Random Moment

I love walking in to see this. 

Peek-a-boo!

Who doesn't love Peek-A-Boo? Abby and Alyssa sure do. 

Baby time Giggles

Bath time is usually quite fun around our house. Alyssa used to love it Suddenly, she hated it this week though. She runs away when I turn the water on and won't sit down in the water anymore. She cried and cried until she was done and wrapped up in her towel. However, she was all giggles watching Abby playing in the water and making faces at herself in the phone. 

Abigail still loves the bath and seemingly could play endlessly. 

(A little confusing, but you see Abby and hear Alyssa)

My Helper: Alyssa

Alyssa sometimes takes her nose out of a book and helps me. Yesterday I was changing Abby dirty diaper on the floor when Alyssa grabbed a wipe and started wiping Abby's bum, too. I think she see me changing too many diapers...

Amy

Stray Cat

There are a few stray cats that wander by our windows. The black one has a habit of walking across our patio at about the same time everyday, much to Alyssa's excitement. I wish I could have caught her face when she first saw the cat and ran over to the window.... 

Just cute

I love the random moments during the day when I just can't stop smiling at my silly, super cute girls.

Thanksgiving 2012

Because work has been so unpredictable, we were not sure whether Mark would be joining us for Thanksgiving this year. They were trying to finish loading the catalyst before Thursday and incredibly they finished before schedule. So Mark didn't even have to go into work Wednesday night, but got Wednesday through Sunday off! It was wonderful. 

So Wednesday night, we decided to join Steve and Clark in the Turkey Trot 5K.  Mark commandeered the stroller, and it sounds like it was a wild ride. I got a head start while the men and stroller were boxed in, but I was quickly overtaken. It was a fun run. I'm glad we got up and did it. I was sure sore after though.

 After the race, we spent the day at Mark's parents. Mark and I were pretty tired after the run, a poor night's sleep, and no napping children, but we had a good time with the family. The girls enjoyed seeing their great grandma Nancy. Alyssa even went to her with a book to read. The girls also really enjoyed playing with their cousin Clark. They followed each other around laughing hysterically. Alyssa enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner, but Abby didn't eat too much. She was too busy examining the ads for any unwrinkled papers so that she could rectify the situation. 

Alyssa drinks

Weaning Alyssa has been very difficult. She has been very resistant to cups, straws, and sippies. So she has been pretty unhappy. Today though she wanted her cup and she drank a lot. I am so glad she finally decided to start drinking again.

Amy

Language

I lost my voice last night and this morning. After nodding and gesturing all my responses, I realized how much I take communication for granted. I am so grateful for my voice, for speech, and for language. 

Abigail

Abigail is so sweet and funny. She is generally a very happy little girl. She loves to look at you and smile. When she smiles really big she squints one eye a little. (Her bright blue eyes have turned a light green.)
She laughs a lot with Alyssa. She is very intrigued with her sister, follows her around, tackles her, pulls up on her. She loves Alyssa. Abby also loves her Dad. She is definitely the Daddy's girl. She gets so excited when she sees him. She loves exploring his mouth and eyes with her sharp little fingers. She loves playing with Dad. Abby loves to stand up on things, tables, chairs, hair, windowsills. She is walking pretty well along the furniture and toys, but doesn't have the balance to stand unsupported.

Abby has an instant hand to mouth action with everything. It if doesn't fit in her mouth she licks it. She especially loves sucking on tags. When we put her to bed and give her the blanket, she will methodically push and pull it around until she finds the tags to suck on. Of course it she is holding food or a bottle, the hand only sometimes goes to the mouth. She is eating better but is still very slow on the weight gain. She has 4 teeth now. Since she got her front teeth this month, her chewing has really taken off. She tipped the scales at 14 and a half pounds tonight.

