Only 75?!

Grandma Grace was sealed in the Los Angeles Temple to Grandpa Glade. She was like a little school girl all over again with a huge smile the whole time. The ceremony was great and we really enjoyed seeing all of the family that came to celebrate.
Brooklyn on the temple steps with her two escorts.
We tried to get a picture with all of the family, but we had trouble getting everyone to look at the same camera.
Brooklyn's beautiful blues.
Desirae and Brooklyn loving each other's company.

Finally Done!

Well, I'm finally finished with school! I now have a Master of Health Administration from USC. Thanks to the stimulus package from the government Desirae, Brooklyn, and I traveled out late Thursday night (May 15th) to California to go to my graduation, Grandma Grace's wedding, and an interview at Scripps Health System in San Diego. Graduation on Friday was a long hot day in the sun. Apparently, we brought the heat with us from Louisiana, but it was good to see some of my classmates and celebrate with family. Here are a few pictures that we took:Desirae and I are in front of Ralph, Goldy, and Lewis Hall or RGL where I had a majority of my classes. She and Jim came along to see the main ceremony. Unfortunately, there were so many people that I think I was the only one of the three that heard and saw everything. Robert Iger, CEO of Disney, gave an excellent address after he received an honorable doctorate. I also got a lei on behalf of my mom.
This is where I lined up for the main ceremony. To my right is Jude and my left is Rudy. For those of you who were wondering, the color of my hood is peacock.
The procession.
Here's a picture of my competition for the Scripps Fellowship down in San Diego.
Here's a picture of me with my beautiful girls. Brooklyn is holding a balloon that's out of sight. SPPD had a little reception after the ceremony.

Jim, Tina, Pops, Desirae, and Brooklyn all came for my individual school ceremony (the School of Policy, Planning, and Development). The main ceremony was at 9am, but the SPPD ceremony wasn't until 2pm so Pops, Tina, and Brooklyn came later. In between the ceremonies we went over to Pip's work. She has a pretty posh office in a questionable neighborhood. Jim treated the three of us to lunch at the Corner Bakery. The food was pretty good, but the company was better.

The day ended with dinner at Johnny Carinos with Calvin, Carol, Caden, Caleb, Pip, TJ, and Michelle joining those of us who were at the graduation ceremony. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of everyone there, but we had a good time. Brooklyn loved hanging out with her cousins.

We Love Becca!

Last week we got to visit with Eric, Cindy, and Rebecca. That was wonderful! We went to Gators and Friends, we went swimming, and played some tennis, along with watching some fun movies. It was great to hang out with the trio, they all played with Brooklyn and of course, uncle Eric tickled and teased her in a way that only uncles can do.
This week Rebecca came by herself and the fun continued. First of all, Brookie loved having a roommate and a playmate. Aunties, especially before they have kids of their own, are always so attentive and playful with their little nieces and nephews. It starts to make us parents feel like boring old bumps on a log!
I really appreciated all the extra help when I was preparing meals, because that is when Rebecca would take Brookie out for a swim. I didn't realize we had a little mermaid on our hands! This girl is so into the pool scene that today she threw a fit when it was time to leave the pool. She enjoys big-time splashing, kicking her legs, dunking under the water, "floating" on her back, and even "jumping" into the pool! I'm sure if I were there, I'd be a little nervous of these things, but she loves the thrill of it all! She didn't even mind that it was c-c-c-COLD the first time we went in last week. (More swim pic's to come on future posts.)
Becca would also read her stories while the two of them shared popcorn. Especially nice was when Becca would tell me to go back to bed as she would get up with Brooklyn and turn on cartoons or entertain her for a while. It almost makes me feel guilty that we can't return these favors to her...yet!
As a treat to Stephen and I, Rebecca volunteered to babysit for our "date night," so we gladly seized the opportunity for a night on the town. Stephen scored some free tickets from his work to the Symphony Gala, a formal dinner and auction for the local symphony. It was pretty fun trying to figure out a "formal" outfits for this occasion, as I am now 12 weeks pregnant. Clothes, and boxes and hangers and toys, and food crumbs littered the house as we dashed out to our date. Even though the house looked like a tornado had hit when we left, for some strange reason, upon our return it appeared that Mary Poppins had dropped by because magically the clothes and dirty dishes had walked back to their proper places! THANK YOU AGAIN, Rebecca!
These two pic's were at Gators and friends. Rebecca is so patient and helpful with Brooklyn. I almost feel guilty letting her help so much, but then again, I didn't want to disrupt these happy bonding moments! Besides that, I think it was a healthy break for the two of us (Brooklyn and I) to have someone else helping out.
It was pretty funny because the day Becca arrived, I was telling her how frustrated I was with Brooklyn. I had just posted a blog the day before about how cute and innocent she was, but the very next day, I was so over her "adorable" antics. Of course, what happened after this conversation or "venting" session about my frustration with my "terrible" two-year-old, made me feel like a total jerk. Why? Because Brooklyn and Rebecca then proceeded to have a wonderful afternoon playtime together. As I am showering and "getting ready" for the day (extended version, including hair blow-drying, make-up, and other such rare indulgences) at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, I hear music and dancing from the other room, along with eery, but unusually peaceful quietness. I kept thinking my little girl who is used to knowing my location every minute of the day, would wonder where I was, or at least come knocking on my bedroom door to look for me, but no, she was too busy dancing away and playing and laughing and loving life with aunt Rebecca - small dose of jealousy and guilt! I'm over it, but my mom was right, that little break was just what the two of us needed!
Here the two are posing amid their "Tato Head" session. The twist was, these past few days, I kept hearing, "Where Becca go?" from a small squeaky toddler voice each time Rebecca so much as took a bathroom break! What will we do without her?

