Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we went to Kansas to visit some of our family there. We were able to have all of Loren's brother's and sister's and their families together for the holiday. Usually this gathering is only able to happen once a year because of the distance everyone has to travel. One of the big festivities over the holiday was the pheasant hunt. On the last day of hunting the hunters were able to get quite a few birds and were rater pleased. For the the women the big activity was beading. We made some awesome bands for our watches and had a wonderful time doing it. It was a fun trip and we were glad we were able to go. Our little Brookleigh proved to be a good traveler too which made me rather relieved. She was able to meet some new cousins on the trip and discovered a strong connection with her cousin "B". He was able to make her laugh like I have never seen before. All he had to to was rub her head and she would giggle and giggle. To all of our family thanks for the fun Thanksgiving.

Rolling

Last night when we were over at Loren's parents house Brookleigh was laying on her back while on the floor. I stepped out of the room for seriously less than a minute and when I came back in the room Brookleigh was on her stomach. She rolled over for the first time and I MISSED it! Now the little girl is being a tease and won't do it again! The funny thing is seconds before she rolled over I was on the phone talking to my brother-in-law telling him that she was really close to rolling over and would be doing it by Thanksgiving. Oh well, I guess I will get to see it plenty of times in the future.

Beautiful Day

Brookleigh was blessed a few weeks ago by her Daddy. It was a wonderful blessing and such a special day. Brookleigh has a very special spirit to her, when I look at her eyes there is a light that radiates through them. When it came time for the blessing she was wide awake through the whole thing, she didn't make any fuss though. Brook was looking around as if she was soaking it all in. The day couldn't have gone any better. We had wonderful support from family which made the day even more sweeter.

Cat and Mouse

Brookers and I went to a Halloween party last night at the Elks Lodge. She was all tuckered out and slept the whole time. I decided to go with the cat idea for my costume, and it turned out pretty cute for the spur of the moment thing.

# 10

hehehe...Well, I guess I forgot the #10 from my last post. Sorry I have kept you all in suspense since it has been almost a whole month since my last post.
Number 10 . Having her cheeks and neck kissed. She giggles and acts silly when we do it.
On to other things. Halloween in approaching and our little one is going to be a mouse. We dressed her up the other day in her costume for the ward party. She looked so adorable. Loren and I were party poopers and didn't dress up. I am not sure what to be for Halloween. I think we are just going to watch a movie and hand out candy. But I still want to dress up. Any ideas? I made some very tasty white chicken chili for the party too. Here is the recipe for those who want to try it.

Ingredients
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 med onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 4oz cans chopped green chiles
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1.5 t dried oregano, crumbled
• .25 t cayenne or crushed red pepper (depending on taste)(*I omitted this)
• 3 16 oz cans, great northern beans, drained & rinsed
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups grated monterey jack cheese
• salt
• pepper
• sour cream

Directions
1. Heat oil in large heavy pot to med/high.
2. Add onions & saute until translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add garlic, chiles, chicken, cumin, oregano, and hot pepper.
4. Saute 2 minutes.
5. Add beans and chicken broth.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or more.
7. Add 1 cup of grated cheese.
8. Stir until thick and melted.
9. Season with salt & pepper. Serve with remaining cheese and sour cream.

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe Brookleigh is already 2 months old! She has had a busy two months and continues her traveling with Apple Fest approaching. Brooks favorite 10 things at this age are:
1-Laying on our bed kicking and looking at the lights.
2-Daddy. She gives him the best smiles. He has a knack for getting her asleep too.
3-Mommy. I'm not the most experienced Mom, but Brookleigh loves me anyway and is very patient.
4-Her fingers and pacifier.
5-Sleeping while being cuddled.
6-Having her feet played with.
7-Being sung too
8-Flying in the air on Daddy's hand
9-Grandma's, Grandpa's and family. Being so close to them is awesome!

We are so lucky to have such a sweet girl. We love every minute of it. I find it so amazing how such a little thing can make such a huge difference in one's life. We waited a long time for her and I so glad we are blessed to have her in our family.

New Baby Pictures of Brookleigh

Here are some pics with us in hospital. Momma and baby are doing great. Brookleigh is 8.9 pounds and 21 inches. Everything went great.