When Mom's Away...

We were heading to Trevor's basketball game (for the team of little boys he coaches) and I asked him to get Brooklyn dressed while I got ready. This is what I came downstairs and saw. We removed the du rag before we left the house. Those two crack me up when they are together.

Well worth the calories...

Yesterday I was making fajitas (cuz we didn't have enough in Mexico :) for Trevor's family for Sunday dinner. I forgot I needed a dessert as well and started searching through Pinterest to find something that had peanut butter and chocolate. The only two things I need to make me happy. I found a recipe for homemade Reese's bars. Sold. I made them and Trevor actually said "these taste just like the real thing!" It made way more than we needed so I made sure to take care of that today. Whoops!

Here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Bars
1 c. butter
1 c peanut butter
2 c graham cracker crumbs
2 c powdered sugar

1 1/2 c semi-sweet choco chips
4 Tbsp peanut butter

Directions: Melt butter & 1 c peanut butter. Add graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Mix until well blended. Press into ungreased 9"x 13" pan. Melt choco chips with 4 Tbsp peanut butter (either on stovetop or microwave) and spread on top of graham cracker mixture. Refridgerate for at least 1 hour.

http://morganmoore.typepad.com/one_more_moore/2008/08/makin-stuff.html

Cancun, Mexico

Christmas came and went, and we left for Mexico! It was nice to leave the cold weather and head to the beach for a week of fun with Trevor's family!

The week consisted of: early morning runs on the beach, long days at the pool, boogie boarding, playing in the sand (B), floating in a Disney Princess inner tube (B), reading Goodbye Jimmy Choo by the pool (well worth the read), way too much Diet Coke, daily dinners consisting of fajitas, fajitas, and more fajitas, late nights of Mexican Trains, naps by the pool, watching Bowl Games on the sling box, and mostly just having fun hanging out together. The weather was perfect and the scenery wasn't too bad either :)

It was blast and Brooklyn couldn't have been a better traveler. She loved the pool and sand, once she got used to it of course, and could have floated around for hours. She LOVES texture so the sand was heaven for her. I love that she is getting to experience all of these things so young. I think it was stimulation overload because she slept and napped like it was going out of style. I will admit that traveling with a wee-one and their all of their luggage (and there is A LOT of it) is very stressful at times but I was glad we still got have a relaxing trip in the sun. It was so much fun to play with her in the water and watch her take it all in.

The only real hiccup was Brooklyn's mega-meltdown on the way home. The flight was delayed so her sleeping was all out of whack and she was awake for close to 6 hours. She has never been up for longer than 4, so you can only imagine how tired the poor girl was. She finally reached her breaking point and screamed for 5 or 10 minutes. It felt like 5 hours. She finally fell asleep, more like passed out, and we, and everyone else on the plane, let out a sigh of relief. The poor thing did all she could to last the flight but had just had enough and I don't blame her. She is such a sweetheart for putting up with being on the go for a week! For all you new moms out there, that moment you imagine where your child is screaming and everyone is staring at you and you don't know what to do and nothing will calm them down really is as bad as you think it will be. Trust me. Minus that, she was champ and we are oh so grateful for it! We can't get enough of that little girl and her smile. Thanks for a great trip Mom and Dad Tripp!

Nickie took some great pictures of us while we were there - thanks Nick!

B and aunt Skippy

Brookie and Aunt Tiff/her swim coach

I made sure she was protected from the sun!

this makes me laugh EVERY time I look at it

I really can't get enough of this girl.

One of my favorite pictures.

B didn't always love the pool/beach...

we went to this restaurant, La Parilla, on our honeymoon and it was fun to take B back with us.

I love being her Mom.

Brooklyn and Grandma

The whole gang at dinner one night

parasailing

these two girls were our entertainment

she didn't mind the obnoxious amounts of sunscreen I put on her. It was actually one of her favorite toys, it even went in the pool with her.

