Smarty Pants

I would just like to state for the record that.......

I love this boy to pieces.

I've loved him since I laid eyes on him 6+ years ago.

And I'm thankful that he picked me to be with him forever.

Beautiful Girl!

I just love this girl to pieces! She's turning into a little terror, but I still can't get enough of my Brookie Cookie!

She loves to be swung in a blanket and when Gordon says "stay straight" she knows exactly what to do! Once we get her up and she's swinging, we hear squeals of joy! Music to our ears!

Halloween Costumes

Last Friday night, Gordon and I went to a Halloween party and dressed up to be John & Marilyn Brennan (Gordon's parents; my in-laws) We were a big hit and from these photos, you can probably see why!

How freaky is this photo:

I am concerned about the future of my husband's hair, to say the least.

Here I am in all of my Marilyn glory:

I am wearing almost all her clothing to try to look the part. However, I don't think I looked as similar as Gordon did to his Dad! 

And, here we are together:

What a cute couple we make!

I'll be home for Christmas!

I just finished booking some flights to get us to Ottawa for Christmas! I'm so excited! I'll be arriving on December 17th and Gordon will be joining me December 22nd. We fly home all together on the 29th. Yay! I'm so happy!

Now, I hope if Gordon does end up getting a job, it's around here....and I hope they will give him the week off to travel!

Hooray for Christmas!

He is HEALED!

I mentioned in my previous post a little of what was going on with Gordon and him being sick. Well, it's time to add another installment to that.

Let me just explain the whole thing from the beginning.

A few weeks ago, Gordon was bit my an insect on the arm and got an infection that you could see tracking up his arm through his vein. Slightly scary for a wife to see that. Anyways, he went to the Doctor and was prescribed a drug called Bactrum to get rid of the infection.

After about 12 days of being on Bactrum, he realized he was allergic to it. (He had a body rash, itchy skin, muscle aches, puffy hands and ears, etc.) So, he went back to the doctor and they told him to take somy Benadryl.

After being on Bendryl for a few days, a lot of his symptoms went away. However, the itching got worse--much much worse. Possibly unbearable.

So, after not being able to sleep for 2 days, Gordon was up in the night researching bactrum. Through his research he found possible side effects. Under the "Seek Emergency Medical Help if"section he found unbearable itching. So this morning at about 2 am, he went to the Emergency Room to get checked out. He got prescribed some sterroids to counteract the Bactrum and some other medicines to help with the itching. The only problem was there are no 24 hour pharmacies in Hood River, so he had to come home and wait until 10 am to get them filled.

After today was just about over, he took his medicines, and is now sleeping like a baby.

I am SO thankful for doctors and modern medicines that help keep my family healthy and happy. I'm so relieved that he's getting better and is actually happy again! He was really REALLY miserable these last few days. Even though it sucks that we have to pay to see the doctors here, I will always be thankful for them.

Eureka! Gordon is better!

The Many Faces of Brooke

I love taking a bunch of photos all in a row because then you can really see what sort of expressions we get in a 2 minute time period! All three of us have been sick lately. I took Brooke to the doctor for the second time yesterday and turns out she has an ear infection. So after this medication we have for her, I'm hoping she will be all better! 

A few weeks ago, Gordon got bitten by some insect and got an infection that you could see running through his vein in his arm. Anyways, he got some antibiotics for it and things were fine....until....he started getting a bad reaction to them and had to go back to the doctor. Turns out he was allergic to the medicine and got a body rash, body aches, and puffy ears. So, he's been taking lots and lots of benadryl. Hopefully that will start making him feel better really soon. It's just bad luck after bad luck for us these days. I've gotten to the point where I just laugh at it all. I feel bad for Gordon, but it's hard not to laugh. 

We are still job hunting. Yesterday, even though Gordon was feeling awful and didn't go to his temporary part time job, he stayed home and applied to 6 different jobs. 

I had a pretty bad cold with a cough last week and it seemed to go away for a day or two and then came back with a vengeance. Finally, today, I'm feeling pretty good. Still a slight sore throat, but that't pretty much it!

The Brennan's have turned a corner and should be on the mend. Should be. Hopefully this is the end for a long time. Especially for Gordon.  I the mean time, enjoy these photos of our darling girl!

