxing Thurs...

I decided to let Brielle get her footsies a little wet & try "swimming" for the first time. Here is what she thought about it... haha

So, Brielle enjoyed the rest of our time there relaxing/snoozing under their covered patio. There was a very nice breeze & they have a patio fan, so she wasnt too hot. And, she is just a really laid-back baby... she only cried once when she was hungry (besides the whole "swimming" episode! :)

Brynlee's fave game was to throw all the toys in the pool and have us "fetch" them! haha I love her little ruffly swimsuit booty! hehe ... :)

She did Not want to take her "fip-bops" (aka flip-flops) off, even when she was swimming in the pool! She, like her Mommy, loves her flip-flops!
Someone from church gave Brielle this hat & it just happened to match Brynlee's old baby swimsuit perfectly (& I must add the plug, that Brielle DOES get new clothes of her own from time to time.. but, clearly shes not gonna be swimming much this season! haha) :)
I love that I can get her to laugh so easily now! She is a Really happy baby! :)
I can Not get enough of this face!! :-D

Im sure there are going to be many more days like this throughout this summer. I did learn One lesson from this day... get your husband to apply sunscreen to your back- because clearly, you did Not do a good job! haha Can we say- sunburn?!? :-O

Happy 2nd Birthday Brynlee Jordyn!!

I cant believe Brynlee is turning two today!! She has grown so much in these last 2 years & she is Such a joy in my life. There are many things I want to remember about her at this stage.. so- here we go...

Brynlee is a very smart little girl!! She amazes me everyday at what she knows! Her big thing lately is that she can count to 10! So- she wants to count everything! haha Every book has now become a counting book.. she will find something on the page that she wants to count & counts it. And- she counts in a very direct fashion.. she changes her tone of voice.. & is very intense about it. Makes me laugh! :) Now- she doesnt always count it right.. if there are 2 fish & she wants to count to 5, she will just go back & point at the fish over again until she gets to the number she wants to get to! haha But, still smart in my book! :) She also knows most of her ABC's, some of her colors & can identify a circle, triangle & square. :)

She has also started "reading" to herself.. it makes me laugh to hear different parts that she remembers me saying & then hear what she makes up by looking at the pictures. My fave part is when she apparently doesnt know what to say & will just make a babble sound- sticking her tongue in & out. haha! Here she is reading the Good Book! hehe

She loves to dance!! If she hears music or a beat she likes on tv, from a toy, from a commercial- anything, she will often jump up & start dancing! Her favorite move is her spin! She will get herself ready & then fling herself around in a circle! haha Her intensity often lands her up on her booty, but she gets right back up & gets to groovin! Here she is dancin with cousin Aby...

She is a great Big sister! She Loves to help Brielle out. She will run to her when she is crying & say "shhh" or "its ok sissy".. and her Fave thing to do it put her paci in sissy's mouth.. even if sissy doesnt really want it! haha She has actually helped me out more than once by getting Brielle to calm down when I am busy with something.. but- of course- the reverse has happened as well. :) We are all still learning!

She can be dramatic. She has recently started dropping her shoulders, dropping her head, sticking her lip out & taking short breaths in through her nose when something upsets her. And will also sit & put her elbows on her knees & her head in her hands & sigh. haha Im not sure where she learned these tactics from.. but I have to try hard not to laugh in front of her when she does it! Here she is in action...



She is a sensitive spirit. New situations are sometimes hard for her. For instance, she does great in the church nursery until the sunday school hour is over & then the new teachers come in for the church hour. I think the hustle of people & kids just really makes her nervous. She will usually adapt to new places/situations after a bit- but definitely wants to make sure Mommy is close by at first.

She is very protective of me! If someone she doesnt know comes too close to me or puts their hand on my shoulder or something- she will try to push their hand away & she says "my mommy!" Obviously, this isnt very nice & we talk to her about that Not being nice.. but, its still a little funny on the inside! ;)

She is tiny! She just barely weighs 22 lbs & 18 month shorts are still kinda big on her. Good thing is that we can still buy size 4 diapers- which, the smaller the diaper, the more you get in a box! :)
She is a Great sleeper! I Never have to fight her to take a nap or go to bed at night. You just ask if she is ready, she tells everyone goodnight & climbs in her bed. And- she will usually take at Least a two hour nap in the afternoons, sometimes longer. I didnt realize how blessed I should feel until I have talked to other friends and/or had people babysit her. So- now I am counting blessings & hoping her little sister will follow suite! :) We just recently said byebye to Brynlee's pacis, so we will see if her good sleep continues! This was her first sleep in her big girl bed several months ago...