Abby enjoys playing with the blinds. She mostly seems to be trying to get to the window underneath and is sometimes annoyed when the blind gets in the way.
Abby does not like to hold still. She is a very wiggly, squirmy kid. Sometimes though, she calms down and puts her cheek on mine, just for a minute. I love it.
Abby likes books, but mostly because they taste good and are fun to rip. She is getting better at looking at the pictures or feeling the textures.
Abby is terrified of our roomba vacuum but still can't resist the urge of the blinking light and periodically turns it on.
Over the last few weeks, Abby has had her follow-ups with her brain doctors. They were very impressed with her. The diagnosis is still fine-tuning, but she appears to have no functional deficiencies in her development despite the abnormalities in her brain. She is really small, but otherwise she passed all the neurological evaluations with flying colors. Thank you all who have and continue to pray for her.

I love my Abigail. Her smile makes me smile all day. I am so grateful for my happy, beautiful Abigail.

sidenote: Abby is a little harder to video or photograph because she doesn't hold still! She usually charges the camera as soon as she sees it. 

Alyssa

Alyssa makes me laugh almost all the time. She is so funny and expressive. She is learning a lot and it is really fun to watch her do new things. She learned how to unlock my phone and find a keyboard to play with. She recognized her bracelet when it fell off and held out her arm for me to put it back on. She figured out she can carry all her balls if she puts them in the pumpkin (she will be great at Easter egg hunts!). She loves to dance and bounce and sing.

She loves to read and even will sit on my lap for a book now. She likes peek-a-boo. She can get down from the couch or play-table by herself. She has gained a lot of confidence. She always has a toy of some kind in her hand. Usually a ball or a few blocks or a ring, sometimes a lion or gorilla. She is usually very happy with a big grin. She gets very excited when she is picked up. She smiles and kicks her legs with glee. She waves goodbye after Daddy when he goes to work. Last night I tried to get a video but I got this sweet moment instead.

Alyssa loves her family, and we love her so much. I am thankful for my beautiful blue-eyed girl, Alyssa.

Broadbent Menagerie

Our animals got loose on the front yard. Tiger prowled for food, and Bee buzzed around the sky.  Then the animals got sleepy...

Flash Back

I was going through my pictures and couldn't help doing a side by side comparison: October 2011 vs October 2012

It has been a wonderful year!

Lay Over

Alyssa and Abby got to meet their Aunt Sheralie and their cousins, Jeffrey, Laird, Lucy and James, and see Uncle Pete! They have all grown so much. Plus, we got to see the Ericksons again! 

We had a fun time talking, eating, swimming, and playing with all Grandma and Grandpa's toys. Hope Pete and his family get out of this storm and make it home okay! Glad we got to spend the day with you. 

Summertime

I'm pretty behind on pictures...

We had a fun reunion near Austin. It was great to spend some time with the Texas Broadbents. S'mores, Olympics, Lakes, Grottos, Cattle, Cookies, Driving, Dead Branches, Cesspools, Fire, Family

We also had a visit from Uncle Phil! (and pictures after church)

It's not summer without fresh strawberries (mostly fresh anyway...when they bigger we'll go adventuring and pick our own). 

Camping

We had a great time camping, swimming, kayaking, eating and being with awesome friends. It was perfect. 

Happy Fourth

Happy Independence Day everyone!

What a miraculous and momentous moment in history we celebrate. The Declaration of Independence is a beautiful and inspired document. I am grateful for the beliefs and freedoms that our nation was founded on.

I am not feeling well today so we just had a small family picnic in our backyard to celebrate. Despite the grill's antics, Mark cooked up some delicious burgers. Alyssa and Abby were very excited about the picnic food, which only partially spoiled their dinners. You can see Alyssa in one of the pictures trying to eat a potato puff without using her hands. She was trying to push it into her mouth using the blanket. Abby was always trying to get the corn back, trying to steal it from Alyssa or me.

It was perfectly pleasant by night for the fireworks. The day had cooled off, the breeze was blowing and Mark and I were the only ones out by the course watching the fireworks.

Happy 4th!

Nauvoo

While Alyssa, Abigail and I were in Utah, Mark attended Stake Youth Conference along with 120 youth and 30 other leaders. He had a great time. I will leave any attempts to recap his adventure to him...

Utah

Alyssa, Abigail and I had a great trip to Utah while Mark went to Nauvoo with the stake youth conference. 