Brooklyn's First Christmas

Christmas time is my favorite time of year. It's like a wedding. You are excited, you plan, you do a million things to get ready for it, and then BAM it's over in one day. I wish it was longer but it's not so I try and make the most of it. I put up the decorations, ordered Brooklyn's stocking (which didn't match ours exactly, thanks Pottery Barn), and shopped 'til I dropped. Brooklyn frequents the mall and actually loves looking around at everything that is going on. Having B around for the Holidays made it that much more fun. I was so excited to get her Christmas pajamas and Christmas books and a few other fun things. Shopping for infants is way cheaper than adults. And she will never remember the outfit and shoes I got her but it was still fun to wrap all the presents. Since Tausha got married 4 days before Christmas, there was lots of family in town which made it really feel like Christmas.

Christmas Eve is always a big deal in Trevor's family and it always takes place at his Grandma's house. Trevor dresses up as Santa and gives all the kids presents. Trevor as Santa is quite a sight to see. We played lots of minute to win it games, frosted sugar cookies, and listened to Grandma tell us stories as we all sat around. We had Christmas Eve brunch with my family at The Original Pancake house and ate ourselves sick but it is always worth it there. My mom bought all the girls outfits for the day but I guess I didn't get them memo she was supposed to wear it to breakfast so Liza and Rachel were all dolled up while Brooklyn was in her "Florida retirement home sweatsuit" as my dad likes to call it. It was cold, that's my excuse for the fleece sweat suit.

Christmas pajamas!

It won't be long til Brookie realizes Santa is Dad...

Trevor's little cousins were so cute with Brooklyn. Megan just adores her and B loves her just as much. We wish she lived closer so she could be our perma-babysitter!

We spent the night at Trevor's parents house because driving over at 6 am with a 6 month old didn't seem that appealing. We stayed up late and talked with the agreement the festivities would start at 6:30 am. Brooklyn slept through the first part so we saved her presents for last. She got so spoiled and got lots of fun toys, clothes, and books. All of these toys have made my days much more productive! We then went to church and headed over to my parents house. Liza could barely contain herself and while we weren't looking had already opened some of her presents. It was hilarious. My favorite present was a Vitamix blender (bring on the green smoothies) and Trevor's was probably his 6-day trip to climb Mt. Rainier. I guess it's a big deal because I had to sign a consent form saying I knew just what he was getting into. That's my mountain man. His present from me? A pair of mountaineering pants that are indestructible. He picked them out and I wrapped them. I don't get it, but I go along with it :) All of his crazy outdoor adventures may scare me a little bit, but he loves it, so I love it and try not to worry. I told him he had to up his life insurance policy!

Yes, my brother got a bag THAT big. I asked why and the response was, "when we climb Everest I will need this." Oh boy.

Liza loved her new sleeping bag we got her.

Christmas was a blast and we had so much fun spending it with our families. We are so grateful to have them close because it's holidays like these that help you realize family really is all that matters. We couldn't love our families more and are so blessed. Although Christmas was a whirlwind this year we didn't forget the true meaning of Christmas. We are so grateful for the birth of our Savior and all the blessings we enjoy because of it. I'm grateful that we have this holiday to remember Him and all he has done for us.

Tausha gets married!

Trevor's second littlest sister got married on December 21st in the Denver Temple! I barely made it in due to my air headed self and the fact the I forgot my recommend. New Years Resolution: don't be such an air head. Trevor is pretty excited about that resolution. Anyways, the wedding was gorgeous, Tausha was stunning, and all around it was a wonderful day none of us will forget. My mother in law knows how to plan and decorate with the best of them so the outfits/reception/pictures were nothing short of stunning. We love Tausha and are excited to have Jacob join the family! Here are some quick pictures before we get all the edited ones!

Disneyland '11

Disneyland was a blast. Brooklyn slept through most it, like she doest most of her life, but I think she still enjoyed herself. She rode her first ride, the dumbo ride, and saw lots of characters. Baby Rachel went on the ride too- I think we were the only ones with infants! The best part was Liza and her melt down when she had to leave Minnie. It was lots of "MINNIE COME!!" "MORE MINNIE PLEASE" and her running back to find her in her house. It was so cute. By 5 o'clock she was delirious, half asleep, and muttering "more disneyland please." She is such a doll and keeps us all laughing all the time. B idolizes her and watches her every move. I am excited for all these girls to buddies. It was fun to go back, minus the 200 bones to get in :) I guess I took having a season pass as a kid for granted. It really is a magical place and seeing it decorated for Christmas made it that much better!