9 Month Update

It's been a little crazy trying to update this blog between work, house hunting, a doctor appointment, life in general.  So, here's the latest....

Sunday was absolutely beautiful!  After church, we took a nice walk through Walsingham Park and Gavin was able to swing for a few minutes.  If weather continues to be that nice on the weekends, then the park will be our getaway spot. 

Monday afternoon, Gavin had his 9 month appointment.  He is now 28 1/2 inches long and weighs 20 pounds, 11 ounces.  They only gave him one shot this time but they also had to prick his little toe to test the iron in his blood.  The doctor said, "He's perfect!"  There is absolutely nothing developmentally wrong with him and he is just perfect.  I love those reports. 

Monday night, we went house hunting again.  We saw four houses and though a couple of them were in decent condition, the location sucked.  There was one that was great but the backyard was right up against an apartment complex.  No thank you!  We're still searching and praying for that one perfect house.

We've been praying for Eric's Grandpa, Alex, aka G-Pa.  He was supposed to come into town today but he had some kind of internal bleeding.  I'm just going to copy and paste the emails regarding his situation because I have no idea what I'm talking about:

"So here is the latest as of last night (Monday). Yesterday he had both a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. When Tom first spoke with Ken, he thought that the doctors suspected an upper gi bleed. But later in the day, when the results of the colonoscopy came in they confirmed that he has a lower GI bleed, most likely from his diverticular disease. Unfortunately, they can not find the exact location of the bleed so that they can't perform a procedure to stop it. The next step is to do an angiogram. That is where they go in through the femoral artery, inject dye and follow the movement of the dye through the circulation to his intestine on a screen. That will hopefully allow them to see where the bleed is, and then during that procedure they can inject medicine to the site to clot it off. Unfortunately, they do not have a physician at Mansfield General who can do this procedure (it is a bit specialized). So as of last night, they were planning to transport G-Pa to Columbus to a bigger hospital for this procedure. The plan is the procedure will be done sometime today.

I spoke with the doctor at Mansfield General last night and he said that Alex is stable. Blood pressure OK, and blood counts are low, but they are stable as well. so that is a good sign. If they wait for the bleeding to stop on its own and the bleeding worsens, then he would become unstable and would need emergency surgery. By doing the arteriogram at Columbus, we are hoping to avoid surgery."

Then we got another update later this afternoon:

"Finally have some good news. G-Pa did go down to Columbus last night, but as of this afternoon the bleeding has stopped. The doctors in Columbus feel that is a good sign and they have decided not to do the procedure. They will probably keep him a day or 2 more to observe. They will probably make some changes in his medications (and his diet!) so that there will be less risk of this happening again."

Eric was able to talk to G-Pa tonight and he could tell that it was an uncomfortable situation.  So, we're still praying for him and hoping that he'll get to go home soon.

Plan, Pray, Perfection

Here's the devotional I shared with the women of Gulf Coast Fellowship at a baby shower:

I was trying to think of what I could talk about that would be applicable for everyone and not just the guests of honor. So I thought I would use my pregnancy experience and elaborate my spiritual journey.

If you’ve heard this story before, you’re gonna hear it again. Eric and I got married a year and a half ago. Early in our engagement we both decided to not have children. We saw the responsibility and we didn’t want it. We saw the freedom and we had a plan to achieve it. Our plan was to pay off all our debt and then be financially free to do whatever we pleased. One thing we forgot to do was double check with the Lord to see if this plan was ok. Apparently it wasn’t and a month after we were married, we realized that I was pregnant. I’ll admit that we were disappointed; disappointed that we weren’t getting our way. Then I remembered my favorite verse Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” If we walk with the Lord on daily basis, if we let go of our hindrances, if we pray for His will then ultimately His desires will become our own desires. So Eric and I quickly embraced this new “plan” knowing that this was God’s will for our lives. We knew He would provide if we just followed Him.

So we had the new plan. We had no clue what was going to happen. We were just trying to get used to living with each other let alone handle a pregnancy! So….we “prayed”. We literally prayed EVERY night for EVERYTHING: the pregnancy, Gavin’s development, no complications, an easy labor and delivery, his health, my health; we even prayed for Gavin’s future and how God will use him in a mighty way. Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We offered up all of our worries about parenthood, our finances and especially delivering all natural! We wanted this plan to be accomplished and we knew we couldn’t do it without prayer.

