11 months down.....

and only 1 more to go! Yep, our 'lil cowboy is almost one! Trent and I agree that in the past month he has "grown-up" so much. He tries to say words.........or maybe we're imagining it! He definitely says "dada," but we also hear him say "ba ba" each time he wants a bottle. Also, and some may think this is crazy, he says his own version of "thank you" when he hands us an object. He mimics us frequently (i.e. facial expressions, clapping, stomping feet, etc). To get our attention, he points and screams at what he wants to show us. I know, I know.....this is normal and what all babies do. This is just our first rodeo, so we think it's amazing! This Spring has already been very eventful, and we have many more adventures planned!

Happy St Patty's Day! Suzanne, Kyle and Kate had us over for dinner

Little Miss Kate in her adorable outfit (as always)

Brooks CANNOT keep his hands still. He has to grab, pinch, poke everything. "That sock looks like so much fun that I CANNOT stop and smile for the camera!"

Play date at Boek's. He has a train track that was fun to destroy!

"Excuse me.....I have some work to do."

"Oh yea......got me a new tricycle!"

Brooks loves pestering Sam, and she is so patient.

It is getting very difficult to get him to sit still. This is the last time I use this sign and try to get him to sit in the chair. It' over, folks!

"I am too old for this mom. I'm OUT OF HERE!"

In a matter of seconds, he was off the chair. DONE

In the double digits now........

yep, 10 months old! I will let the pictures tell the rest.........

"Thank you Nana and Gonky for the wagon. I love pushing all my toys around the house!"

"When I get fussy or too messy from spaghetti (my favorite), mom puts me right in the sink. I love it!"

My Elvis hair

"My first Super Bowl with Jake. Uncle Cullen got me a Terrible Toddler towel but mom forgot to upload the photo.....go figure!"

"Push, push, push.......my favorite past time is pushing any and every thing"

"Oh, and did I mention that I like to pull the toilet paper off the roll......so fun! Mom loves when I do that. And I can put my hands in the water! Now, mom has to keep all the doors closed:("

"Look at this gate........no more climbing the stairs, I guess"

"Poor Sam.....we have to keep the doggy door closed now. I like to put my hand in it and OUCH.....it gets stuck!"

Helping mom put up the dishes

"Seriously, mom, seriously.......Valentines Day is for girls! Get this stupid hat off of me!!!"

"I love to feed my daddy. He says 'mmmm' and I'll get him something ASAP."

"First time to meet this silly guy.....Uncle Larry."

"And, look who came to visit......Nana! I gave her a present when she left.....the stomach flu."

Stacking is my new trick

"Give me that sign, Mom!"

*****Nana, click on the triangle at the bottom left.....ONE TIME ONLY!

Yum yum.......

Brooks has become quite the picky eater these days. Spaghetti was a treat! Anything to get them to eat, right!?

This one slipped in there!

Let the baby proofing begin......

because Brooks is in to EVERYTHING. Boy, when these little guys start crawling it is O-V-E-R! We have someone coming over tomorrow to install gates that fit the railings on our staircase. We have really enjoyed watching him discover his surroundings and try new things, but never imagined some of the things he would get in to......

• the dog bowl......spills the water, loves to look at his reflection, the sound it makes when it hits the floor is awesome (he throws it)

• making his way out the doggy door is coming soon........very interested in this

• we no longer have shutters near our door.......he pulled them OFF

• do we get a chain for the fireplace cover? Those are fun to play with, you know!

• why do cords fascinate babies so much, especially when they are plugged in????

• oh, don't open the fridge because he'll go straight for the eggs......it's always fun cleaning that off the floor

• thank goodness for Sam......she eats all the food he throws on the floor

Anyway, you get the point! He is all boy, and I love it! He is babbling more, but has yet to say "m's." Therefore, Trent thinks is first word is Dada. IT'S NOT A WORD UNLESS THAT SAY IT AND KNOW WHY THEY ARE SAYING IT! Watching him eat new foods is fun and a great activity that can take awhile. Anything we can do that takes a lot of time (pulling grass, tearing magazines, eating, watching Baby Einstein) is fabulous! He is now pushing any and everything, not just push toys. He will push boxes, small coffee tables, chairs, etc. That little booger is getting fast too. He falls frequently but is learning to suck it up and move on! Trent demands that I don't rush over to him when he falls. HE IS 9 MONTHS OLD FOR GOODNESS SAKE! His little personality emerges each month and we just love our little Brooksy!!!!!!!!

9 month check up stats

weight: 21 lbs 13.5 oz (74 percentile)

height: 29.25 in (77 percentile)

head circumference: 18.5 in (90th percentile)****His dad has to order special hats due to the size of HIS head.....I'm just sayin'

"Best Friends"

This is his "lolly." That's is what I called my blanket back in the day. He loves this thing!

At doctor for 9 month check-up

In waiting room at doctor. It was actually cold in Houston!

Playing drums

See......no more shutters

"This is so fun, Mom!"

"Do I have anything on my mouth?"

We started thinking about you last year......

and now you are here. It is hard to believe that this time last year Brooks was in my belly and now he is 22 pounds, crawling, pulling up, splashing in the tub, mimicking, babbling, eating "people" food and on and on. We have had the best 2010 and look forward to 2011.

Disclaimer***I do not want to be one of those moms that talks constantly about their children. I know that none of you care about his weekly milestones, when he poops, cries, spits up, eats real food, etc. However, Jenny Kellogg reminded me that you can make this into a book. I am not a "scrapbooker," and this is all I have. So I am going to try to document as much as I can. Don't judge!

And another thing.....I have noticed that I have very few pictures of my mom, Nana. As most of you know, the woman NEVER sits still. She is either cooking, cleaning, rearranging, decorating, etc. She never stops, and it is difficult to snap a pic of her. Next time, I am going to do a whole photo shoot of her. She makes Christmas so special for us all and deserves to be in every picture:)

His new favorite activity......splashing

"I HATE this hat"

appropriate gift, huh?

Brooks didn't get ANY attention over Christmas

Christmas morning

As soon as we got to Lubbock, Brooks' face broke out. It spread to his cheeks, forehead, nose, thumbs and behind his ears. I took him to the doctor when we got home....eczema.