She has recently decided that she needs to do everything herself! From putting on clothes, to opening up food, to walking down stairs. I know she has to learn.. but it has sure caused some dramatic moments (ex: her deciding in the middle of the street that she needed to walk on her own while my hands were full with Brielle & lots of other things! haha) Here she is after her first time to put her pjs on herself (notice they are both inside out & backwards!)


She is very loving. She loves to tell us "I -love- you" by pointing to her eyes, hugging herself, then pointing to us. And, she loves giving hugs & kisses... and saying "hold you"- which means- I want you to hold me. I love watching her love her sister!


She is funny! She loves to make herself laugh & has a really funny "fake laugh." She will also double over & slap her knee when she laughs! And- she likes to tell people she is happy! If you ask her- Brynlee are you funny? (or any other thing) She will say- "No, I happy!" :) :) Here she is in the middle of a knee-slapping double over laugh!...We love you very much Brynlee Jordyn Catt!! You have blessed our lives immensely & I look forward to all the new things you are going to learn This year! Happy 2nd Birthday!! :)

"bye-bye pacis"

(Disclaimer: This is a really long, detailed post about something that many of you could care less about! haha But, this is one of those moments that I want to remember! :) .....

Well.. we finally took the step... we said goodbye to Brynlee's pacis! For the last several months I have only let Bryn have her pacis at naps & nighttime & occasionally on a long car ride. I knew it was probably time to get rid of them (since her Dr. recommends getting rid of them by 15 months! oops! haha) but.. I decided that just having them to sleep with at this point wasnt a big deal.. AND- I needed her to sleep good!.. you know the whole- I just had a baby, give me a break deal! haha

But- I had always thought that "she will definitely be done with pacis by the time shes two." And, suddenly I realized- thats really soon!! :-O
I had been thinking of different ideas of how to best "ease the pain" of this "loss." And, when is the best time.. on & on in my head.

After dinner last night- I just decided.. why not now?! Soo- I asked Brynlee if she wanted to go to the store with me to find something new & cool to sleep with. I had been talking to Brynlee for a Long while now about how pacis are for babies. So, I reminded her of that & said "so, we are gonna say byebye to your pacis tonight, but we are going to go to the store right now to find you something cool to sleep with." She said "Ok, Mommy!.. yay!.. etc" Her response made me feel hopeful & more excited about this step!

So- off we went to Patti's Party where I had seen the little Taggie blankets the other day when we were there to get stuff for her party. She picked out one that she liked & I again said "when we get home we are gonna say byebye to your pacis & you can give me your pacis & I will give you this Really cool taggie to sleep with. OK?" "Ok Mommy!"

I let her give the blankie to the checker & hand the checker my card. And- again replayed the same story aloud with the checker... "Tonight we are going to say byebye to our pacis, Right Brynlee?" I was really trying to get the point across! haha The fact that she didnt seemed too freaked out by this ordeal so far made me think she didnt really understand. It was like she almost thought the whole thing was funny!

So- we got home & showed Daddy our new find. He went on & on about how cool & soft it was & talked about all the colors on it!

Then I went & got a little box from her room & strategically scattered her pacis around her room so she had to "find them." She gathered them all up & even crawled in her bed to get one hidden in her sheets! Once we had them all (at least I Hope we have them all! haha) I told her to say byebye to the pacis & I shut the lid. She said "byebye pacis" & walked away. At this point, I am thinking seriously.. this easy?!?


She got in bed with her new taggie without a fight & I told her g'night. Usually she goes Right to sleep. But, this is where she realized, this is different! For the next 40 min or so I could hear her whining off & on. I couldnt decide if I should go in there or not. I didnt want her to feel like she was in trouble or something. So, I finally gave in & went in there & laid by her for awhile. After about 20 min of this & her becoming a little silly & wanting to "play", I decided I just needed to leave. After about another 15 min, she went to sleep. The Very interesting thing to me was that she never Once asked for her paci! Once she was out, she slept the whole night through!

This afternoon when it was time for her nap, she Did ask for her paci... but it was with this silly little smirk on her face. Its almost like she is thinking.. I knew it was time for me to get rid of those, but was wondering when you were gonna realize it mom! haha It took her a little bit to go to sleep, but she did! Tonight going to bed was about the same.

