family photos

This is from the family photo shoot we did in October. We took these up at USU. I will really miss campus when we move next year. Some of the photos are a bit washed out-- but we are playing with the lighting on photoshop before we print them.

Sammi was a big help by being our photographer :)

This is a photo project I am making Brent do-- These are some trees in Providence that I fell in love with when we were dating. I want a picture of them in every season  :)

6 months old

Brooks is 6 months old-- I have not updated our blog in ages, so this will be a lot of pictures and thoughts on all things Brooks. Please excuse some of the instagram/cellphone pics.

Brooks is a smart little boy. He loves seeing new things and then figuring out how to get his hands on whatever it is. Everyday he surprises me with new skills.

Here is Brooks at 6 months. He loves the camera

Sleeping:
Brooks goes to bed between 7:30 and 8 each night. We listen to him jabber, coo and gurgle himself to sleep each night. He usually sleeps through the night without any problems, although recent adventures in teething have upset that pleasant aspect of our lives. Every morning we get Brooks up at 7 so he and Daddy can drive me out to work. Brent and I wake Brooks up by singing to him and he always has a big smile. We bundle Brooks up and put him in his car seat, usually he falls back to sleep. If we let him sleep in he would sleep til 9 (he is totally my son).

Brooks bundled up in his car seat.

Playing:

The best part of my day comes when I get off of work and get to spend time with my boys. Fridays are my favorite. I get off of work at 1:30 and get to spend the whole afternoon with my little guy. His favorite game to play is peek-a-boo. His favorite toys are his stuffed tigger and a $5 mirror from walmart turned on its side. 

Mom and Brooks playing on Friday afternoon. 

Eating:

Brooks has been a trooper when it comes to eating. With my work schedule we have had to split his milk between breast milk and formula. He has never been picky. He will drink warm milk or cold milk. We started feeding him rice cereal at 4 months. He liked it right away. Then we started on the baby food. We started with green beans (not a big hit) he liked squash and sweet potatoes. He loves carrots too. We started giving him fruits this week. So far pears and apples have been big successes. Brooks is a messy eater. He loves to blow raspberries while eating. Dinner is always followed by a bath. (Usually for me too as I often end up with food in my hair.)

Brooks enjoying some pears. We usually give him his own spoon to hold because he gets so excited while eating he grabs at everything in front of him. 

Crawling: Brooks has never been one to sit still. As a newborn he lifted his head up and looked around. 2 weeks after his 4 month appointment Brooks began his army crawling. He shuffled across the floor faster than any of us thought possible. Brooks is an adventurous little guy. He would shuffle right out the room without looking back to see where mom or dad was. At 6 months Brooks began lifting his tummy off the floor in a more traditional crawl. When something catches his eye he hustles over to grab it.

Brooks loves our stereo. He crawls over 40 times a day and pushes the buttons until he hears the sounds of
N*SYNC Christmas.

Daddy's Boy:

Brooks is a definite Daddy's boy. Brent is a stay-at-home dad this year, while I am teaching full time. Brooks wants to be just like his daddy. He mimics all of the noises Brent makes and his funny faces too. Brent is very sweet with Brooks. I can already tell these two are going to be a lot a like.

Brooks and Brent wearing matching ties to church. We bought this tie for our nephew Corgan to wear to our wedding. We borrowed all of Corgan's baby clothes and this was in there. Brent put on his wedding tie to match. 

Cousins:Brooks has 3 cousins. All of his cousins are boys. Brooks loves to play with his cousins.

Granny holding Brooks, Corgan and Greyson at a BYU basketball game. Brooks was in a bad mood-- but he usually loves to be around Corgan and Greyson, (my brother Justin's two little ones.) Corgan is great at getting Brooks to smile. He likes to take turns holding him. Greyson is always very helpful at finding toys for Brooks. He also calls him "Beeks"

Brooks with Tanner. Tanner is Brent's sister, Michon's, little boy. He is 3 months younger than Brooks. Brooks likes to smile at him and loves trying to eat him. I am sure they will be great friends.

Basketball:
While Brent has always been a big basketball fan, so far Brooks is not. His first ever basketball game was a Pleasant Grove High School girl's  game. He cried every time the buzzer went off. He also screamed through the BYU game (see above). Brent is hoping he will overcome this someday.

Brooks at the PGHS girls game. This is the face he made every time the buzzer went off. 

Brent with Brooks before tip off--- He didn't mind being there at first :)

Shoes:

Brent is a bit of a shoe junky, just see his twitter account for exhibit A. 90% of his posts are shoe related. Brooks has definitely inherited his father's love of shoes. I will set him on the ground with all sorts of toys and he will beeline straight for any shoes. When people visit he is mesmerized by their shoes. He loves trying to eat them. For Halloween we decided to play off of our family love of shoes. Brent and I went as Footlocker employees and Brooks was a Jordan XI.

Halloween 2012-- Brent and Katie as Footlocker employees. Brooks as a Jordan XI

Social:
Brooks is very outgoing and friendly. Whenever we are around new groups of people he grins like crazy. He is a big flirt, especially with the little girls at church. People often stop me in public places to comment on how outgoing, sweet, smiley, and happy my little guy is. He loves to meet new people. While many children are afraid of Santa, he lit up when he got to sit on his lap.

Christmas 2012-- Brooks siting on Santa's lap. We had to take him back when he started pulling on Santa's beard. 

Family:
6 months ago Brooks became a part of our family, but I really cannot remember life without him. He has fit so perfectly into our lives. This may just be me being a proud momma, but he really is the perfect baby. Sure he fusses sometimes and the new teeth he got this week have been a bit challenging, but overall he is a very sweet and happy baby. He is energetic and fun. He sleeps and eats great. He keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh all day long. Happy 6 months Brooks!