{Brooklyn} Halloween 2011 | Boo at the Zoo & Pumpkin Patch

I must say that October is a pretty fantastic month. It starts with Brookie's birthday and then continues with the Halloween festivities. It's the start of the holiday season and I'm really learning to love it. It's just a little confusing here in SoCal because it's definitely not holiday weather. There were a few days this month that hit the 90s. I'm kinda ready for fall weather at this point. 

Last weekend we met up with Brookie's cousins and went to Boo at the Zoo at the Santa Ana Zoo. It was pretty fantastic! This little girl loves to socialize and an evening out with friends is always a guaranteed good time. It's super cute....all the kids dress in costume and Trick or Treat between zoo exhibits. 

I'm sure I've mentioned in the past how I always stress over finding a costume (remember THIS post?). Brookie's costume came to me. She always mimics pirates, saying things like "YoHo, the pirates life for me" and "Arrrr".  When I spotted this costume at Old Navy, I snagged it. It was perfect! She loved it too, at first sight!  Then she got to looking through a costume catalog at DayCare and decided that she wanted to be a hotdog and that I should be mustard and her daddy should be ketchup. Seriously? The girl does not eat one of those three things! She told everyone she knew that's what we were going to be and did not forget it. It was kinda hilarious! But the pirate costume was purchased and I was not exactly thrilled about her being a hotdog. I know...I'm such a buzz kill. But how cute is she as a pirate...?

 We ran into the Semaans waiting for the cousins. 

Brookie love Uncle Al...

 Samira, the cheerleader, and Brookie...

 Brookie has a thing for monkeys, but she was especially enamored with this one...

 Brookie with her cousins Anna & Nick and her great Aunt Kathy...

 Of course her great Aunt Rose spoiled the kids with light sabers and all sorts of glow in the dark goodness...

________________________

We later headed to our annual Pa's Pumpkin Patch visit.

Me & my girl. These photos are rare (since I'm the picture-taker)...so I kinda love it!!!

 Brookie was so excited to go on the boat ride (she had already rode it once before with her friend Samira). This time she was solo and was not having it! The operator stopped the ride and returned our ticket. She always surprises me. Sometimes she is so fearless and other times she is such a shy and fearful little girl. At any rate, I love that she tries. This next image is so sweet of her ready to give her ride ticket. 

 Next up was the bumper boats with her buddy JonJon. 

 And then the cars. You can see this cute duo from last year here too. 

 Brookie loves Jake + Jon!

 Can you tell? It's so fun raising kids with friends. :)

 And then we were off to find the perfect pumpkin. 

 I think she found it! 

 The FORDS....

Happy Halloween everyone! 

So, what are you or your kids going to be for Halloween? Have a blast. xoxo

{Happy Holidays} 2010

I might be a day late but I'm still on vacation and the holidays last until New Years for me, so...Merry Christmas! I hope you had a wonderful day with your loved ones. This was our Christmas card this year.   

Photos captured by Lyndsey | Jack & Lola Photography

This last week has been filled with fun and some not so fun moments while visiting my family in Olympia, Washington.

Naps and cuddle sessions on my parents couch.
Watching the deer prance through my parents property and seeing the amazement in my daughters' eyes.
Last minute shopping with my sister.
Grandkids baking with their Grammy.
Cousins painting purple toes and blue fingernails.
Morning coffee sitting around the table with our laptops.
Watching Polar Express for the million'th time.
A trip down memory lane with my sister and her husband at Kmart.
Catching up with an old friend at O'Blarneys.
Visiting with a long lost cousin that is also a photographer.
A trip to Urgent Care because Brookie got an ear infection.
Brookie exclaiming "Santa Clause" after seeing a man with white hair & beard.
Wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve.
Grandkids dancing with their Papa in the living room.
Gift exchange with the big kids and fighting my dad for a wine opener.
Board game on Christmas.
Delicious food. And too much of it.
Laughing.