This is her posing and saying "cheeee" (cheese)

 I think she looks just like Zoe, her cousin! So cute! One of my favorites!

"Heeeeeyyyyyy!"

 She's looking suspicious of Gordon

 Her disgusted look. Ha!

"UH-OH!"

 Pointing at the camera's flash.

 "Ohhhhhh!"

Oh, I forgot!

Brooke has been doing this for a while, but I just keep forgetting to post it! Whenever we ask her "Brooke, how old are you?" she sticks up her index finger like she's saying 1! Sooooooo cute!

You may call me muffin top

Guess what?! It's late at night with nothing on tv! And, I have no husband around to keep me company, so you lucky people get to have an inside look at my inner thoughts! 

(1) Gordon traveled to UT and ID to 'talk' with some people who maybe could open a few doors for him. While he was there, he got sick and to top it all off, our car died....twice. Technically, it's died many MANY times and we've revived it many MANY times....ie-$$$ and lots of it. Seriously, it's the only reason why we're in debt.....that and school. Darn it. I will be singing praises when we can once and for all get rid of our (excuse my french) damn car! In the mean time, I'm glad we figured out what the problem was and that he should (fingers crossed) be able to come home safely tomorrow. It'll get fixed on Monday. We keep VISA in business.

(2) I am for the most part happy with my weight. It fluctuates....usually up on the weekends, but lately it's been lingering (around my waist) a little longer, so I'm lowering my carbs and upping my cardio. My jeans used to be loose and now they are snug. I also washed them and they are a different pair in a size smaller than I usually buy (I'm trying to justify my cause!) thus creating an unappealing muffin top around my mid section. It looks awful. Thank goodness I can run. Speaking of running, I need to get a long run in tomorrow....by myself. Dang. I haven't done that in a while, so I hope I can keep my mind occupied for 9-11 miles. And, I hope it doesn't rain.

(3) I think if my abs were more visible, then I'd be much happier. Do I think thats going to happen? Not until I get this muffin top situation under control.

(4) This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and I married into an American family who doesn't mind celebrating two! So on Sunday we'll be feasting! I will experiment with a pecan pie cheesecake. I might throw a little pumpkin in there too. Haven't decided....and this isn't so good for the weight thing. I have practically no self control. I have a food blog for a reason, after all.

(5) Gordon comes home tomorrow! Meaning, I become a better mother and gain a little more sanity! Hip hip hooray! Not that I was all that smart to begin with, but whatever.

(6) Last Christmas, Gordon bought me sweatpants. It was probably one of the best gifts I've ever gotten because I'm always cold and they are soooooo comfortable. They also don't pinch my pudge. 

(7) I have a wishlist started already for Christmas and my birthday. I'm hoping I'll be able to get 1 or 2 items off of it. Which reminds me: I have never prayed so hard for something I've wanted before than I am now--for my sweet and wonderful husband to get a job. I think there are a few others praying as well. Stupid economy. I hate you. Speaking of which, if you're feeling bored and generous, I'd appreciate if you went HERE and clicked on my ads to generate a few extra pennies! Please and thank you. (And by pennies, I mean pennies.) 

Brooke at 20 months!

(1) Brooke has started jumping and can actually jump with two feet off the ground. It's especially cute when she does it on a bed or trampoline. She gets pretty good air.

(2) Brooke knows where the following are located: hair, head, belly, nose, teeth, tongue, toes, eyes, ears. My favorite thing is when I ask "where are your teeth?" she smiles big and says "cheeeeeeeee" like she's saying cheese for a photo.

(3) Just the other day, Brooke found a pin in the carpet. She came up to me and started poking my arm and said "pin! pin! pin!" Yes, Brooke, that's a pin! Haha! She also says: uh-oh, mama, dada, duck, milk (perfectly!), ooohhhh (like she's understanding what I'm saying), up, and there are more, I just can't think of any more at the moment. Another Brooke-ism is she knows a lot of words, she just chooses not to talk. I guess she is a lot like me after all!

(4) We went to the doctor yesterday and Brooke is 21 lbs. 11 oz.! Hot dog! They said she's gaining well, so hallelujah! I don't know why I'm always worried about her weight, but I am.

(5) She knows and sometimes does the actions to: the wheels on the bus, popcorn popping, the itsy bitsy spider, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam.