The Art of Mommy Manipulation!

Lately Brooklyn has been really fascinated by faces and mouths. The last few days she has started to open and close her mouth silently every time I am talking to her or someone else, mimicking my mouth! It is so cute and she gets a big kick out of herself when she does it. Also, she knows it makes me happy and usually laugh, thus...the upcoming manipulation.

Yesterday, She threw one of the biggest fits ever! She was arching her back and pushing my face away with her hands and screaming bloody murder(something that a few of you have been privileged to hear her do). Anyway, I wasn't going to put up with her pushing me like that so I laid her on the floor. She FREAKED OUT for about 10 minutes before realizing it wasn't working. So then, she calmed herself down and tried this:

The combination of her super-sad face, her attempt to soundlessly talk me out of leaving her there, and her cries that sounded like "mama mama", I had to give in. As soon as I finished filming the video she was picked up and received all the snuggles she could have ever wanted!

P.S. I am trying to convince Kevin that this video is proof that Brooklyn said "Mama" before "Dada". I don't think he's buying!

More Brooklyn Please

Lately I've been getting lots of requests for more pictures of Brooklyn...so to make everyone happy, I took some more pictures and posted them for your viewing pleasure! This is where I put Brooklyn when I am trying to make something for dinner and she wants attention. The piano seems to be a good distraction and who knows...maybe she'll be famous someday!
I took this picture and the next one right after Brooklyn's bath today. She was all snuggled up on my bed and I just couldn't resist.
Welcome to Brooklyn's serious side. She looks at me like this all the time. Especially when I am trying to be funny. Kids help you to realize how unfunny you really are.
This is the cute outfit that Kevin bought Brooklyn in China. It is a size 2 which I guess means it is for a two year old. It's too big for her now but at the rate she is growing it definitely won't fit her when she is 2!
Brooklyn loves her feet. She plays with them all day and really likes to hold them when she is laying on her back. I think her feet are really big for a baby...she'll probably be taller than both Kevin and I.

Enjoying Schaumburg

Last week Kevin and I got bored and decided to look around Schaumburg to see if there was anything cool and FREE to do around town. We stumbled upon a really neat sculpture park and spent the evening looking at random art and strolling through the park. It was very relaxing and gave me yet another reason to love Illinois!

Father's Day

I know this is late but I suppose it is better late than NEVER! I just wanted everyone to know what an incredible husband and father Kevin is. I have been very lucky to be married to a man who not only helps out around the house and with the baby, but he enjoys doing it. Even when Kevin got home from China, after being stuck in airports for 48 hours, his first thought was to take Brooklyn and give me some quiet time since I had to take care of her all by my self for 2 weeks. He was so tired and needed a break more than me but he still did it and I got some of the best sleep I'd had in weeks! Brooklyn and I both adore Kevin and are so glad to have him as a part of our small family!

For Father's Day we decided to let Kevin know how much we love him by making him a nice salmon dinner and buying him a new shirt to go running in. But to top it off, Brooklyn made her daddy a card almost entirely by herself! Here is the proof:

Kevin loved it and hung it on the refrigerator for all to see. Brooklyn was green for several days... I guess I should have thought of that before hand!

No Beef for Baby!

Recently I have been letting Brooklyn try new foods. For the most part she enjoys the experience especially if the food is sweet or loaded with sugar. Today, however, I decided to try her on some "Beef and Broth" baby food and I don't think its gonna take! Too bad! Looks like she inherited her mommy's sweet tooth after all!

P.S. Don't judge me for continuing to feed my child something she obviously hates...you would have done it too. She's just so cute when she spits! :) Oh yeah! And the reason I am laughing so hard is because this is the only form of entertainment I get all day!

Chicago Trip Day 6: Nauvoo to Schaumburg...The End

On day 6 (June 2, 2008) we started out our day at Carthage Jail where the prophet Joseph Smith was martyred. Jennie is standing where he landed after he fell from the upper window you see in the picture. It was amazing being here because it had one of the most reverent feelings I have ever experienced.
After Carthage, we drove back into Nauvoo and toured the sites. My favorite was of course the Temple. It was so much more beautiful than I could have imagined!
When we were done visiting the temple we saw where the prophet used to live. This is where he and his wife Emma as well as his brother Hyrum are buried. In this same cemetery his parents and many of his other family members are buried as well.

