mackinac island

We took a trip to Mackinac Island with Grandpa and Grandma Brooks. We spent two days on the island, and had lots of fun. We ate at the best restaurant in Northern Michigan, got lots of fudge, rode bicycles around the island, toured Fort Mackinac, lounged around at the bed and breakfast, shopped, rode the ferry, asked a man not to smoke near Baby R, did some sightseeing, had Baby R's Caricature drawn, tried to listen to the carriage tours without paying, bought a root beer float at the dog house, searched the island for cheesecake (unsuccessfully), played Sudoku, and killed off the Durango...

Day 1

Day 2
And most importantly, we found some similarities in sleeping habits...

time to play

Whenever Baby R gets really quiet, I know just where to find her... reading her books! Okay, so I know it is more like looking at pictures, but either way she LOVES books!!

A week ago Baby R invited her cousin Austin over for a play date. So what if he is 3 years older than her - they get along wonderfully!

While wrapping the twins birthday presents, Baby R decided she wanted to help. Of course, her idea of helping is playing with the tissue paper. Isn't she the cutest little helper?!

water, water everywhere

Bathtime seems to get more fun every day! During this splash-fest our bathroom floor got soaked, and so did Daddy. We spend so much time in the water these days, luckily Baby R enjoys it almost as much as Mommy!
At Karyna's birthday party on Saturday Baby R had plenty of swimming buddies! Nayeli, Wyck and Collin are the few that I managed to get pictures of...

fun can be found everywhere

Today we had to say "goodbye" to a good friend of ours, Katie Coleman! She is moving back to Chicago where she has a new job. Yeah for the new job, boo for the moving! We went to lunch at Culver's and tried to catch up a bit in the short hour we had. Baby R hasn't seen Katie very much, but instantly liked her. Maybe she recognized her voice from the months we spent working together last summer while I was pregnant. Or maybe she is just a very likable person. Baby R had a blast, so here are a few snapshots from our lunch date...

Yippee! My daughter is a Harry Potter fan already! Just look at her practicing with her wand! Okay, so maybe it is really a drum stick from one of her toys, but she thinks it is a wand. All she needs is a wizard's hat and cape (hint, hint Grandma). She told me she wants to be like Hermione when she grows up...

Yes, so have I mentioned that we spend a lot of time at the pool these days?? Luckily Baby R has a couple of friends who love to play in the pool too! Mary Lou and I really enjoy our weekly trips! It is nice to have a break from the normal daily routine. Not to mention having Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles all around to give us a break here and there!

A wonderful friend of ours from Williamston made Baby R the nicest gift! It is a beautiful quilt that has a built-in pocket for toys. That way Baby R always has something to play with when she stays overnight someplace. The quilt has Winnie the Pooh on it, and came with Pooh and Eeyore stuffed animals in the pocket. She already loves them, and laughs hysterically when daddy makes them dance and do flips. Thanks so much Chris and Erin for thinking of her!

As a little update, Baby R cut her 4th tooth on Tuesday, and has 2 more working their way out! Her 9 month stats are: 18 lbs 3 oz and 28 inches long. She still isn't gaining weight fast enough, and is now below the 50th percentile in weight. We increased her enzymes to try to help her absorb more of her food, so we are praying that her weight gain will be better soon. Aside from swimming, she really enjoys cruising around our apartment holding onto furniture. I can't believe how fast she is growing up!

big swimmer

Austin getting splashed by Uncle Rick and Uncle Rob. Poor kid, he couldn't get away while floating in his 'boat.' So Aunt Katie and Aunt Beth decided to teach him how to swim...

He caught on really quickly, and didn't even notice when I stopped holding onto him...

Look at that big kid swimming all by himself!

fun, fun, fun

My baby is growing right up! Although there is hope for her crawling eventually, she has her eye set on walking. She loves to pull herself up on anything or anyone she can find. And she LOVES trying to walk. She is getting pretty good too! She just reaches out her hands, grabs mine, and starts moving! But sometimes she doesn't stop when she wants to, and lets me know that we walked right past the toy she wanted.

We love spending time at Uncle Jack and Aunt Sue's pool! Besides the wonderful pool and fun toys, we love spending time with Jack and Sue! They make us feel at home, and they're pretty darn good with the little ones too!

joseph jackson mcmillan

We are SUPER excited to announce the arrival of our newest cousin,

Joseph Jackson McMillan!

He is quite the little cutie already! We are so HAPPY for Jodi and Kevin! CONGRATULATIONS!

more fun

For your enjoyment, a few more pictures from the pool...

fun in the sun

Yesterday we had a playdate at Uncle Jack and Aunt Susie's pool. It was sunny and hot, and we had great company! Uncle Nick, Nayeli, Aunt Molly, Uncle Bob, Austin, 'Aunt' Mary Lou, 'Uncle' Todd, Collin, Grandma, Granny, Aunt Allison and Karyna all showed up at some point. Collin and Baby R got to know each other better, and enjoyed splashing each other in the kiddie pool. Nayeli swam a lot, while Austin got up the courage to actually get in the chilly water. Aunt Sue and Uncle Jack helped out with the babies, which was super helpful. If only we could have gotten Baby R and Collin to nap just a little earlier-maybe next time...

Baby R thought her sippy cup made a good pool toy.

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Collin sporting his super cool pool hat!

A few highlights from the day...

officer bob

Austin is so proud of his Daddy the policeman! We went to the park to visit him, and Austin had to do his superhero pose with his superhero dad!

