The Garrett Family

No More Diapers!!

2010-03-10T11:58:00.007-05:00

We are so excited and quite honestly still in shock that our little girl is no longer wearing diapers!! I feel like this is such a huge milestone because she has now gone from little girl to big girl!! I started the whole potty training process on Friday and she caught on right away! By Tuesday, she was off to school with her big girl undies and had a great day of using the potty there. We no longer are using diapers during her naps or bedtimes...so this chick is diaper free! YEAH....we are so proud of her!! It will be great when our new baby girl is here that they both won't be in diapers. WHEW!

This is a picture of her eating some "treats" after school on Tuesday. (I have spared you the pics of her sitting on her potty!!) :)

It's a.......

2010-03-01T11:42:00.004-05:00

GIRL!! We are SO thrilled that we are going to have 2 daughters!! There is such a special bond between siblings and I certainly know the sister bond. I am so excited for Brooke and this baby to grow up with each other!! Sitting in the ultrasound and seeing our healthy baby girl...there is no better feeling than hearing that everything looks great. Scott and I were holding hands and just praying that this little person is healthy and growing. She was moving all around and showing us how strong she is. We feel so blessed and cannot wait to meet her!!! 20 weeks!!

Busy with Fun

2010-02-19T15:11:00.003-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been fun and eventful! Brooke just got over the stomach bug (yuck) and we are so glad she is feeling much better. The month of February has been filled with Scott's birthday, Valentine's Day fun, and SNOW! We were so excited even to get 3-4 inches of snow. To be honest, it was the best kind because it started snowing at about 3:00 on a Friday so we got to play in it that night. Then, it was ALL gone by 3:00pm the next day. That's my kind of snow storm!! For those of you who know me well, winter is not my favorite season. :)

Scott's birthday was as he wished...low key and family filled. Brooke and I made him a cake and we ate pizza that night of his big day. Then, 2 nights later he and I went out on a date night for some yummy Mexican. I love celebrating his birthday...

Brooke singing to Daddy!

Helping him blow out the candles!

Brooke goes to "school" 2 days a week for 4 hours at a time. It is great for her to be around the other kids and do all kinds of fun projects and just PLAY!! And...it's great for me to get stuff done! At her school they had a Grandparents party so Nana went to celebrate with Brooke that morning. It was so special for Brooke to have Nana there with her. I think they both absolutely loved it!

SNOW....SNOW.....SNOW!

Getting dressed before we headed out. Aunt Judy, notice the jewels she is wearing?!

Thankfully, Brooke loved being out in the snow. She was out there for about 1 1/2 hours and pitched a fit when we came inside!

Helping Daddy shovel the driveway!

Sledding!! Her favorite..the faster, the better!

Daddy pulling her in the sled around the yard!!

There are so many moments where I watch the 2 of them and I just stop and take a mental picture so I will never forget the true happiness I feel inside.

Blessings

2010-02-03T13:46:00.002-05:00

God has blessed Scott and I again...we are expecting another baby in July!! It truly is a blessing and we are just praying for this child's health and happiness everyday. We are trying to get Brooke used to the idea but I don't think she quite understands yet what is going on. She points to my belly and says "baby" but then she points to hers and says "baby" too!! I am 17 weeks along and finally starting to feel better. This has definitely been a different pregnancy than when I had Brooke but I'm just glad I am feeling better. It is all worth it..that's for sure! We will be finding out the sex this time as we did not find out with Brooke. I'm excited to have experienced it both ways! We'll be finding out in about 2 weeks!! Of course we will be letting everyone know! We are so excited for this little ones arrival...this is all such a miracle.

Road Trip to Mississippi

2010-02-01T14:44:00.006-05:00

We took a road trip to Mississippi last weekend to visit my relatives. We stopped in Starkville to see my cousin, who owns 4 restaurants in this cute, college town. Also, one of my closest childhood friends, Brittany, drove an hour to come have lunch with us!! It was so good to see her and Ty and for all of us to catch up! Ty and Brittany upstairs at Barrister's.

Ty and I...I miss seeing him!