Foot Food and Jello Feast

Why settle for the ordinary meal when an enchilada and green jello dinner can be enjoyed as a whole-body experience? I will try to post a video of this exquisite foot-massage that spontaneously occurred at the dinner table last night.

Today while I was on the phone with my mom, I noticed that Brooklyn was quietly entertaining herself in the other room. Curious, I walked in and found the refrigerator door open, and this beautiful display of left-over green jello. Evidencing her guilt were the green gelatin specks all over her face, hands, the fridge, and the floor. On the bright side, I have discovered that unusual sensory objects like jello and Mardi-Gras beads are a great way to teach kids their colors! Today we really love GREEN because that's the color of the all-too-tempting just-within-our-reach jello on the top shelf of the fridge. YUM!
Back to the story. As I entered the crime scene, I tried to maintain the straight-faced disciplinarian persona, but inside I was secretly delighted, sort of, by this mid-day mischief. After a brief explanation that this was not okay, the girl actually put herself, nose-to-wall, in time out. My thoughts: 'What is wrong with this picture? Who does this?' Obviously, I have not created "time-out" as an undesirable experience, because she seems to enjoy it! The whole role-play of misbehaving and apologizing so immediately and earnestly after the fact is great fun, apparently. At the climax of the process, the pouty face acknowledges her wrong-doing and displays her true or feigned regret. How can I not worry for the unsuspecting men in her future? Back to the event, she then turned to face me from the "punishment wall," and stated, oh-s0-seriously, "yes, mom" after every sentence of my explanation of her guilt. This was in total deference, respect, and sweetness. Confused, I wonder, 'Is this a game?' Then, after her one-minute time out, an eye-to-eye talk of why she was "punished," she threw her arms around me for the grand finale bear-hug, followed by the so-easily-offered phrase necessary at this point of the ritual, "I sorry, Mommy." Dang, these kids! Why are they so cute and smart? It really makes it hard for me to be objective and consistent with such simple affectionate as this. Are all kids this way? I think we all know the answer to that!

The Many Faces of Brooklyn

wet hair + lip gloss + kissy face = Lucille Ball?
Not afraid to befriend a boy.
"...A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet..."
So, explain to me how this choking vest is supposed to save me?!

Fun with Fire Trucks

Brooklyn had a great time getting an inside tour of a couple fire trucks this Tuesday at library story time. She still sports the hat and badge for fun today, even though she wasn't too sure about them at first. The thin little plastic strap that keeps the hat on obviously bothered her, so she was mostly fiddling with it or trying to move it to a more comfortable position, in front of her eyes or nose.
This girl has quite the variety of hobbies and interests already. Even though she dances around the living room to the Enchanted soundtrack singing about "true love's kiss," she can also be a Tomboy. She likes cars, trucks, planes, trains, and rough-housing. She also feels really cool when she lifts heavy things. Future shot-put or discus athlete? Fire-fighter? Professional wrestler? Chef? Professional food-taster? Only time will tell...

Puppy Love

So I've been trying to convince Desirae that we should get a puppy for Brooklyn. She's not into it. But how could you deny sweet Brooklyn's love for dogs? Our friends just happened to have puppies that will be available for adoption in 3 weeks. I've decided to take a poll of the masses and find out what your thoughts are. Should we or not?