HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKS!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my cute little Brooks!!!!

We celebrated by having a snowman breakfast with some friends.

Justin made it home from work just in time for the celebration-he unexpectedly got off early so that was a fun Birthday surprise!

(Thanks to pinterest for the great idea.)

Brooks was so excited for his Birthday cake 

Could anything be cuter than this?

After he blew out his candle I asked him if he made a wish and he said, "YEP!!"

We went to the Grand America Hotel that evening to see their window display and ginormous gingerbread house made by their chef!

The boys LOVED it!

These monster windows were so cute! The monsters would walk up and look at us through the windows. Brooks loves monsters so this was especially fun for him.

He was even wearing his monster hoody!

It was such a great day and I am so grateful to be a mom to Brooks! 

He weighed 22 pounds at his doctor's appointment a couple days after his Birthday. 

He is a small little guy :)

Sleeping well after a fun day! Lately, the boys have been sleeping on the floor in my room. 

All the christmas hype has been getting to them.

They always snuggle up together and I think it is so cute!

CALL ME CRAZY...

It is 12:31 AM which means it is officially Brooks' Birthday!!!

I have been thinking about what a whirlwind we were going through two years ago and keep thinking about the crazy situation with the fire alarms. I will explain this more. 

Before we went to pick up Brooks in Atlanta we had gone to Ohio for what ended up being a failed adoption. We were staying at the Hilton Hotel and around midnight the fire alarms went off. We were down in the lobby and there was a hustle of firefighters running around with axes. It was actually kind of comical to watch. After our first adoption placement failed we ended up in Atlanta where we were staying at the Comfort Suites- which has no affiliation to Hilton Hotel. 

When we arrived the man at the front desk welcomed us and told us we were staying in a haunted hotel. It was the very place that Sherman and his troops burned down Atlanta during the civil war. He went on to tell us how the original structure was still standing and they had built on top of it to add more floors. 

In this picture you can see the original gray structure and where they added the red on top. 

It is the hardest hotel to get reservations for on New Year's Eve because it is in front the the Georgia Peach Drop. Someday it would be fun to go on New Years and watch the ball drop :) 

We spent  A LOT of time in this lobby. Oh the memories!

Anyways, we headed up to our room and about an hour later the fire alarm went off and there was a distant voice saying "fire alert, fire alert". It was erie. We went back to the lobby and the man at the front desk informed us this was a coincidence to his former statement about the hotel being haunted. He said he would look into the situation with the fire alarms and why they were going off. 

Well, they did not stop going off, in fact, they had to call in a company to come fix them. The entire time we were at the hotel the alarms were going off and there was the loudest voice saying, "Fire, please exit the building" over and over again. 

We had picked up cute little Brooks from the hospital and every hour, all night long, those dumb alarms would go off. I really can't even tell you how loud they were but believe me they were LOUD! 

Brooks kept looking up at us with these big eyes like what in the world is going on. 

We thought it was so ironic the alarms would be going off both in Ohio and at Atlanta in two different hotel chains. 

It was midnight tonight and I was thinking about cute Brooks and those crazy alarms and I kid you not,

I looked out my window and what do I see? Firetrucks galore parked at the vacant house behind me and the fire alarms going off. At midnight of Brooks' Birthday. 

I wish I would have taken a photo. How ironic is that? 

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKS!!! 

The world knew someone special had entered the world so it set off fire alarms :)

THANKSGIVING

 Brooks and I were lucky enough to help with Connor's Thanksgiving feast at preschool this year.

Connor got to take jello to share with his school friends!

Brooks' headband fell over his eyes and all the kids thought it was hilarious, 

including Brooks himself!

The kids put on a great program!

Brooks watching the program 

Connor's speaking part was

The pilgrims and indians were friends at the first Thanksgiving feast.

This is the picture he colored to go with his speaking part.

Connor also made a Thanksgiving book with his handprints!

I am truly grateful for his cute preschool teacher, Miss Lisa, 

she puts so much effort into school and teaching the kids. 

We had a great Thanksgiving day!

My parents always do such a nice meal,

 my mom sets the table BEAUTIFUL

 and my dad ALWAYS cooks a fantastic dinner!

Justin and Connor headed out in the morning for the annual 

Wilcox turkey shoot, aka skeet shooting :)

They both had a great time and I was happy to have little Brooks at home to keep me company in the morning!

I am so grateful for my many blessings. 

Of course my family is ALWAYS number one on my list. 

I was thinking about this last year and I would have to say the thing I am most grateful for would be my job. It has been a HUGE blessing in more ways than one. 

To go along with that I would also have to say how grateful I am for, my friend, Melissa.

 Not only for getting me my great job but for being an all around great friend!

We became friends when we were adopting our boys together and we have had so many great times!

I have bugged her countless times with job questions and she has been nothing but kind to help me.

What a wonderful blessing to have such an amazing friendship. 

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! 

BROOKS

Brooks is almost two and suddenly he seems all grown up. 

Brooks started doing front flips out of his crib about six months ago so he got transferred to a mattress on the floor. 

We recently decided to upgrade him to his own bed and he loves it!

Thanks to Justin's parents who hooked him up with a bed!

Although, many times when I check on him he is asleep on the landing with his toys!

 Here are some pics of him with my cousin Marianne's little boy Brayden.

They had fun playing on the stairs and sliding on the floor with blankets.

Brooks decided to share all of his favorite foods with Brayden..pizza, marshmallows, candy, and peanut butter cookies. 

Brayden was in heaven with all this sugar and my cute cousin told me Brayden had only had his first taste of sugar, literally, the night before he came to our house because it was his first Birthday.

We were laughing so hard as Brooks kept giving him more junk food...no wonder they were fast friends!

Brooks and Grandpa

Playing with Owen. 

Brooks and Owen were adopted a month apart. 

They must have been friends in heaven :)

Can you imagine these two little rascals being friends in heaven? 

This picture was taken tonight after I could not find Brooks. 

He was hiding under the Christmas tree playing with the iPod he is not supposed to touch!

Last week Brooks got an awful flu bug. He pretty much slept for two days straight. My heart broke for him :( Luckily he is back in good health!

Brooks loves cats. There is a little black cat that comes to our house quite a bit. Occasionally we will let it in for a few mins to play. 

Brooks is nuts about the kitty and good thing it is friendly 

because he cannot stop hugging and kissing it!

I am so overwhelmed with gratitude that I get to be a mom to Brooks and Connor! 

I cannot imagine life without my boys! 

The joy they bring me is unmeasurable!