We have been friends since we were probably 5?? It was GREAT to see her...we have to keep in better touch, Britt!

Clayton and Ty at Bin 612...

Ty in front of Rock Bottom...

Then, we headed to stay with my Aunt and Uncle and also my cousin and her husband. My Dad, Edie, Lisa, Devin, and the kids also came into town so all of us could spend the weekend together. It was so much fun to have all of us together and the kids had a blast!

Dad and Edie relaxing for a moment!

Brooke and Caden attacking Pop Pop!

Doyle and Mary Cille came to see all of us too!

The whole fam!

The Whalen's with Pop Pop and Mom Mom.

Loving the Game...

2010-01-15T15:45:00.002-05:00

Brooke loves to play anything outside that includes her running around. The sport she is loving right now is soccer. She kicks that ball all over the front yard and has a blast!! Playing this morning...

Christmas in Greenville and Pennsylvania

2010-01-07T20:56:00.008-05:00

This Christmas was so festive with family and friends! Christmas Eve we were invited to Kathy and Jay's house (Kathy's son is one of Scott's good friends from college, Tim). Tim and his wife, Jodi, were in town from Long Island and so we were so excited to spend time with them and Tim's family. It was such a fun night of great conversation and Brooke had a blast! Brooke and Tim! She loved playing with Tim and Jodi!

Brooke playing with Jodi and the cute bear that Kathy gave her!

Laughing with Jodi!

The "hosts" ... were so wonderful! The food was delicious.

All the ladies that night...

All the men!

Christmas morning was spent at our house with me, Scott, Brooke, and Roxy. Santa came and was so good to Brooke and all of us!!

Brooke in her new car!

Christmas afternoon we headed to my Mom's house. My sister and her family came and it was so meaningful for Mom to have us all together at her new house for the 1st time. The kids and all of us had a blast.

Brooke watching Caden and Adelyn.

Opening their recorders Nana gave them. We quickly wished she hadn't given it to them! hee hee

Nana playing Go Fish with the kiddos...

Caden caught one!

Brooke riding her new inchworm from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Devin!

On Sunday after Christmas we drove up to Pennsylvania for the week to visit with Scott's family and our friends. It was so great being back and seeing everyone.

Brooke and Aunt Katie!

B chomping on pizza and Laurie's house...

Laurie's oldest daugher, Lillie

B loving the see-saw in Laurie's basement!

Brian and Dalton on the see-saw

The girls! I miss you all!

B and my goddaughter, Kaitlyn... it made me so happy seeing them together!

Me, B, Amy, and K

Me and K!!

We got to see the Murphy's! It was so much fun getting to catch up with them. We missed seeing Matt and Bob and their families though! Next year....

On New Year's Eve we went to Longwood Gardens with Scott's Mom, John John, and Tony. So festive and it was the perfect NYE!

Mom Mom Suz and John John

Family pic! Can you tell how tired B was from the full day we had!

The group at the Gardens...

It snowed about 3 inches when we were up there. We wanted Brooke to be able to sled so we tried it even though there was hardly any snow left! She had a blast and they actually went fast down the hill....

In the Spirit

2009-12-23T08:48:00.002-05:00

Last night we went over to the Science Museum where they have a wonderful display of Christmas lights. You drive through most of it so you can see all the lights but they have a whole Winter Wonderland area as well. It was so much fun to take Brooke and really get in the spirit of Christmas!

Christmas with the Forster's

2009-12-23T08:36:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we went to my sisters house in Atlanta to celebrate Christmas with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin. We had such a great time and the kids entertained us so much!! We miss you all and cannot wait to see you next month! Racing from the kitchen to the family room!

Run, Run, Run!!

Beautiful Adelyn!

Cutie Pie Caden!

Brooke sitting in her new rocking chair...she LOVES this chair! It's so cute to see her rocking now with her blanket.

Girls just a rocking...all they need is some sweet tea!

Family pic!

Uncle Kurt and Nana helping the kids!

The 3 rocking chairs...how precious!

Uncle Devin and all the cousins!

Uncle Kurt with his new fishing hat...

Jill modeling Justin's new hunting hat!

