We failed to take any family pictures on Sunday when Brooklyn was blessed, but here is one of just her from that evening so we can remember how she looked on her big day.

Such a big girl!

No, she's not really sitting up yet. This is one of those quick move your hand, take a picture and grab her again before she topples over, but doesn't she look cute? Thanks to Shannon for supplying the outfit . .still one of my favorites.

Dr. Dave

We came back from Shasta early to attend Dave's "White Coat Ceremony" for school. As the name suggests, this is where the second year Dental Students receive their white coats in preparation for clinic, where they will spend the majority of their time until graduation. I have a fascination with weird pictures (like the one above of Brooklyn and me above). Below is a good representation of how any family picture goes these days. Our family photos tend to leave something to be desired. Congrats to Dave anyway on being halfway there!

Definitely Related

Clearly not identical twins, but the resemblance is quite apparent between Trenton and Brooklyn as babies. However, as Brooklyn packs on the pounds, she is taking on a bit of a Dallas look in her round face and michelin baby arms.

Lake Shasta

It looks like this was officially our last year vacationing at Lake Shasta with all of my extended family. We've been going since before I was born and I'm really going to miss it. Here are some pictures to sum up how the week went for us though. First off, it happened to be the week of Dave's finals which meant I got to go solo as single mom of three. (Good thing there were many relatives to help keep me sane (or go crazy with me).

On the first night there, I went on a walk and left Dallas behind with Auntie Margaret. The result: Look closely at his fingernails. I'm still not sure if hot pink is his color or not. What do you think?

Dallas doesn't keep his padded figure by eating peas and whole wheat bread. Whipped cream and jam are his idea of a well balanced meal. (My brother and cousin were behind this diet, not me just in case you were questioning my mothering skills. Although, I did witness this happening, and instead of stopping it immediately, I had to get the camera.)

Another part of his strict diet and exercise regimen is lots of poolside lounging.

After a long day of eating and lounging, he was due for a bath. Unfortunately the cabin we stay is lacking a bathtub, so the brothers joined for a cozy little washing in the not so large sink. Dallas seemed to be a bigger fan of the idea than his elder brother.

At 6 weeks, I decided Brooklyn was ready for her first boat ride. She loved the humm of the motor, but wasn't quite sure about the whole bright sun in her eyes thing. I know .that a hat or sunglasses would have been appropriate, but she just looked to cute in her bow.

So, I always have to forget something on a trip, unfortunately for everyone staying in our cabin this year it happened to be the crib tent that normally keeps Dallas enclosed in his bed and affords everyone including him a decent night of sleep. Well, after the first night of musical beds adorned with relentless crying and screaming from all three children, I knew I had to act quickly or I may be kindly uninvited from this vacation. We all went to church in a total zombie state. Dallas actually fell asleep on the way there so I stayed in the car with him while he caught up on some REM sleep.

I also made the decision that the ox was in the mire and stopped by Home Depot afterwards to purchase my quick fix for the problematic sleeping situation: $10 worth of bird netting that I strategically wrapped around the pack-n-play. Worked like a charm and we were all a little less grumpy the next morning.


More proof of the influence of my brother and cousins . . my kids have now officially had their first tatoos. Where are thier muscles anyway? They're just hoping the fact that they are in their underwear will detract from their "young guns".

Brooklyn found her thumb and we learned that I have my first baby who will actually take a pacifier.


So, it took the kids a while to warm up to the whole swimming idea. Who needs a pool when you can just walk around wearing a life jacket and floating turtle?

Super geek Trenton won't put his head under the water, but is really into the way goggles make everything look blue. He also made sure to always have a loaded weapon in hand should he need to defend himself.

So sad that this family tradition end, but maybe someday in the oh so distant future when we have our own boat and money, we can bring it back for our own little family.

The Many Faces of Brooklyn

I don't know if it's just because we forget, but it seems like Brooklyn is become expressive earlier than our other kids. Maybe it means she will be an "expressive" teenager.