Today we are off to Ashton Woods Retreat, my brother's bed & breakfast on Bainbridge Island. They will soon be selling this little bit of paradise, so this will be our farewell trip. I'm so sad to say goodbye to this place but happy for all the amazing memories we created there.

{Brummels} It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Christmas is my favorite holiday! I love the decorations, the music, the holiday parties, and time with friends and family. But it's a lot of work! And I'm feeling the effects of a wedding, four sessions, and six parties since the start of the month. And not to mention a bit of exhaustion brought on by toddler tantrums (oh lord have mercy!). I've been tired all day, have had a headache, my eyes are blurry, and it's taking every thing in me to muster up some energy to charge through this week. Only three more days. I'm not complaining, just venting (it's not the same, right?).

So, in an attempt to get myself back in the holiday spirit...I shall blog about the wonders of Christmas. About the ultimate gift we have all received for this awesome season. This is what Christmas looks like in the Brummel home.

I can hardly believe that Dan & I will be celebrating our seventh Christmas together. I love the traditions we continue to make together and sharing them now with our little girl. We did however miss out on our annual tradition of picking out our Christmas tree together at the same place each year. We did not have time and I was beginning to wonder if we'd even get a tree this year. But lucky for me, I received an email in my classroom from the activities office announcing they had a few trees left over from a fundraiser and they were going for $30. I got on the phone instantly and asked them to save me one. I went out to the storage bin and picked out the tallest one. They were all bundled up, so I had no idea what it was going to look like...but I didn't care. We almost didn't have a tree so I took it! Lucky for me, a couple of TA's and Mr. V carried it to my truck for me. And that is how we got our tree this year. And it's perfect!

Our decorations are mostly hand-me-downs from both of our moms. I keep promising myself every year that we're going to get new decorations and buy them after the holidays on clearance. But by that time every year I'm broke and over it. And so I tell myself "next year". I did happen to buy a few cute ornaments at Target this year though....

This is Brookie's idea of helping us decorate the tree, dumping out all the ornaments for us.

Brookie is totally fascinated with the this Nativity snow globe. This one came from Dan's mom...

 I remember being fascinated with snow globes as a child too. They are pretty magical.

My mom has been giving me an angel every year since my days as a PiPhi at WSU. It's evolved into the Willow Tree collection which I love to display at Christmas time.

My sister Jeanene gave B 'The Elf on the Shelf' this year. It's such a cute tradition that we've started. If you have a little one, you gotta get this book + elf. Brookie named her elf Brad and he is currently sitting on top of our Christmas tree. Every day he moves into a new location and watches to see if Brookie is "naughty or nice" to report back to Santa. I think I'll place his hands over his eyes next because it hasn't been pretty round these parts lately. Thanks to Polar Express, Brooklyn is very familiar with Santa Claus. But I'm thinking she doesn't really get the "naughty or nice" deal or her behavior might be a little improved.  

 And our finished tree! I told you it was perfect. :)

And although this isn't part of our Christmas decor (as it hangs all year long), I think it perfectly summarizes the season...."faith, family, friends". 

{Brooklyn} 3rd Annual Pumpkin Patch Trip

Each year just becomes even more fun as Brooklyn grows! We've visited the patch every year, beginning when she was less than a month old. Having never been a fan of Halloween, the Pumpkin Patch has changed my opinion. I love it now. I look forward to going and the kids love running through the pumpkins, going on the rides, jumping in the bouncy, and visiting the petting zoo. Brooklyn absolutely loved the rides this year and was grinning ear to ear on the pink elephant and quad ride. It was super cute and warmed my mommy heart.

I'm always a happy girl when I can get a cute picture of the three of us together.

These are Brookie's best of buddies that go with us each year.

Ahhhhh, I'm so in love with these next two images. Too cute for words. Jon is 3, Brookie is 2, and Luella is 1 year old.

The fun times captured...