Christmas Morning

We woke up bright and early Christmas morning to open a couple of presents at home before heading back over to Mom and Dad Gardner's. Brooklyn decided to sleep through the opening of her presents but have enjoyed most of them since then. Once we got to Mom and Dad Gardner's we had a nice breakfast and then took the famous picture up on the stairs. we then opened presents. Because Dad had gotten hearing aids Ned decided to give us our own kind of hearing aid. I have a couple of pictures of those presents. One of my favorite gifts was a running stroller but it was delayed so I didn't receive it by Christmas. It still hasn't come but we ended up canceling the order and ordering it from another place. It should arrive sometime tomorrow. My favorite gift that Brooklyn got was a floor gym. She loves grabbing the hanging toys.

Christmas Eve

This past year we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day with Lindsay's family. On Christmas Eve we had pizza for dinner instead of the assortment of h'ordeurves. It was a change but it was satisfying for all. Afterward we had a talent show where most of the kids and a couple of the adults performed for us. Maddie shared her violin skill, Morgan did some crazy dancing, Kayla and Lexi sang a song, Mark played the guitar, the return of the Ned and Matt Duo and much more. It was a great night of talented people.

Photo Shoot

Brooklyn is sure one spoiled little girl. Mike's sisters are constantly giving us clothes for her. Laura send us this beautiful dress. I just had to take some pictures of how cute she looked. I even got one of her notorious smiles. The other picture is just one of my favorites.

Brooklyn's Blessing

Brooklyn was given a name and a blessing by Mike on November 28th in Mike's parents ward. Mike's dad is the Branch President of the Lakeview Manor Branch and we thought it would be nice for him to be able to sign the blessing certificate. Mom Gardner had purchased the blessing dress for Brooklyn to wear on this special day in her life. It is interesting what we go through for her to wear for just a short time. She looked beautiful in her dress. We decided to have our brothers and brother-in-law to join in the circle. There were many who came to support us in this joyous occasion. All of Mike's family came and even some of his extended family. All those immediate family members in my family came and also Wendy. Afterward we gathered at Mom and Dad Gardner's house to have some food and take some pictures. It was a nice occasion.

Happy Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we were able to join Mike's family at his cousins house in Lehi. My assignment was to make rolls. I am still trying to figure out how to make things, take care of Brooklyn and not have it take all day. None the less, the rolls were a hit and we had a great time. I am really enjoying dressing up Brooklyn in holiday apparel. During the holiday break Mike's sisters were able to come out and meet Brooklyn for the first time. They sure do spoil her.

Our Little Bug

Halloween was a new experience for us this year as we had an addition to dress in a costume. I really wanted to dress Brooklyn in a bug costume because she is our little "BB". I waited too long to order a costume that would fit her so I decided to make one. I decided to make her a ladybug costume. I didn't have any patterns but make a simple but very cute outfit for her. She was able to wear her costume to a ward Halloween party and over to both her grandparents houses. Little did we know that two of her cousins would also be ladybugs.

Brooklyn is such a good baby!

Brooklyn has been home for over a week now and has been a great blessing in our lives. She is one of the world's best babies. She never cries and has only done a few times when we changed her. She did cry pretty hard when we gave her her first sponge bath and once when in the car. Other than that she doesn't cry. Not even to let me know she is hungry or needs her diaper changed. Most of the time she would even sleep through the night if not woken to be fed. These early days she needs to be woken, to give her nourishment and to make sure my milk is coming in properly. This has been kind of hard for me because she is such a sound sleeper. Sometimes I get her woken up but she falls back asleep just as we start the feeding. I was worried yesterday because I just couldn't get her to wake up. I tried lots of tactics and she just would not give in. Finally around 3 pm just as we arrived at Grandma Gardner's she decided she had been asleep long enough. She has done really well since then and has woken up long enough for me to feed her and has stayed awake for a little while. She is the most beautiful baby and we are so blessed to have her.