Beautiful Brooke: MJ, "Bazza," and SNOW!

Our first official blizzard of the season hit on Saturday...

The night before, I made a trip to the store (with every other wacko in town) and filled my cart with ingredients necessary to make and bake some of my favorite 'snowy day' food!

It all started with a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies!

The most exciting part was getting to use my Grandma Mary's mixer for the first time.

It almost felt like she was in the kitchen with me... and I'm pretty sure these cookies tasted better than ever!

For lunch, you ask?
While I was on Maternity Leave with Brooke last year, it was my goal as a wife and new Mom to 'beef up' my recipe collection. I tried so many new recipes and this one is definitely my favorite! Potato Soup! (For anyone who has the Maitland Church of the Brethren cookbook, it's Janie Mellinger's Best Ever Potato Soup!) YUM!

If your name happens to be Brooke Mackenzie Wray, what do you do while Mommy does all of this crazy cooking?

You read the "baby" book, directly under Mommy's feet...

...you take naps!
This is how I found her room after her morning nap on Saturday!

**One of the funniest things that this child does happens after nap time every day. You know she's ready to get up when you hear the glow worm and bink, after bink, after bink, after bink come crashing to the ground! She has quite the arm - so we just listen for the 'thuds' and then go greet her!
(Notice the look of sheer terror on her face, as I was busy taking pictures instead of rescuing her from the crib!)

CONFESSION ALERT!
I am, always have been, and always will be a MICHAEL JACKSON FAN!
There! I said it!
(I don't know if that's WORSE or BETTER than admitting to my love of *NSYNC and NKOTB!)

I, of course, purchased my own copy of 'This Is It," and Brooke and I watched it on Saturday afternoon!
We danced and sang and turned it up as loud as it could go!
There's just something about Michael Jackson music that I love!
And I'm not ashamed to admit it!

Look at this lip -
Looks just like her Daddy's...

This is one of Brooke's favorite places to play!

I have strategically placed a few items in this cabinet that are safe for her to play with.

So, many times a day, she empties the toys, plays some sort of game with them - trading them in and out - and attemps to close herself inside!

I feel sure that one day, we won't be able to find her - THIS is the first place I'll check - as soon as she learns how to get herself all the way inside!

All a girl ever needs - Criso Oil, a Bingo Dobber, and an old tea pot!

Snowy days and mornings with Mommy at home allow for pancake breakfasts!

Too bad I'm out of Bisquick - these are the frozen kind!

"Bazza" anyone?

To Brooke, this means PIZZA! And MAN, does this child love Pizza!

Just yesterday, in the morning and after every nap, the first words out of her mouth when I opened her door were "No Bazza!"

Apparently, she's heard Mommy say "No Pizza" in response to her request for it multiple times a day!

Most importantly, in my time off, I've enjoyed the hours of time spent with this precious face!

She's talking SO MUCH more, she's working on a few more teeth, we're fixing some of the 'pooping trouble' we've been having, and we're trying to get a few things done around the house...

So - as I just heard the 4th bink and that blasted glow-worm crash to the floor upstairs, my princess is ready to start this day with her Mom!