Brooke's 2 Year Doctor Appt

2009-12-17T13:53:00.003-05:00

We went last week for her 24 month appointment and all went well. The doctor was very happy with her development and I was just in amazement at how much she has grown up in the past couple of months. Usually the minute the doctor comes in the room she gets nervous and her lips start to quiver. Plus, the screaming follows quickly after. This time she was running around the room in just her diaper and would smile at him and to be honest, was kind of flirting with him!?? It was so amazing though to watch her trust him as he checked her heart, ears, etc.. Our little girl is growing up. We are so proud of her.

I have not been one to really keep track of her growth (as long as the doc says all is okay then I go by that) but I knew I would want to look back and know all of her stats at this time.

Weight- 24.8 lbs. (26.32%)
Height- 33.5 inches (42.26%)
Head Cir- 18.7 (50.03%)

Our little growing angel...

Pop Pop's and Mom Mom's Christmas Visit

2009-12-13T20:50:00.002-05:00

Dad and Edie came to visit us the 1st weekend of December and we had such a great visit. They got to go to a birthday party with Brooke and got a chance to visit our church. We ate lots of yummy food and enjoyed spending quality time together. Brooke misses her Mom Mom and Pop Pop so much! Playing with a new bath toy they gave her... Pop Pop was determined to play the song!

Brooke hanging with Pop Pop before bed.

Eating half of Mom Mom's donut..YUM!!

Having fun with Mom Mom at the ice cream shop!

Petting Roxy... Mom Mom was so good to Roxy.

Tradition

2009-12-13T20:43:00.002-05:00

Some families decide every year to go to a tree farm to cut down their beautiful big one but every year we decide to go to the local tree place (ya know the ones where people haul in trees!).Every year we have the best time doing it because it takes us about 30 minutes (at most) and then we head home quickly to get it in the house and decorated. I love this tradition of getting the tree and kicking off the holidays!! Standing in front of the one we took home!

Our tree and my Mom's on top!! I know, I know...dorky picture but we had too. :)

Brooke's 2nd Birthday!

2009-12-12T14:16:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Brooke's birthday with family and friends at our house. The theme was Winnie the Pooh since Brooke loves all the characters from that movie. It was so much fun to celebrate with everyone and we just cannot believe our baby girl is already 2 years old!! What a wonderful 2 years it has been. Luke and Brooke having a dinner date during the party eating their pizza. :)

Jill, Aunt Judy, and Uncle Kurt having fun!

Mom played songs for everyone to sing. Brooke liked to be in the center of all the attention!

PRESENTS!.. She has been asking for more ever since. Thank goodness Christmas is around the corner!

Sisters!!

Aunt Lisa and Brooke opening her princess shoes!

1st Major BOO BOO

2009-11-23T14:00:00.004-05:00

Brooke has skinned her knees countless times but this was the 1st major boo boo she has had. She was standing on a curb and for some reason leaned over to get something and fell off head first into the concrete. It was heartbreaking to see her nose bleeding so much. No stitches, it was more of a brush burn. Poor thing but she has been such a trooper about keeping medicine on it.

FSU/Clemson Weekend

2009-11-23T13:46:00.004-05:00

This is the 2nd year that my college friends and I have met up for the FSU/Clemson game. Last year we went to Tallahassee and this year everyone headed here since we are about 45 minutes from Clemson. Cori, Brooke, Justin, and Emily (their daughter) are my college friends that made it and my best friend from high school ironically went to Clemson. So...Amy came down from PA and her friend Jessica from Clemson all stayed here and we went to the game! Such a great weekend...miss having all you girls around. LOVE YOU!! Pete (Scott's great friend from college) and Brooke...oddly enough the Thursday night before everyone came in town Pete was in town for the night because he had been hunting in South Carolina all week. It was so fun seeing him and he and Brooke have such a special bond.

Cori and I downtown on Friday...

Brooke, Justin, and Emily!! She's a doll!

Amy and I...miss you.

Brooke and I ... miss you too.