Soo- while I do miss the immediate run to bed & fall asleep child she used to be. I know that for her- it was time. And, maybe after awhile, she will be able to fall asleep just as quickly as before. Daddy surprised her with some Dora pjs tonight that he picked up during his grocery shopping trip. She was Super excited about wearing them to bed!

Im not sure if her little taggie blankie is ever going to be a big deal to her or not. This morning I found it shoved under her covers. But, I just wanted her to have Something in place of her paci for the moment. And- it really is a cute little blankie! :)

I will admit.. I Did shed a few tears last night. For 1)There is something so "baby" about the paci.. and, well- my big girl doesnt need them anymore! and For 2) it was hard to see her struggle to go to sleep & know that in a way I was causing that. But- I feel confident I did the right thing at the right time. And....they gotta grow up... right?? :)

Memorial Day Fun

My mom, sister & her girls got to stay through Monday because Leasha had the day off! We decided to go to Unidad Park to play & then have a little picnic! This was our Memorial Day...
Playin in the castle with cousins Emalee & Kaylee...

Such sweet cousins! :)

Brynlee loves her "kay-kay" & "emi"...

Must get a pic under the San Angelo sign! :)

Brielle having "fun in the sun!" (aka shade! haha)

Our little family picnic! It was Hot, but it felt nice in the shade with a cool breeze!

Daddy & daughter gettin their grub on...

Must also get a pic on one of the "famous sheep!" :)

We had planned to feed the ducks, but they had fun throwin bread off the bridge to the turtles below instead!

After the park, my Mom & Sis had to leave.. so Bobby & I decided to set up the pool again. And, I decided it was time for Brielle to put her swimsuit on for the first time! I thought the water was too cold for her to enjoy.. but, we got a pic in the swimsuit anyway!...

Her "sports center" slide is a perfect slide into the pool!

She LOVES her little pool!

Playing with play-doh & saying "CHEESE!" Too bad it makes her look like shes in pain when she says it! haha :)

It was a Great Memorial Day 2010! :)

Ladybug, Ladybug You're Turning Two!

We had Brynlee's 2nd Birthday party at our house this year. The theme was Ladybugs. I was so excited to find some cute decor with "2" still incorporated. It felt like we Just had her first birthday!! Man, how quickly she is growing up!!

These are her little "ladybug treats" for all her friends!

The decorated table... I cut out black circles & taped them to the table to make it look like a ladybug, it was really cute- but you cant see the table with all the stuff on it! haha Oh well.. at least I knew it was there! :)

A table setting...

Brynlee waiting for her friends to show up...


Perfect ladybug clippies made by Janet (http://www.dimplesdots.blogspot.com/) & perfect Ladybug shirt made by Aunt Becca (http://www.sprinkles-n-frosting.com/) you can see pics of the front of the shirt in pics to follow.. SO cute!! Thanks ladies!! :)

YAY for bubbles!!

She Loved the "bubble station" that Daddy set up!

Catching the bubbles...

Daddy did a Great job setting up the backyard.. there was a wagon (aka train ride), bubble station, play-doh station, chalk station, slide, car, & lots of balls & other toys!

Little sis liked it best snoozing in the shade! :)

Her new laptop from Mommy & Daddy.. she did Not want to move on to open more presents after this one! haha

She was laughing saying "Pull, Pull!"

Getting ready for cake & ice cream!!

We had to be quick to get a pic with her hat on. She didnt like the stap under her chin! But- it was cute while it lasted! :)

Not sure what to think about everyone singing to Her!

Her cake was from Sams & Very yummy.. not exactly how I wanted it decorated.. but, yummy none-the-less! :)

Cake & ice cream... what more could a girl ask for?! ;)

Yum, yum, yum...

Sweet friends! :) ...

Theres a party goin on round here...

My little ladybug :)

Play-doh station on her new table from Nana & Grandad! (notice the men playing washers in the background.. it might be a little red-neck that we have washers set up in our backyard, but- ITS FUN! hehe)

Telling her friends byebye....

After the party ended.. we had lunch & then a nap.. and then we busted out the pool! Hap-Hap had a great time splashing with her in the water! :)

Pool time with the cousins!... & Hap-Hap :)

Family pic of Bobby with his uncle Chuck, Aunt Cheryl & Dad (Hap-Hap).

Family pic of all of my side of the family. I was SO glad that all our family made the long drive to come to the party. It was a Great day!! :)

Look for Brynlee's official birthday (6-9-10) post coming soon!... :)