Finally, after accepting God’s plan and praying every day, there came “perfection!” James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Through all the physical pain and contractions for 6 hours, I knew there was going to be a reason to rejoice in the end. God answered our prayers because we didn’t have any complications, we had a by-the-book labor and delivery, and we delivered a perfect baby boy. Complete perfection. He even scored a 10 on the Apgar test!

So….I hope you were about to think of your own “plan” for your life. Make sure you run it by the Lord. And then continue to pray on a daily, if not moment by moment basis. Because you will see God’s plan be accomplished and the end result will be pure perfection.

9 Months Old

Well, today Gavin is 9 months old.  That means there are only 3 more months until he is a year old!  Should I start crying now or save the waterworks for his actual birthday?  Gavin is feeling a lot better and only has an annoying cough.  The rest of us?  Eric is getting over a cold and I'm beginning to lose my voice.  I'm trying to cure it with home remedies because I do not want to accept the inevitable.  I need my voice at least until Saturday afternoon.  I'm throwing a baby shower at our church this Saturday morning and I'm going to use my voice!  Oh well, if anything, I'll write everything out on paper and pass it around. :)  I'm hoping this baby shower will be fun.  I've planned for a couple games and a little message from my heart.  I would like to post the message but I'm going to wait till after the baby shower so as to not ruin the surprise.  Just pray that everything goes well.

Other than that, I think we're going to keep this weekend low-key since we're both kinda under the weather.  We looked at houses tonight.  The first house was a corner lot and was very nice on the inside.  The layout was cute, the kitchen was a good size, very well maintained and a big master bedroom.  Then we traveled to the next house.  We went in and we came out....did not like it.  So, Eric and I drove back to the first house.  As we were driving around, I realized that the next door neighbor lived in what looked like a shack!  It was awful and that did it for me.  I was not too keen on a corner lot to begin with so the surrounding neighbors confirmed my rejection.  I know it was frustrating for Eric at first but I do not want to settle when it comes to the neighbors and location let alone the condition of the house.  So hopefully we'll be able to look again this Sunday afternoon. 

Have a great weekend and I'll post that message as soon as Saturday afternoon.        

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Gavin playing in my messy closet....

A baby's paradise....a mound of toys!

Watch your head!

We LOVE bath time! 

This video is funny to me and it may look as though I'm a mean mommy.  See, Gavin doesn't like to have water squirted in his face and he flinches every time it might happen.  HAHA!!! 

Sick weekend

There's something about rocking my sick little baby to sleep that makes me feel accomplished as a mom. Yes, Gavin was sick. It started Thursday morning with just a simple teething cough that turned into a heavy, flemmy cough. I felt bad because I went out Thursday night! I don't feel too bad because I knew that Eric could handle things and plus I was watching Wicked for the second time! I love that musical! I'd like to thank Matt and Kelly Kalil for inviting me and I hope your mom is doing better. Friday morning, I decided to stay home with Gavin and we just relaxed. The weather was perfect for doing just that! Gavin napped quite frequently while I had did loads of laundry. I took him to the doctor's office just to be on the safe side. He did not have croup and it was just a common cold. The doctor gave me at-home remedies to try and he is getting better. Gavin slept better Friday night than any other night before. All of us slept in Saturday morning and it was great! We didn't do much that afternoon. We did look at a couple houses but nothing to write home about. We're still looking and waiting....

Sunday, we skipped church! Don't judge! Gavin was still getting better and I didn't want the other little babies or kiddies to catch a cold. Just thinking of others.... Later that afternoon, I met up with a friend and we went shopping for baby shower items. I'm throwing a baby shower for two women at my church this coming Saturday. I have a devotional I'm going to share and I'll post it in a blog after the baby shower. Don't want to ruin the surprise! :) So, to sum up our weekend, it was spent trying to figure out what Gavin needed....like any other day!

We looked at a couple more houses today. Still nothing but we're not giving up hope. We're waiting on the Lord and we know He has that perfect house for us.

Side note: my husband is absolutely wonderful! I love you!

The Bamdurger....not a very good idea.

Before I recap our weekend, I need to confess something.  I have not been working out like I want/need to and I also have not been cooking like I said I would.  I feel like a failure but praise the Lord that He gave me a husband that loves me the way I am....fat and lazy! :)

We had a good weekend.  We got together with some friends Friday night and Saturday afternoon.  I'm realizing that if Gavin goes out with us to get togethers or parties, I can't concentrate on adult conversations.  I'm sure this will improve as he gets older but right now, I cannot engage on a full topic without being interrupted.  I guess I'm not the multi-tasker I thought I was.  Gavin has been in the stage of picking things up and then dropping them.  It's so much fun for him but it's a pain in the lower back for Mommy.  He's really moving and grooving in his walker now!  We'll chase each other around the kitchen and he'll just laugh and smile.  Gavin's been talking a lot more lately, I just wish I knew what he was saying!  Also, he's now a "cruiser"!  He'll pull himself up to a standing position and then "cruise" by holding onto the furniture.  I cannot believe he's getting so big.  He'll have his 9 month appointment in 2 weeks.

SuperBowl.  We were sad the Colts lost but it was a good game and the Saints did a good job.  Now, some of you may have heard of Eric's SuperBowl grilling idea.  He calls it the Bamdurger!  Let me just say that it was better than expected but we will NEVER do that again!  Here's his idea:  take a hot dog and cheese and wrap it with hamburger meat and then wrap that in bacon.  Grill it till thoroughly cooked.  Eat on a hot dog bun.  Throw up later.

Special Day

Today marks a special day for me.  I started working for the Munce Group 8 years ago on this exact date.  Eight years!  That is probably the longest commitment I've made EVER.  That's longer than any one place I've lived on my own.  That's longer than any car I've owned.  That's even longer than any relationship I've been in.  So this is a big day for me!  And guess what I get to do to celebrate?  I get to answer the phones today:  "Thank you for calling the Munce Group.  This is Brooke."  Some people think I'm a recording so they dial the extension they need.  Some people think my name is Brooks or Beth.  Others think they dialed the Salt Rock Grill because their phone number is one digit off.  Everytime I'm tempted to take the reservation but I'm sure that will cause some legal issues or something.  :)  However, I do more than answer the phones and I love my job!  I am so grateful to be working for a godly company that really seeks to please the Lord.   

Tonight, we're going to look at some houses.  I should take my camera in case there's one I'd like to share with y'all.  We're really praying about this whole process because this is a BIG decision.  It's not like some tv you find in a store where all the selections are laid out before you and you just pick the better deal.  This is a long process of agreeing on a house, inspections, offers, counteroffers, closing costs, signing your life away and not to mention painting, possibly remodeling, moving....this could take months!  But we're ready!  I'll let you know what happens. 

Well, I gotta go to work....hope everyone has a great day and I'll talk to you soon.

Good morning!  How do I get him to close his mouth?!

Fun! Fun! Fun!

As most of you know, I had a gathering at our place of residence this past Saturday and it was a lot of fun!  We set the time for 5:00 and we didn't eat till about 6:45.  That's always the case when you have a potluck dinner setting.  Since we had a Mexican theme, we set up a make-it-yourself taco buffet along with chips and salsa with Corona and Margaritas (too strong to even drink thanks to my husband) to wash it down.  Also, Eric kept ranting and raving about Rachel Goette's Chicken Enchiladas!  They were outstanding!!!  Then Mr. LaChance brought us dessert and my guests turned into vultures over that! :)  After a dessert break, we played games and we really got to see everyone come out of their shell.  We played CatchPhrase and Cranium; the only two games we have for a group of people.  Of course Gavin was sleeping but I don't know how he stayed asleep with all the yelling and laughing in the other room.  There were definitely memorable moments like "Ipod" and "String Cheese."  Also, my impression of Oprah Winfrey and Leah trying to draw a rack!  Oh...and Rick, I know you cheated on "Cabin Fever".  My husband ratted you out after everyone left!  Anyhow, we had a great time and we're looking forward to next month's get together.

Speaking of, I was planning on bowling for the month of February.  So, if you're interested, please let me know!  We have more friends in North Pinellas than South Pinellas so we may find a bowing alley half way heading north.  I'd like to go Galatic Bowling so it might be a late gathering.  But I'll let you know for sure.

Lately, I've been doing something different.  I haven't been wearing makeup a lot if any at all.  1. I don't have my regular powder I usually wear.  I ran out.  2. I'd like to take better care of my skin.  3. I like to rub my eyes and now I don't worry about smudging my eyeliner.  I never wore that much to begin with but now I'm going all naturelle.  I'm telling you this just in case I look tired or pale or even like a completely different person.  I may wear some on a special ocassion but that'll be a last minute decision.

I have another piece of news I'd like to share.  We made our very first BIG purchase yesterday, without credit, without a payment plan, without interest!  I'm a little weary about sharing only because it may seem like a bad idea to you but you know what, I don't care!  We have been saving up for this and we have been doing so well with our debt that we decided to reward ourselves.  We bought a 50" flat screen tv!  With all the tv sales going on because of SuperBowl Sunday, we took advantage.  We shopped around at Costco, hhgregg, Best Buy and then back at hhgregg.  They had the best sale prices and a wider selection.  Let me put your mind at ease for just a moment.  We're still on track with our debt and we actually paid one off this month!  We were gonna get a big tv like this eventually and patience is obviously a virtue we have yet to learn. :)  So....if you don't have anywhere to go for SuperBowl this Sunday, I'm sure we can find extra space in our bedroom for you to fit.  You might have to sit in the closet.  HAHA!!! 

Our week is not busy at all except Eric is doing schoolwork and Gavin is growing teeth.  But as for me, what else is there except working out?!  Gotta run....no pun intended. :)

From Left to Right: Danielle, Aaron, Rachel, Crystal, Amanda, Leah and Rick

There I am!

Probably an intense conversation....

The mess we made....

My little man....

All About Me....and Gavin

We watched a very disappointing movie last night, All About Steve.  I figured since Sandra Bullock was in it, that it would be well worth watching....I figured incorrectly.  I signed up for Netflix awhile ago and I like to watch movies by myself, no offense to Eric.  I love to watch movies in subtitles, not only because I can't hear the tv very well but because I sometimes don't understand what the actors are saying....especially when they have a British accent for example.  Also, regarding the sound, for some odd reason, the dvd makers think it's really awesome to turn up the volume during action scenes but then dull down the dialogue.  LAME!  I love movies that make me laugh really hard; that make me cry a lot; or that make me crawl into Eric's arms and never leave.  A good movie to me is one that reflects my own life or presents life-applicable lessons.  I don't have any examples off the top of my head but I know they're out there!

Gavin and I took a walk with a friend last night.  It was a little chilly and he got a little fussy toward the end.  So I carried him for a little bit and boy did he give me an arm workout!  My arms and back are a little sore this morning.  But it was a nice, long walk.  Once we got home, I gave him a bath, fed him and he fell right to sleep!  I wish I could take pictures of his sleeping positions because he cracks me up.  His arms are always bent in a weird and awkard position but apparently it's comfortable to him.  I moved one of his arms and he put it back in that seemingly uncomfortable position.  Oh well....

I'm getting really excited about our Mexican fiesta this Saturday.  We have a little bit of cleaning and a lot of grocery shopping to do!  It's gonna be a good turnout.  I love being able to see friends we haven't seen in awhile.  Speaking of parties, I've been thinking about Gavin's First Birthday Party!  Not sure exactly when or where but it's going to be amazing!  If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Ok....have a great day and I'll possibly write again tomorrow.   

Kickin' Butt

Everyone has seen or at least knows about the show "The Biggest Loser."  My favorite is when Jillian Michaels literally yells in the contestants' faces because they're not pushing hard enough!  I WISH I had her as a personal trainer....but that would be extremely expensive.  So, I borrowed a Jillian Michael's Workout DVD which was FREE. 

Why is it that the simple exercises WITHOUT weights are the worst and most painful to do?!  Simple squats turn into burning thighs, constant uppercuts turn into numbing arms and ab crunches turn into laboring contractions!  And that's just the first 15 minutes of the DVD!  Needless to say, Jillian kicked my butt last night.  However, I am keeping to my promise of working out every day this week! 

Tonight, I'm gonna take Gavin on a walk around the neighborhood.  Speaking of Gavin, he kept saying "Mama" this morning!  I know I have probably said this before but he is such a joy to wake up to!  I walk in his room and he's standing in his crib.  He's all smiles and full of laughter because I'm sure he's excited that someone will finally get him out of that crib!  When I get home from work, we spend some time in the kitchen while Daddy cooks dinner.  That's probably my favorite time of the day.  Gavin loves walking around in his walker to see what he can get/run into.   

Please keep Eric in your prayers for a job.  More 2 Life received a letter which confirmed that they will not be funded by the government grant for next school year.  Which means by September Eric will be out of a job.  He's not really looking for another job right now but we will be in constant prayer about which direction he'll be taking.  I love the way Eric has grown into our family's spiritual leader.  He speaks with such wisdom and encouragement that it makes me think, "Why wouldn't I want to follow him?!"  :)  Eric has encouraged us to not live in fear but to live by faith; knowing that the Lord will provide him the perfect job.  Even though it's not the economy's timing for job placement, we're relying on God's timing for Eric's employment. 

This week is going by fast but I am definitely ready for the weekend!  BRING IT!!!

Reconciliation

It's always nice to reconcile a difference with a friend.  For the past week, I've been feeling out of sorts with a couple friends and the Lord kept tugging at my heart to say something.  How else are my friends gonna know that I'm hurt if I don't say anything?  So I called them up yesterday and I got the response I was expecting, "Oh Brooke, I didn't know...."  Things were reconciled and it was such a great burden lifted off my shoulders!  I can only give God the praise for that! 

The concept of reconcilation and forgiveness has been on my mind.  I know some people hold grudges against others for something stupid they've done in the past.  Why do we do this?!  How is that going to benefit your life, bring you joy or even glorify God?  Why is it so difficult to let go of the past?  Yes, I believe we have a past to learn from it and to not make the same mistakes again; but to hold it against someone for years is absolutely ridiculous.  You don't know their heart and the possible changes they've made.  I know Jesus has even said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone...." (John 8:7)  I'm not sure if you know this but sin is sin; we are sinners; and we are forgiven of our sins by the Ultimate price that was paid on the Cross....if we believe.  Why is forgiveness so difficult for us, mere humans, to apply?  When you "forgive" someone, that means you won't bring up that hurt ever again!  When you "forgive" someone, that means you look at them in a new light.  When you "forgive" someone, that means you will have peace within your heart.  When you "forgive" someone, that means you are glorifying the Lord.  Why wouldn't you want to forgive?!

My prayer for you is that you forgive whoever has hurt you in the past.  Forgive and forget; I KNOW that's easier said than done but forgiveness is so needed in today's world.  Forgive and let it go....

Not a lot

This weekend was nice, especially since I spent a lot of time with Eric and Gavin.  We didn't do much of anything but I love the fact that we were together. 

I have a confession to make.  Last week, I worked out a total of 0 days!  I KNOW!!!  I'm very disappointed in myself.  I got lazy....really lazy and I didn't want to make the effort of driving to the gym or even walking around the block!  Ok, now that I got that off my chest, I will be working out every day this week to make up for last week's laziness.  I have 3 options:  drive to the gym, run around the neighborhood or a workout dvd at home.  Now I really have no excuse to get some sort of physical fitness in my daily routine. 

Eric and I have the funniest nephew ever!  Dylan learned a song from a field trip and he allowed me to video tape him singing it.  It's called "Tootie Ta Ta"!  Here it is:

For some reason, Gavin feels like he's getting bigger and bigger but to be honest, he's only gained 3 pounds in 3 months!  He is now 20 pounds and I'm not sure how tall he is.  Last week, I had to pull out the 9 month clothes and give away his 6 month clothes.  It's getting harder and harder every 3 months!  Actually, it's getting more difficult to watch him leave with Eric to go to Miss Shirley's in the mornings.  I wish we could all stay in bed and just cuddle. 

Well, this week will be just me working out a lot!  And then we have our monthly get togethers starting this Saturday.  It's a Mexican theme so let me know if you want to join the fiesta!

Adios!

Hurting teeth

A good butt shot....

Nightmares

Nightmares are the worst!  When you wake up from a nightmare, you have to figure out if it was real or not.  In my case, I had to wake up three times from three nightmares last night.  Eric was on a staff retreat for an overnight stay and I was home with Gavin....and my scary dreams.  I'll briefly describe them.

The first nightmare, I was in my car getting ready to pull out of a parking spot and my passengers were distracting me.  I ended up backing into a cabin.  Since Gavin was in the car, they took him and wouldn't tell me if he was ok or not.  I wanted to cry in my dream but I couldn't for some reason, so it sounded like I was whimpering.  I woke up with the urge to cry and I quickly ran to see if Gavin was ok.

The second nightmare, I was in a room with the ceiling fan light on.  The door was closing but it didn't close all the way.  Then I could tell that someone was on the other side of the door trying to shut it.  I quickly opened the door and I saw a shadow of a guy run into the next room with the light off.  There was a storm outside and every time the lightning struck, the light would show the shadow of that guy....and he was holding a crowbar.  I knew he could see my shadow in the hallway so I froze; knowing that he would run after me if I moved.  I woke up scared out of my mind!  I kept listening for the slightest noise to indicate someone was in the house.  I ended up falling alseep again....

The third nightmare is a continuation of the second one.  Some guy with glasses was leaning over me, trying to wake me up.  I could tell that he was a victim because he had a long, bloody, sideways "S" on his forehead.  He said to me, "Come on, wake up!  We gotta get outta here!"  And I looked behind him and there was that shadow of the guy with the crowbar!  I woke up scared more than ever.  I didn't want to get out of bed or even move while I was laying there!  But I heard Gavin crying and I immediately had to overcome my fear.

So, all that to say I really miss my husband even if it's for one night!  I've been thinking of happy thoughts ever since I woke up.  I love it when Gavin greets me with a big smile in the mornings.  I love how my husband calls just to tell me a funny story.  I love chocolate milk even though I haven't had any in a long time.  And it makes me laugh that Gavin looks SO much like Eric!  They even have the same eyebrows!

Bad nightmares but oh happy day!

In light of me being scared....

A little bit of this...a little bit of that...

I have too many thoughts in my head so I'll just get on with it....

Gavin is 8 months old today!  I cannot believe how fast this time is going.  Only 4 more months until he's a year old.  Somebody please tell me how this happened!!!   Gavin has two teeth now!  The other one finally revealed itself about a week ago.  Pretty soon we'll be eating steak as a family. :)  Gavin is also clapping a lot! 

He was given a rocking horse yesterday by a friend and he loves it!  
This past Saturday we had dinner at my dad's house.  He has three dogs that aren't used to little people crawling or crying.  Maxwell wasn't too sure about Gavin and kept barking at him.  His bark kept scaring Gavin but it also made him laugh at some points.   
My dad has a video clip of it as well.   
Eric is also proud to announce that we have set up Gavin's ESA 529 (Educational Savings Account).  Now we're able to start saving for his college tution.  If you would like to contribute on a monthly basis, please contact me and we'll send you the paperwork. 

I know I mentioned this a while ago, but I was on a fantasy football league.  Well, I ended up with thrid place!  Hey, considering I had no idea what I was doing and this was my first time, I think I did pretty good! :)

Side note: the matchmaking did not succeed.

Lately, I've been wanting to write a report about infomercials.  First of all, I LOVE infomercials!  It would be my goal to try every "As seen on TV" products!  But in our financial state, I cannont accomplish such a goal.  However, I have been able to try a few of them.  The Snuggie, Heel Tastic, WEN hair care products, Sham-wow, Ped Egg, Toe Spreader, Magic Bullet, and some more that I can't think of right now.  The only items we thought actually worked are the Magic Bullet and Heel Tastic.  The Sunggie was full of static, WEN made my hair feel unclean, Sham-wow did not absorb anything but my money, Ped Egg is too sharp for my skin (I'm actually afraid of knives), and my toes actually ached with the Toe Spreader.  We actually have a Food Dehydrator that we haven't tried yet and I'm hoping to make beef jerky.  I went to the "As seen on TV" website and there are a trillion of things to try out!  This might take a lifetime!

This week is a little laid back as far as plans go.  I'm still working out three times a week.  No changes yet but I know it takes awhile.  I also need to drink more water and watch what I'm eating.  I failed to make a dinner meal last week.  We had a lot going on and I couldn't even make it to the grocery store to buy the ingredients I needed.  I'm planning to cook two dinners this week...if it actually happens is another story.

