Harrison

Oh my gosh! Where to start with this guy? He is such a character and I don't just mean Spiderman, Superman, or any other superhero. He truely is a one of a kind Harrison. Harrison astonishes us with his observation and memory skills. He also has become very interested in bugs, snakes, animals, pretty much anything nature, and he will always point out his findings by saying "Come ere! I wanna show you". I can already see that his interests become more of an obsession for him and I want to encourage him in these interests because I love to see the passion that he has for almost all things outdoors.

Like Brooks, Harrison has a temper and anyone who knows him, knows exactly what I am talking about. He is as stubborn, if not more stubborn, than a bull and we are trying to figure out exactly which battles we want to choose. Robert and I are definitely on the losing end of most battles but...we're trying. One of our biggest battles is how to get this kid to eat. I swear he can go all day without eating and it wouldn't slow him down one bit. But with all his energy, action and stubbornness, he has one of the biggest hearts that I have ever seen. At the end of the day, after all the drama is winding down, he can melt your heart by telling you how excited he is to do something or by telling Robert and I how much he loves us. He is so kind, at least 95 percent of the time, to his little sister. And he is always trying to protect her or make her happy. Again, he really can melt your heart.

He has learned who almost everyone is in his family and is constantly asking about them and telling us that he wants to see them. And also, like Brooks, he is about the most social thing ever. He loves his friends and loves to meet new friends. We have been doing get togethers with friends since he was a baby so he really knows how to work a crowd. We are so in love with Harrison and Brooks and even though they can give you a real run for your money, they have given us more joy than we have ever known. We love you guys so much!

Brooks

Look at this peanut! She is such a mess and today I decided she needed her very own photo shoot. Plus, I am about to wrap up my second blog book so I thought I would have my last 2 posts as updates on each of my little rascals. Obviously, this posting will be on Brooks.

Brooks is exactly 8 months and she has more energy than I could ever imagine. I guess this is how she intends to keep up with her big brother. She is also adapting to her surroundings (by surroundings I mean Harrison) by becoming one tough little cookie. I've never really been one to over coddle my kids so it is probably no surprise that when they fall down, they realize they need to quickly get up and keep moving. Brooks is no exception and I am very impressed with her ability to just "go with it" sometimes, even when Harrison is snatching every toy out of her hand and calling it "mine!". But she still adores her big brother and follows him all over the house or she will get right in the middle of things when Harrison is playing with friends. Harrison and Brooks still have a very sweet relationship and one of my favorite things in the world is to watch them play together. Of course, she also has a bit of temper and flaps her arms like a hummingbird when she gets mad.

Miss Brooks appears to be a huge animal lover because she is fascinated by Jojo and Charlie and will chase them all over the house. Lucy, not so much. But that is because Lucy is not much of a baby lover so she tends to run away. Brooks also enjoys eating out of Jojo's dog bowl but I don't think that really think that contributes to her animal obsession, I just think it's nuts. One of the things I love most about this little girl is her smile and her charming little personality. She acknowledges anyone who looks at her and if you smile at her, she ALWAYS smiles back with that big gummy grin. That's right, no teeth yet but I'm sure they will be popping in any day now. She is also, very clearly, a people person. I can plop her down in almost any setting with other adults, kids, pets and she will have no problem what so ever . The only time she has a problem is when she is left to play on her own. I'm still trying to figure out if she is looking for a companion or an audience. We shall see...

Brooks is such a wonderful addition to our family and she still has us completely wrapped around her little finger. Even Harrison, who has certainly shown a little jealousy in the past few weeks, is in love with his baby sister and is always on the lookout for her. I know he will be an amazing and sometimes protective big brother and I look forward to writing more on their adventures together.

Boys (and Girl) of Summer

I'm sure you're probrably wondering if my children ever wear anything other than bathing suits. Well, they do but not often. Sometimes I'm lucky if they wear anything at all and if you spend a day with Harrison, you'll know what I mean.

It was another fun day at Jungle Hut Beach with the usual suspects. Brayden was having a tough day because he might be getting some 2 year molars in but for the rest of the crew, fun in the sun was on the agenda. It goes without saying that Jojo enjoyed himself and Brooks had a great time splashing, digging and eating sand...yummy!

Happy Father's Day!

Today has been an awesome Father's Day so far! Harrison and Robert got to spend quality time in the pool doing jumps and swimming laps. And Brooks made sure to get some snuggle time in as well. These kiddos are so lucky to have such an amazing daddy but I don't really need to remind them...they know it already. You can tell just by the way they light up when he walks in the door.

I have also included some pictures of other amazing dads. We love you!!