This is one of the original sun stones from the Nauvoo temple. We found it outside of the LDS visitor's center in Nauvoo. If you look really hard you can see Brooklyn and Jennie in the reflection.
We found this on a path leading to the Mississippi River. It is one of Kevin's ancestors! Pretty Cool if you ask me!
When we were done touring Nauvoo, we hopped in the car and headed for Schaumburg where we finally settled in at our new apartment. We will be here for the next 3 months! Wish us luck!

Chicago Trip Day 5: Touring Missouri

On day 5 of our trip (June 1, 2008) we took a tour through Missouri on our way to Illinois. We started out in Independence, Missouri where we saw the future temple site for the LDS temple as well as the temple the RLDS or Community of Christ Church built on the land that was originally owned by the saints who lived in Independence. The picture below is their temple.

Then we left Independence to see Liberty Jail. It was really neat seeing the jail and the way it was built. The walls were 4 feet thick with a layer of wood on the inside, a hollow space in the middle that was filled with loose rock, and a stone wall on the outside. No one ever escaped from the Jail. The picture below shows Joseph Smith and his friends while they were stuck in the prison.After we left Liberty Jail, we traveled to Far West Missouri. It was totally empty and in the middle of no where. It was weird to think that over 5,000 saints use to live there! The picture below is one of the original corner stones that were set at midnight by the Brethren of the church to fulfill a prophesy about a temple in Far West! These corner stones are the only thing left in Far West.
Last but not least, we visited Adam-Ondi-Ahman! I was amazed at how huge the space really was. It looked like miles and miles of untouched land. It was beautiful but also very hot and full of bugs. This picture is of me and Brooklyn overlooking the valley.
When all the touring was done, we drove to Nauvoo, Illinois and went to sleep with plans to tour Nauvoo the next day! Oh yeah! Before we did any of this touring, we went to church in a Tongan ward! It was so fun!

Chicago Trip Day 4: South Dakota to Missouri

May 31, 2008. On day 4 of our trip we had an 11 hour drive from South Dakota to Missouri. It was long and stressful with no breaks scheduled in...So, after Brooklyn decided she was done traveling and screamed for an hour straight, we decided to schedule in a stop. We spent most of the day in South Dakota and Iowa but made the stop in Nebraska so we could visit the Winter Quarters Temple and Cemetery. We walked around a bit and allowed Brooklyn to wiggle around on the lawn. It was a real life saver and a neat little side stop!

Chicago Trip Day 3: Wyoming to South Dakota

On the third day of our trip (May 30, 2008) we traveled for nearly 8 hours across empty land. It was amazing for me to see how much unused space there really is in the world! At the end of all the empty space we stopped to visit Mount Rushmore! It was incredibly beautiful and random at the same time. It seemed to be totally in the middle of nowhere! After we visited the mountain we ate dinner and went down for the night because the next day would be the longest EVER!

Chicago Trip Day 2: Yellowstone National Park

May 29, 2008.

On the second day of our trip we drove out of Idaho and into Wyoming to spend the day in Yellowstone National Park. It was so much fun and because spring was in the air we got to see a lot of wildlife. When we were done in the park we camped in cabins at Pahaska Cabins in Wyoming. Here are some fun pictures and videos:













While we were driving around Yellowstone, we ran into a heard of Bison and got stuck in the road for about 20 minutes behind them! It was pretty up close and personal. They passed within inches of our car!

We were also lucky enough to see some mountain goats fighting in one of the pullouts! They were about 30 feet from us! Very Cool!

This was one of my favorite days of the trip. Right up my alley...I only wish we had time to stay longer and do a few hikes!

Chicago Trip Day 1: Utah to Idaho

As you all may know, this summer Kevin is doing an internship with Burns and McDonnell in Chicago. However, before his internship started, he took a 2 week tour through China to study Mega-structures, thus, leaving me and Brooklyn to travel to Chicago by ourselves...Luckily, our cousin Jennie volunteered to drive with us and make it a fun vacation trip. The next few blogs will document our travels!













On day one (May 28, 2008) we traveled from Utah to Idaho to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Hanks for the night. We left late in the day since Jennie worked graveyard the night before so this was our shortest day of travel. We did get the chance to visit with Janna and Tyler for a little while and see the Rexburg Temple. Also, Brooklyn rolled over by herself for the first time while we were at a rest stop! The picture of her above was taken right before she rolled. All-in-all it was a pretty relaxing and fun day!