If you'd like to see more videos, please check out my youtube account:  bythebrook23

Have a great week! 

 Playing with Daddy

         

The Rocking Horse

So far so good

Last week's workouts were great!  I continued with cardio tonight and now I'm wide awake and probably won't get any sleep tonight.  Gavin was up and down again last night.  Poor little guy had a HUGE booger up his nostril and I'm sure he couldn't breathe very well.  It actually scared me so I was constantly checking on him to make sure he was breathing.

I played a little matchmaker this weekend and for the most part I think I did good!  The set up was made before Christmas and it went well.  But the guy wanted another "group" setting before he asked the girl out on a real date (totally understandable to me).  So we had a game night this past Saturday and it was a lot of fun!  I'm purposely not mentioning any names just in case it doesn't work out.  I'll try to refer back to this story if it was indeed a success just in case anyone's interested in my matchmaking skills! :)

Eric and I were pillow-talk talking last night and we realized that we have been through a lot together in the 4 years and 4 months of being with each other.  We have gone through a death in the family, addictions, a bad experience in NY, debt, moving 5 times (me - 5, eric - 2), planning a wedding, getting pregnant and experiencing ALL the hormonal issues there, and then the labor!  Even though we've been together for four years and married for only one of those years, I feel like we've experienced and learned what couples do in 7+ years.  After reminiscing what we went through, Eric asked, "Why did you stay with me?"  The only answer I had and ever will have is, "Because I love you."  We have definitely had our up moments too: trip to Hawaii, Thanksgivings in Delaware, getting engaged on a cruise, our fabulous wedding, paying off our debt, finding out we were pregnant (priceless), the start of the contractions (another priceless moment) and last but certainly not least, seeing our baby boy for the first time!  I love my husband so much and I love the life we share now and until forever.

Typed till I got sleepy,
Brooke

Gavin playing with some of his toys from Christmas - 33 Weeks Old

Working Out is hard to do

After 8 months of baby excuses, I am back on track to working out once again!  I started Monday night with just a nice 30 minute jog (indoors on a treadmill, of course....why would I jog outside is 30 degree weather?!) then tonight I lifted weights, lunged my legs off, and loved that sore feeling!  For now, my goal is to workout three times a week with the support of my loving husband to take care of Gavin.  Not sure why I didn't commit to this earlier!  I guess this is just another New Year's Resolution.

Speaking of resolutions, I have mentioned two already but I want to clarify that I made one for certain areas of my life: 
Socially:  To have monthly get togethers
Physically:  To workout three times a week
Spiritually:  To do my daily Bible study
Domestically:  To cook at least once a week
Matrimonially:  To show my husband respect on a daily basis
Motherly:  To make my son laugh every day
Occupationally:  To not be distracted with socializing
Economically:  To pay off debt and to visit mom and pop restuarants when going out.
Emotionally:  To be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger (James 1:19)

Let's just say that I have a lot to work on....

Christmas morning, opening gifts....

...then with our friends, Jonathan and Stacey, later that night.

Gavin's always eating....just like his parents!  Hence, the workout resolution. :)

Love, Brooke

Christmas then the New Year!

Can't believe Christmas has come and gone so quickly.  I tried my best to capture all of the memories of Gavin's first Christmas.  I will say there are just too many pictures to post!  On our way to my mom's house for dinner, Eric says to me, "I never understood the concept that 'it's all about the kids' until now."  Meaning, we didn't care if we got presents or not (knowing that's not the true meaning of Christmas) but watching Gavin try to rip the paper and play with his "noise-making" toys was SO much fun!  He got lots of toys, some clothes, a few books, a couple toys for when he turns 1 year old, stuffed animals, and a blanket made by Grandmama.  This was probably our best Christmas ever!

I'm not sure if I wrote this before but we finally have a tooth on the bottom of his gums.  Just one.  He's starting to really use his high-pitch voice when playing or just talking.  It's very piercing but it's so funny to watch his facial expressions too.  Also, it seems as though he gains weight every time I pick him up but he hasn't gained a pound!  And, he's looking like Eric more and more every day.  Poor kid.  :)

Now onto the New Year!  We have had a great start already!  We attended our church's First Annual Chili Cook-Off where Eric has the award winning Hottest Chili!  I think he made it for me. :)  Afterwards, we went over to a friend's house to watch the ball drop.  Already this month, we have paid off TWO debts!  Leaving us with only FOUR left!  I can hardly believe it myself.  We have been doing really well and we're so close to being done forever!  By our calculations, we should be done by July of this year.  Another awesome report is that we FINALLY had to buy diapers for the FIRST time since Gavin has been born!  It was on December 31, 2009 while Gavin was 7 1/2 months old.  Amazing!