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to Mark! He is such a wonderful father to Abby and Alyssa. They love him so much. I love watching them light up to see him. The other day he came home from work, Alyssa saw him and immediately smiled and scooted over to him as fast as she could. It was adorable. Abby smiles and kicks her legs in excitement. His love for them is equally clear. 

I am grateful also for my wonderful dad and father-in-law. They are both great men. 

It is so wonderful to be surrounded by so many great examples of honor, wisdom, kindness, discipline, love, faith, dedication, hard work, and respect. I am grateful that these wonderful men have and honor their priesthood and the blessing that has been to me in my life and family. They love their wives and their children; it is clear. Thank you for all that you have and continue to do for me and my family. We love you. 

The Butterfly Effect

A couple weeks ago I found these ugly caterpillars slowing eating my lemon tree, disguised to look like bird poo. I took them off and kept them for a few days while I researched and decided what to do. Well, I put them back on my tree...

Why you ask would I volunteer to put leaf-eating grub on my little tree?

Totally worth it. I was worried when both caterpillars disappeared. However, I was so glad when this beautiful Giant Swallowtail Butterfly flew by and landed on my lemon tree. Perfect. 

Piano Lessons

Mark teaching the girls piano. Alyssa was a little more excited than Abby. Abby's main interest was ripping pages out of the Children's Songbook. She was a little bummed Daddy wouldn't let her. 

Favorite Part of the Day

Water Bugs

Alyssa and Abby enjoyed cooling off Saturday. They are still working on their splashing techniques but nonetheless had a good time.

Parents live here too

I've been very heavy on baby posts. Here is a glimpse of what Mark and I have been doing (besides feeding and playing with our babies). Naturally, there aren't a lot of pictures to go along.

Mark finished the attics. All the ducts work and are relatively leak-free. There is new insulation and platforms to move around on and store stuff. The new lights make a huge different, too. Thanks to Stuart and Charlie for their help!

We took apart, fixed and put back together the robotic vacuum. One of the IR sensors had a bulb that burned out so it kept thinking it was falling down the stairs. All better!

Our garden is doing really well - minus the caterpillars. We've already enjoyed some cucumbers and hope to enjoy our tomatoes and beets soon.

I've been cooking more often, trying to make new meals. My favorite is my new pesto.

I have been walking in the mornings with some friends here. This morning we past a neighbor cooking on his driveway and he gave us the best shrimp ever!

We had a fun afternoon at the Bunderson's with the McAllisters. As much fun as the girls had with Nathan and Brielle, I think we had more fun with their parents.

We've make it to all 3 hours of church now. Although sometimes in the foyer... Thanks to all the helpers! They keep us busy during church. The young men keep Mark busy, too.

and like I said, there is lots of feeding and playing, too.

Motherly Musings: Alyssa

Alyssa is wonderful. She is very expressive and talkative. She very loudly discusses her mood with you. Smiles and laughs and coos or grunts and baby sirens or angry grrs. She loves her Mom and makes me so happy. She reaches for me and gives me big hugs. I love it when she nuzzles her head into me or rests her cheek on mine. She has hardly any patience when she is hungry or wanting to get out of the crib. She often just wants me to hold her for a minute before going back to playing. She loves her daddy, too, unless she is hungry. She says, "dada" but hasn't connected the sound to the person yet.

Alyssa drinks sometimes from her sippy cup. It is hit or miss with the eating though. She sometimes isn't interested much, other times she'll just keep going. Like Abby, she loves peaches, as well as apples. She doesn't like getting her face cleaned off after each meal. Alyssa doesn't like holding food, either. She would suck and bite (with her 2 teeth) on the cucumbers as long as I was holding it. (she held it once, just long enough for the picture) Her hands were usually held as far away as possible - but that is their favorite place so I don't know how much to read into that. She did hold the peach... Alyssa loves tasting my food and drinking from cups. I'm still nursing her. After a brief spell in which she refused to use the nursing cover, we are back to easy feedings away from home, too. Alyssa is 12 3/4 lbs.