Mom Mom Suz and John John's Visit plus Halloween

2009-11-23T13:17:00.009-05:00

Halloween was so much fun this year!! It happened in 2 parts. The 1st part was Melaina's 2nd birthday Halloween dress up party and the 2nd part was actual Halloween day in which Mom Mom Suz and John John were here!! We had such a great time just hanging out when they were here. We miss them so much and Brooke had such a blast with them!!

Brooke dressed up as Dorothy ready to head over to Melaina's fun party!!

B and Melainia (the Scarecrow)!

Daddy and his girl...

Brooke, Melaina, Luke, and Thomas...all the Wizard of Oz!! This was hilarious trying to take this picture. You can tell they weren't so happy about it.

All the Moms and kiddos..love these girls!! We get together once a week and have been for awhile. So fun!

Trying to recreate "Yellow Brick Road" with them running...they were chasing after us!

Arts and crafts with my girl...

Had to take a pic of her sparkly pretty feet. :)

Munching on their cupcakes!

All over her face!

Swinging with Mommy!

Mom Mom Suz and John John are here!! YEAH!!

Suz with a handsome statue downtown! Isn't she so pretty!!

The happy couple!

Miss B wanted to pose next to a statue as well...

Halloween night back in her costume!

Down at the end of our neighborhood where the parade starts. Love this picture of them!

Family pic!

The fire truck kicks off the parade. Brooke loved the fire truck but didn't like getting too close!

My loves...

Brooke playing with one of the many birthday toys Mom Mom Suz and John John gave her!!

Her new tent and tunnel...she LOVES it!

Watching the World Series...too bad the Phillies lost. :( We had such a great time with them here. Thanks again for coming and cannot wait to see you soon. LOVE YOU!!

Patty's Baby Shower

2009-10-26T20:21:00.002-04:00

Brooke and I flew to Naples, Florida this past weekend to be with my best friends from college. Patty is having her 1st child (a baby boy!) and we went down to go to her baby shower. She and her husband are going to be such great parents. They are so excited for their little one to arrive next month! Can't wait! It was also my 1st time meeting Brooke's daughter, Emily, who is absolutely precious! Cori, thanks so much for playing with little B! You are so great with children..truly. I miss you girls so much already... love you. Cori, Emily, Patty, and Alexandria (Patty's niece)

B wanted to get in the picture!

Cori had Patty's cake made..SO CUTE!

Cori and Patty trying to cut the cake!

All the girls!! :)

Baby Emily!! So gorgeous!

Brooke playing in Patty's pool... so great to be in 90 degree weather!

Mommy and B!!

Cori and Emily!

Bathing beauty...

Best Friends

2009-10-26T20:06:00.003-04:00

Brooke and Melaina met 1 year ago this week. Melaina had just turned a year and Brooke is one month younger. They have played together almost everyday since they met. It is the sweetest bond to watch them act as if they were sisters. They laugh, play, run, fight, talk, and hug just as sisters would. It is so neat to see the girl bond start so young. What we do without our girlfriends??? Picking out pumpkins for our front porches...

Taking a seat...

Brooke giggling at something Melaina was doing!

Sweet faces...

Best friends!!

Caden's 3rd birthday!

2009-10-26T19:54:00.003-04:00

Our nephew, Caden, just turned 3 a couple of weeks ago!! It truly is amazing how fast time goes. I cannot believe he is already 3 years old!! I went over to Atlanta by myself because Brooke was recovering from pneumonia. I was sad she couldn't be there with her cousins. She misses them and is constantly asking for them. We'll see them soon at Brooke's birthday party! Caden and Adelyn playing with the tool set Nana gave him.

Nana and Aunt Judy having fun!

Playing with the drill!

The girls!

Aunt Jill and Adelyn!

Adelyn and Nana working hard!

2009-10-12T16:23:00.003-04:00

Scott and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary on October 9th!!! The time has flown by and we both cannot believe it has already been 5 years. We were planning to go away last weekend to celebrate but our little girl came down with pneumonia on Thursday. Poor thing was so sick all weekend and is now finally feeling better. We are so glad she is back to her happy self.