Officer Bob gave all of the kids cool temporary tattoos. Baby R loved sporting hers!

great strides

On Sunday our family took part in the Great Strides walk for Cystic Fibrosis. It was a great event to participate in, and our little fundraiser in DeWitt, MI raised over $30,000. We had great support from family and friends, not only in helping us raise over $2,100 as a team, but many came and walked with us. It was not a beautiful day, it was quite chilly. And the walk which we figured would probably be about a mile or two, turned out to be five miles! But it was fun anyways!

Me, Baby R and Rick

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Mitch, Steph and Skyler came to support us!

Grandma and Grandpa (not pictured) came too! In fact, Grandpa walked the entire 5 miles by himself! Well he did lean on Grandma for part of it, but that was just to keep from tipping over - he moved his legs by himself! Aunt Pat, Uncle Chuck, and Steve kept driving by him to try to pick him up, but he insisted that he would make it the whole 5 miles by himself! He said that may be all that he can actually do for Baby R, so he didn't want to give up. Now he won't be able to move all week, what a sacrifice!

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Uncle Nick was there too! He is such a strong supporter for Baby R. He single-handedly raised about half of our team's donations. He also made great CDs for everyone who participated with us. I'll have to post a playlist, because the songs are very uplifting and motivating!

Karyna was a great sport too! She rode in the Baby Bjorn for the whole walk, which probably helped Nick burn mucho calories!

Austin and Nayeli joined the festivities.

The back of the t-shirts that Mike made for us...

The Babbling Brooks take Great Strides for Cystic Fibrosis

Other walkers that I didn't get pictures of:

• Beth and Rob Cebelak
• Aunt Pat, Uncle Chuck and Steve Cross
• Dave, Victoria, Wyck and Embeth Hall
• Allison Miller
• Grandpa Miller
• Amol and Kanchan Pavangadkar
• Molly Stump

This is such an important event for Cystic Fibrosis, because the Great Strides walks are the biggest fundraisers for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We learned that there are 26 different cures that are being researched at the moment, but there isn't enough money for all of them. That is why it is so important to raise money, so that we can find a cure soon! Apparently one of the retired pulmonologists from Lansing said that he thinks they will find a cure within a decade! That would be such a wonderful miracle, to find a cure in Baby R's lifetime!

calisthenics

Phew! Good thing Aunt Amber came to visit and helped me with my workout... I was starting to get a little flabby!

birthdays in gb

We went to Grand Blanc last weekend to celebrate Grandma's birthday and Daddy's birthday. Mommy made a raw food cake for Grandma's 51st birthday! I think Grandma was the only one who ate it. The rest of us enjoyed the cheesecake that Grandma bought for Daddy's 26th birthday! Here are a few highlights:

We tried to semi-match our outfits for church...

Grandma showing off her raw cake!

Baby R just chillin' with Grandpa and Daddy.

baby shower

I am a little behind in posting some of my pictures, so here are a few from Jodi's shower.

Great Aunt Dyleen helping Baby R play tag with Collin.

Baby R and Karyna breaking the rules by sitting on the table.

Baby R warming up to her Great Uncle Jack.

easter

I love holidays. What a great excuse for food, family, and fun. Easter is really such a special holiday, though. It is wonderful to know that our Savior not only died for us, but that He rose again. Knowing that He lives, and that because of Him we too will be resurrected is very comforting. I know that our body and spirit will be reunited again after death, and we can then live with Him and with our families for eternity. What could be better than that?

On the subject of families, I had the privilege of having my Uncle Jack stop by today. (Sadly, Baby R took her nap a lot later than normal and was sleeping when he came). We talked for a little while about all the wonderful grandchildren in the family. We also talked about my Aunt Dyleen's 50th birthday (which we missed, but will make it up to her as soon as Baby R is cleared to be in public - we will take her out on the town). Anyways, all of this talking made me realize more than ever how I love being close to family. Uncle Jack was so happy talking about his grandson, grandnieces and grandnephews. Having such a caring family is wonderful! It is so nice to not just have a relationship with my extended family, but a great relationship with my extended family. My Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents have always played a large role in my life.

That brings me back to Easter... Papa R, Baby R and I hosted Easter dinner for my family. Although our apartment is small it was fun having everyone over. Austin and Nayeli had fun searching for Easter eggs hidden in our apartment. Austin stared at all the "hidden" eggs for about an hour before Nayeli arrived. It was quite funny, he would walk down the hall to the bathroom, and say "WOW" everytime he saw another egg. (Periodically he would try to sneak one, but Molly and Bob kept reminding him he couldn't have them yet). Dinner was a success, and the kids all got along. However, next time we discuss the whereabouts for another holiday I call "not it." Unless we have moved to a larger place by then...

The Brooks Family on Easter

Staring problems seem to run in the family

Do you think she likes her Grandma??

i love my family

Nick, Allison, and the girls had the family over for dinner and Family Home Evening. It was nice to spend some time together (especially since they will be moving in August) and the kids enjoyed playing.

Nick shared a wonderful story of one of our ancestors, Thomas Mayhew Jr. He lived in Martha's Vineyard in the 1600s and was a missionary to the Native Americans. The history was written by Henry Franklin Norton, and you can read it here. If you don't have time to read it all then you can scroll down a little to the heading, THOMAS MAYHEW, JR., FIRST MISSIONARY. I love learning about what fascinating people our ancestors were - we owe them a lot for preparing the way for us to come to earth!

These pictures show Baby R with her cousin Karyna (9 months) and Nayeli (almost 3). You can also see Nick's pal Cameron chilling in the background. He was supposed to be ready to catch the girls in case one of them pushed the other one over. Luckily that didn't happen - the girls only touched each other's faces and shirts.