As a New Year's Resolution, I would like to start a monthly gathering with friends.  I would like to make it every last Saturday of the month; we will get together for dinner, dessert, games or just chit-chatting.  We'll start with our place of residence for the month of January.  And if you can't make it this month then shoot for next month.  I want our friends to know that we do actually want to get together but we realize that life's happenings sometimes get in the way.  Now, it doesn't have to be at our house every month; we would love someone to open up their house as well.  So, I'll be sending around an email.  Let me know if you'd like to partake in my New Year's Resolution!  It'll be lots of fun!

God is Good!

Where'd it go?

Where has this past weekend gone?!  Did I sleep through it?  Did it pass with a blink of an eye?  Where'd it go?!  Well, we had a great visit with Eric's dad last weekend and we're very sad to see him leave.  Hopefully he'll be able to visit more often next year.  Have a safe trip, Jeff and I'll do my best to keep you updated! :)
 
We finally got to visit Santa for the first time in Gavin's life!  He did such a great job; no crying and smiles all over the place.  We went to Tyrone Square Mall and Santa really gets ya with those prices for pictures!  Actually, let me correct myself, he really gets ya with those prices for ONE picture.  We opted for the cd so we can print as many as we'd like but when we got home, there were no images on there!  So Eric brought it back and the kind lady was able to give us FIVE pictures instead!  I was absolutely amazed and so excited.  I'll post those as soon as I download them to my computer. 

Want to hear about procrastination....there are only 3 days left until Christmas and we are not even close to being done with our Christmas shopping!  We have about 7 more people and 4 White Elephant gifts to shop for and I'm running out of ideas.  I'm telling you all of this so in case you get your present late, you'll know why.  I'm sorry?

We definitely have a busy week ahead of us.  Tonight, I'm taking Gavin to a friend's house for a small get together.  Tomorrow I'm working and then we're hosting the 3rd Annual Christmas Party with Mr. LaChance and the Listers.  Thursday I'm working for Mark in the morning; taking Gavin to see Santa with the grandmas in the afternoon; then off to the Bates' for an annual Christmas Eve party in the evening.  Christmas morning will be at Cindy's then Christmas dinner at my mom's.  Then the day after Christmas, I'm sleeping all day....even if I have to take a sedative!

Have a Merry Christmas and I'll post pictures soon....

Love,
Brooke, Eric and Gavin

Oh Happy Day

Despite the nasty weather, today is a very special day for many reasons!  First of all, Gavin is 7 months old!  I can't believe it.  He is such a joy to us even in his fussy moments.  Just to think that 7 months ago, he was a tiny, little creature in my belly and now he's a smiley, bouncy little boy.  Soon I'll be saying that he's 1 year old....but let's not get ahead of ourselves.  Secondly, this day two years ago, Eric asked me to be his wife!  I still remember how nervous he was to ask, repeating over and over "I love you", and grabbing the wrong hand to later finding out that I ruined his real plan.  I love that memory and I especially love my husband and the life we have together!  Thirdly, Eric's dad is coming into town today from Korea!  He's been over there for almost a year for work.  I'm hoping to get a good picture of the 3 Koroknay men!  (hint, hint Jeff)  It should be a wonderful time this weekend and next week with Christmas celebrations.  Hopefully, Gavin will be able to meet Santa soon before he heads back up to the North Pole!  So....like I said, today is very special for all these reasons.  Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy!

Right after Eric proposed....

After telling our family we're engaged....

Walking on Cloud 9....

Morning Surprise

I was awoken this morning by Gavin talking to himself in his crib.  I looked at the time and it was 7:20; time to get up!  So I went into Gavin's bedroom and this is what I found....

This is definitely something new and exciting for Gavin so I'm sure he'll be doing this ALL the time now!  Tomorrow, he'll be 7 months old and we'll also be remembering a sweet day....more to come later.