Sheila and Justin came back to Greenville this weekend to see my Mom. They were headed to vacation in North Carolina and stopped here for the night. It was so great to see them and take them to the huge restaurant festival downtown. We had a blast and Brooke was finally feeling better!!

Last week playing around the house.

Sheila, Justin, and Mom downtown...

Brooke and I going down the BIG slide!

Yahoooooo!

She loved this bench in one of my favorite stores!

The crew stopping to watch the band and people shag dancing!

5 years of wedded bliss!!! Love you babe.

Brooke loved riding on Justin's shoulders...

2009-10-08T14:32:00.005-04:00

Last weekend my Mom's sister (Aunt Laura Beth) and her husband (Steve) came to visit. We had such a great time hanging out all weekend!! So good to see you both and cannot wait to come and visit you at the coast!

Brooke is loving to sit in our cars and "drive". If we are outside when Scott comes home from work, then she must "drive". It's the cutest thing to see her work all the buttons and it's scary to see how much she knows!! She loves opening and closing the garage and taking the cd's in and out of the stereo. Driving Mom's car....

Just opened the garage!

I love this smile!!

Giving Daddy kisses!

Brooke is loving to play dress up and she and Nana play at Nana's house! It is so cute to see her all dressed up!

B and Nana!

Playing in Nana's backyard. She loves the pine straw...

Walking to the Oktoberfest festival with Nana, Aunt Laura Beth, and Steve.

Loving holding their hands and walking through the festival...

Look how cute they are!

Little Miss Oktoberfest!

Scott and I had to get in there too!

"Riding" the lion near Nana's office downtown.

Daddy and B riding the lions!

Look how sweet this picture is of the 2 of them looking at each other (you can click on the pic to enlarge). :)

Brooke's Baby Book

2009-09-18T14:12:00.004-04:00

So...as of Brooke's age of 6 months, I stopped writing in her baby book. GASP...I know, bad mom. This blog became my way of documenting all of her milestones and day to day activities. I recently realized there are so many things that she does that I would write in a baby book, if I kept one. For her 2nd birthday (as a present for Scott and I) I am going to have the blog printed entirely so I will have everything in 1 neat and tidy book. Good idea, right?! By the way, Carrie.. I need to get the website from you! Here are all the little Brookeism's I would write in her baby book.

- She is 22 months at the time I am writing this.

- B is OBSESSED with Winnie the Pooh. I used to think she was obsessed with Elmo but this is a whole new level. She wants to watch the original Winnie the Pooh movie as much as she can. She sleeps with Pooh in her bed and Pooh is now part of Mommy, Daddy, and Roxy. When she asked for all of us, she also asks for Pooh. He is now officially part of our family.

- B has started pushing Melaina when she gets frustrated at her (of course it is always over a toy). I know, part of being a toddler, but when she does it I have told that her we don't push, we can either hug or high five. She now will push her and then follow up with a hug. Parenting gone wrong, huh??

- She loves to slide, swing, or do anything that moves. She is not a child who loves to be in any kind of buckled device. No strollers, high chairs, and sometimes can barely get her in her car seat.

- She gives the biggest smiles and the best gut laugh. There is no way to keep a straight face when she flashes those teeth at me. By the way, she is still getting teeth. She only has 6 up top and not sure how many on the bottom. Will have to count.

- She LOVES to color. That is our new restaurant tactic is to take a bunch of markers/crayons and coloring books with us and she will just color away. She looks like such a big girl when she is so serious coloring.

- She is a great skipper. Her fav is to skip to the song "Skip to my Lou"....or any music for that matter.

- We are so proud of her of how easily she gave up the pacifier. We thought that was going to be a lifetime battle.

- She is not a fan of getting dressed. We have had some pretty nice struggles getting her diapers changed and clothes on. Can't wait till she can dress herself. :)

- She is Roxy's biggest fan. Our poor dog cannot get away from Brooke. Roxy will be sound asleep and Brooke will pounce. I used to always worry about Roxy hurting Brooke now I'm always telling Brooke to get off Roxy and to stop pulling her tail.

