{Brooklyn} Happy 2nd Birthday, little girl!

Brooklyn,

Today you are the big TWO! That seems so big yet so small at the same time. It feels like only yesterday that we brought you into this world. My world was turned upside down on October 2nd, 2008 (7:27am) and I'm pretty sure it still is. But I wouldn't want it any other way. I love you so much and I'm so proud to be your mommy.

I've said so many things to you on this blog that I thought it would be nice for a guest blogger to make an appearance...all the people that know and love you most! Starting with your daddy....

Watching you grow this past year from my little peanut to my little tiger has been very fun and exciting. Every day you find a new way to make me proud, whether it's learning a new word, a silly expression or even a new skill. Most of all I love it when you say "cuddle Daddy", then we watch movies and eat snacks together on the couch. Although time has gone by too fast, I'm looking forward to watching you grow and continue to find new ways to impress me. I'm so very proud of you.  Happy Birthday Brookie!! Love, Daddy 

Happy, happy birthday to Grammy & Papa's favorite little 2 year old Princess!  We are so amazed at how fast the last two years have gone.  It seems like only yesterday Grammy was holding you when you were only 5 days old!  Who knew then how you would worm your way into our hearts!  Grandchildren are a precious gift and you came all wrapped in the most incredible package, when unwrapped reveals an amazing little girl with a huge personality.  Those of us who have the privilege of having you in our lives will be especially blessed as we watch your path through life which I am sure will be marked with one extraordinary event  after the other. 

But no matter what path you choose in life, we just know you'll always be surrounded by love.  Grammy and Papa have 5 grandchildren (right now at least) and you will always be our favorite Littlest Princess! You brighten our life and give us hope for the future!  All our love, Grammy & Papa

Brookie, I am in total amazement of the little girl you have become, you are so full of life and energy!  I know that I don't get to see you on a daily basis so I anxiously await to see the next picture or story on your mommy's blog. But know from a far you are in my heart and prayers, I love you so much and Happy 2nd Birthday. So glad that I could be here for it!!!!!! - Auntie Nett

WOW, 2 years already!!  I remember when you were born, Brookie.  I was fortunate enough to be there at your birth and it is something I hold near and dear.  As I type this message to you I can't help but get teary eyed because of the fact that I am not there to celebrate yet another special day in your life.  I love you soooo much and wish we lived closer so I could be there for all your "firsts."  I still remember the first time we skyped and you said "nene".  It has been so fun to watch you grow, learn to talk and become your own little person.  I love you with all my heart and wish you a very special birthday Brookie.  Please know I wish I was there to celebrate the special girl that you are.  Forever your Auntie.

Dear B, You have been such a complete joy and enlightening addition to all of our lives.  I love the never ending trail of animations you have acquired this past year---mean face, surprise face, sad face, 123--go down the hall, marching down the hall, saying “see ya later alligator” , constantly talking, taking care and reprimanding your dolls J, whiny worm, jumping and exercising in your crib, downward dog yoga pose, shaking your hair back and forth, loving all of your bath toys, climbing up Mommy, Daddy and babysitters (just to name a few) and most importantly the fact that your face and personality lights up a room, then steals and melts the hearts of everyone around you.  You have been blessed with that true innocence and independence that sets you apart and the most loving family that encourages it.  I can hardly wait for all of the new adventures ahead of you. You will never know how grateful I am to be a part of your life.  I just adore you so much---------With love, Jill.

Dear Brookie, I can't believe you are 2 because you talk to me like you are 16. I have gotten the opportunity to spend so much time with you your first 2 years of life! Me and Uncle V get to travel with you all the time and it is so much fun to get to know the many sides of Brooklyn. My favorite part about hanging out with you is that you  area a narrator for everything that is going on! You make sure that everyone know who's cup is theirs, who's food is theirs, you announce who is driving, talking, sitting, standing, watching, singing and who is dancing. You have this insane ability to remember everyone's name, even if you only meet them just once. You absolutely love movies and want to "watch it" in my van. You would just see my van and scream "watch it"! My favorite part of you Brookie is your "tickle, tickle, tickle." and "nice baby". For the first nine months of Luella's life you tickled her belly and said nice baby and pat her head about 16 times per hour and then would try to escape to run and jump on the couch! Now Luella likes to tickle you and follow you around of the couch running back and forth. Brooklyn, you probably know this but you hate food!!! You have this exclamation you put on the end of every word as if it your most favorite word ever; and you love playing pretend. You have the passion of your Momma and just like no one can get in her way, no one can get in yours. One day I can't wait for you to tell me what you think of me....with your language skills I am pretty sure that will be in about six months so I will stop trying to feed you fruit and vegetables. Love you B! Thanks for beginning such an important part of our lives and especially Little Baby Lu's. She lights up every time you enter the room!--------Love, Coco

Brooklyn, TWO YEARS OLD TODAY! You have learned so many fantastic things in such a short time. Now you can show the world just who you are; what you like and what you don't! I see your Mommy and Daddy's whole face light up when you are around. You are loved more than you can imagine! As you grow I hope we'll make more time to do fun things together. Love you lots. Auntie Rose

Photos of Brooklyn courtesy of Jack & Lola Photography.

{Pink Pretty Princesses} And Raising a Little Girl

I've talked about not being a girly girl and how I feel about raising one. I painted B's room blue. Resisted in dressing her in pink or introducing her to dolls for as long as I could. But unfortunately, I am not the only one raising this little girl. Or buying her gifts. Brookie's daddy is guilty for introducing her to the world of princesses (and not to mention both of her grammys). And she LOVES them! So much she was a bit upset when her cousin got a princess cell phone at her 3rd birthday party last weekend (so sad I didn't take any pictures of the fun day :( ). Wouldn't you know her favorites are pink, princesses, and dolls. Go figure.

I have such a difficult time with these movies and the message they convey to young girls. I could go on and on but won't. So you might imagine how much I loved the above image when I stumbled upon this blog post. It gave me a chuckle. I know I can't protect my little girl from it all but I can sure try. Yes, "parenting is complicated; beautifully, wonderfully, complicated."

Okay, rant over. I'm prepared for the pink, princesses, and dolls that will probably take over my home this weekend at B's birthday.

{Brooklyn} Two Year Portraits by Jack & Lola Photography

One week from today, my baby girl will be two years old. It's pretty cute because she can hold up two fingers and say "two years old". It's just the way that she says it, that makes my heart smile. We laugh a lot together. Sometimes at the craziest of moments because that is just how I cope with the challenges lately. So much so that Brooklyn will go from crying hysterically to hysterically laughing. I'm not kidding. It's pretty funny, although confusing at times. If anything, I hope I'm teaching her to not take herself to seriously. Despite her strong will & determined attitude, this girl can laugh and smile all day long. I love her zest for life. It's contagious.

I hired my friend Lyndsey of Jack & Lola Photography to capture Brookie for her 2nd birthday. We actually met online. I was following her blog and one day she took notice and sent me an email. As it turns out, we are both Washington transplants in Long Beach, CA. After a collection of emails, we decided to get together over coffee. She had me laughing the entire time and I knew we were destined to be friends. And I especially love that she is a Nikon girl!

I love the way Lyndsey styles her shoots! She arrives with props galore and a ton of tricks up her sleeve to entertain the little ones. As a teacher & nanny, she totally gets little kids. That is why she is so amazing at her job! Thank you for the way you captured my little girl. These images are priceless to me. Here is just a sneak peek...

 Brookie is obsessed with movies and could watch them all day long if we let her. Oh ya, and she loves popcorn. Here are just a few of her faves....

My little "wild thing"...

{Brooklyn} 2 years minus 2 months

My friend Cora posted on Facebook that Lu'a ("Luella" in Brookie terms) was 10 months old two days ago. Which only means two things to me...1.) Luella, you're growing up too fast! and 2.) Brookie is 10 months + 1 year. Whaaaa'at? Yes, I officially have a toddler with an opinion...the vocabulary to communicate it, and the attitude to express it. I totally get why they say the toddler years are much like the teenage years. Holy cow...am I in for it? In all seriousness, I pretty much love that B can tell me, in complete sentences, that "No, I don't want it" or "I don't want to." No has definitely become her go-to word for everything. It can be annoying at times, but I'm in amazement that this little girl can communicate her needs to me so well. On the rare occasion that she is in agreement with something I offer, she will say "okay". It's just the way that she says it, it kinda melts my heart.

I spent my first weekend of leisure away from her this past weekend. I wanted to relax. And close my eyes and sunbathe like I love to use to do. But I think those days are gone. I could never really relax. I knew that some where she was probably making someone laugh by saying something cute...and I was missing out. Yep, sunbathing isn't really that fun anymore. There is a frame in Brookie's room that says "Sometimes the smallest things can take up the most room in your heart." Quoted beatifully by Winnie the Pooh. So true and she has filled my heart and is teaching me more than I'm probably teaching her.

Brookie loves to play with her daddy. They have so many games created together. I'm not sure who does the creating but it's pretty endearing to see them together. Brookie has been running through Dan's legs forever (since he is 6'4" and she is a half pint), but she is now almost too big to make full clearance. Yikes.

 

And because the girl loves to "run, run, run" and "ready, set, go"....sometimes she'll fall and get a boo boo. But nothing a little daddy kiss can't fix...

 

And all little girls must have their own little place to call "home"....

 

And to wrap up a 22nd month birthday, we gotta have a little bath time. It's so fun how long her hair is getting...

 

{Brooklyn} There will be days like this

"...my mama said." Do you ever think of your life as a series of soundtracks? I often do! Today's theme song is...

Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this Mama said
(Mama said, mama said)
Mama said there'll be days like this,
There'll be days like this my Mama said

I'm not sure what that song is about, but the chorus stuck with me as I tried to kiss Brookie lovingly good night tonight (as she was crying and flaling) and all I could do was just shut off the light and walk away. And take a deep breath and prayed that she might fall asleep sooner than later. The day kinda started the same way as I tried to get us ready for a quick day trip to Temecula with Cora & Lu. We were visiting Cora's good friend Jeanette there to capture her the last few weeks of her pregnancy with her cutie 1.5 year old son and husband. Brooklyn wanted no part of me getting her ready, nor myself, and forget about the diaper bag and my camera gear. She was crying and crying and had to be held at all times. I was having funny visions of showing up in my white fluffy robe and hair still in a towel to the shoot. It's quite amazing that I even got a shower. But the water on the floor of the bathroom is proof that I did, since I had to shower with the door wide open or B would have a fit the moment it closed.

I had little to no patience today. I admit it. I have to remind myself in those moments that she is only a year and a half. Take deep breaths. Count to 10. Remember she is not feeling well. She might be teething. She's going through a "stage". And this too will pass. It's been a week of this, and that is why I'm especially at the end of the rope. I miracuously am able to distract her with markers and fruit bites. I dress in a flash and throw my hair in braids. The next 10 minutes I whirl through the house like a tornado, and am actually close to being ready when Cora & Lu arrive. Phew.

The day progressed in much the same way. But interestingly enough, while I'm off on my shoot...Brooklyn behaves perfectly for Cora. What is it with kids and their moms? Is it just me? Does your child listen to you? I'm pretty sure I'm getting the short end of the stick on this deal. Before the hour drive home, Cora mentioned that Brooklyn probably wouldn't fall asleep until we were almost home. And she was absolutely right! After exiting the 91 heading south on Bellflower, Brooklyn falls into a slumber.

So I'm home from the day...tired, defeated, and feeling like I want a "re-do" on the day. I start uploading my images from today's session and stumble across a few of Brooklyn and I feel....guilty! What a gorgeous little girl that is filled with so much wonder. happiness. energy. I am grateful for her in my life...so please don't ever misintrepret these blog posts! It's just so hard on days like these.

 

 

Brooklyn loves to play "night night" with her blanket these days. She lays down with her blanket covering her and pretends to go to sleep. She does it over and over...and fakes sleeping for a moment before she relocates and does it all over again.