- B is a child who LOVES to get dirty. For example, yesterday we went out to get the mail and 1 1/2 hours later we came in after she had sat in the flower bed and put mulch in every crevice of her shoes, pants, shirt, and hair that she could find. Then she wanted to go out back where she laid in the sand and proceeded to do the same thing. Hard thing is that she isn't loving bathes right now so I had to bath her while she was standing in the tub. FUN!

- She has her 1st boy crush on Jacob next door. Jacob is 4 years old and B bolts over there the minute she sees him. Seriously, it starts this early??!!

- B yells "HEY" at most any place or any store we are in. Anyone walking by gets a big ole "HEY... or sometimes BYE BYE"

- Her vocabulary impresses us everyday. She is saying 2-3 words phrases now and is always just talking away. I love it!

- Her favorite songs to sing/dance to are "Ring around the Rosy", "Wheels on the Bus", "Twinkle Twinkle", "If you're happy and you know it". She does the hand motion for all of these. She also loves "Chicken Fried" and "Toes" by Zac Brown Band.

- B has always been pretty small for her age. I'm excited to see when she goes back in Nov for her 2nd bday checkup because I feel like she has grown in height and weight lately.

- B constantly falls and scrapes her knees probably every other day. I cannot remember the last time one of her knees wasn't scraped up.

- Mealtime is not so fun these days. Brooke is extremely picky and to be honest, would rather drink milk all day versus eating. I don't get it. FOOD IS DELICIOUS!! Our go to foods that we know she will eat are pizza, chips, and cookies. ALL foods that are not good for her. The girl drinks more milk than Scott and I do...and that is A TON OF MILK!! Ughh... one day she will discover the beauty of food.

That's about it for now. I will keep the updates coming as this is going to continue to be her baby book. Technology is wonderful, isn't it?!!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-10T20:24:00.008-04:00

We stayed here in Greenville for the weekend and had such a great 3 days!! Lisa and the kids came over Friday afternoon and stayed till Sunday. We played hard while they were here and it is so fun to see how Brooke can really play so well with them. She calls Adelyn "Addy" and says Caden's name too. She LOVED having them here. She kept saying their names after they left.

Sunday afternoon we went over to our friends (Julie and Derrick's) house for a BBQ. The girls there and I get together every week with our kids and we try to all get together (with the hubbies) at least once a month or so.

Monday we went out on one of our neighbors boats and had a blast!! The lake was absolutely beautiful and the weather couldn't have been any better.
At the zoo on Saturday....

Look how cute they are!!

Caden in the big Jeep!

The playground at the zoo...it's such an awesome area.. play stuff for the kids and rocking chairs for the adults!

Luke, Thomas, Melaina, and Brooke ... trying to get a picture of all of them together is ridiculous!

Brooke and Daddy on the boat! She was NOT liking the life jacket...

The boat was going fast and she was loving the wind!

If you click on this picture you'll see the mountains in the background and the 17th hole at one of the Cliff's golf courses. It was beautiful. Tiger Woods is building a course within this club.

Click on this picture and you'll see Scott jumping off the rock!! So fun!! He did it twice and loved it!

Brooke and Lexie on the boat. I know, Brooke's hair is all in her face....we are growing her bangs out and she wouldn't let me put anything in her hair to keep it back. I pick my battles sometimes. :)

Nana's New Bike!

2009-08-27T22:14:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to Nana!! Mom has wanted a bike for so long and she said once she moved down here she was going to get one. Scott, Brooke, and I surprised her this morning with her own pink cruiser! Here are some fun pics of her "crusin" around our neighborhood. She looks so cute on it!

Big Girl

2009-08-27T22:04:00.003-04:00

Today I went to the church open house where Brooke will be going 2 times a week to "Mother's Morning Out". She'll be there for 5 hours each day and will have a blast! I was so impressed with their schedule for the days and how organized everything was. They have 2 fantastic playgrounds and lots of fun toys/activities for her to play with. As I was there I had to reflect for a little bit just watching her run around and playing with everyone. How did she grow so fast? How is she such a big girl already? Below are some pics from the past week where I feel like she looks like such a big girl.

I know, I know...the robe is way TOO short. I think it was for a 6 month old!! hee hee