Alyssa sits like a champ and loves it. She plays, leans over to pick up toys, twists around to make sure I'm still around, and dances, too. She sits with confidence. She really hates it when she falls over though. She gets really mad when she falls from sitting, or even rolls over to fast. I think that is why she doesn't roll very much. Sometimes she leans over like she is thinking about it but then goes back up. We are working on her crawling. She pivots around on her belly and can move backwards. When she tries to go forward she reaches and kicks her legs, but they are up in the air. Probably won't be too long though.

Alyssa really likes the jumper seat. She stands in there and jumps up and down. Any toys on the tray are quickly returned to the floor. It is so adorable when she peers over the edge to look for them. But toys are not as fun as whacking the tray apparently.  She also loves playing the piano.

She waves. It is pretty cute.

Alyssa is ticklish. I love tickling her feet, stomach and neck. My favorite is when you tickle her stomach and neck - she tries not to laugh but then gives in and cracks up.

Motherly Musings: Abigail

Abigail is such a joy to be around. She has a happy, giggly personality. She smiles and laughs a lot. Crying is reserved for rolling off the rug onto the tile floor, hunger, sleepiness, and teething (she has 1 tooth now and one almost out). I am so grateful she is patient when I'm feeding Alyssa. It is really sweet when Daddy taps her chest and she starts laughing.

Abby always wants to have something in her mouth. This can be anything she can bring to her mouth or bring her mouth to. Favorites include her fingers, any baby toy, Mom's cheek, books, and Dad's badge. She holds onto her bottle and when not too heavy can hold it by herself. She likes to hold the spoon when she is eating, too. She likes sucking on the cucumbers from our garden. Abby eats solids really well now. It was like there was a switch she decided to turn on and like eating. She will eat almost anything but her favorite is peaches. We've found a few things that give her a rash: bananas (like her great-grandma Matheson) and blueberries. She likes to try Daddy's food and water. Unlike Alyssa, Abby loves it when I wipe her face off afterwards - all smiles. She is now 12 1/4 lbs.

Abby has become quite mobile. My Roly-Poly Bug is rarely where I leave her. She rolls back and forth until she hits a wall (or furniture), goes under the couch, or rolls off the rug. She loves finding new toys laying around the room. I have to be careful what I leave out on or near the rug now.  On a similar note, I finally had to put the bumper up on her crib since she would roll and kick until an arm or a leg would get stuck between the slats. Even with the bumper she manages to poke out!

Abby is learning to sit up. She can balance, correct herself (over-correct usually), and tries to catch herself. The physical therapist was very impressed. She is doing extremely well.

Abby likes to grab things. Sometimes that thing is the toy Alyssa is playing with. They play tug-a-war with the toy until one lets go. Rarely they both just play with the toy. They don't seem to mind having the toy stolen; I'm sure that will change... Sometimes the thing Abby grabs is her diaper while I'm changing it. Fortunately, I've always reacted quick enough to prevent a mess. Sometimes the things are attached to my face, or Mark's, or Alyssa's. Alyssa doesn't like this much so she does it back.

Abigail gives the most precious (and wet) kisses. Sometimes she gives hugs but usually her hands are more interested in your ears or hair.

My New Pets

The internet is a wonderful thing. It look less than 5 minutes to identify this monster caterpillar I found hanging on my tomatoes. It is a Tomato Horntail and it has been eating the leaves off one of my plants! 

Upon further examination I found he was not alone. So now I have two new little pests pets. 

Mother's Day!

I hope all the mothers had a great Mother's Day. I am grateful for my amazing mom! 

Nana and Alyssa

and a great mother-in-law!

Ann and Abby

I used to dread this holiday, but this year it was a very happy day. 

Alyssa is on the left of each row, Abby is on the right.

Abby, Mark, Amy, Alyssa

 I am so grateful for my beautiful family. Being Alyssa and Abigail's mom brings me so much joy. I love them so so much. 

Deseret

After our trip to Davis, we spent a week in Salt Lake visiting. We had a great time and were generally too busy to take pictures. 

We had a fun birthday dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with Phil, Jen, Wade, Sam, Rick and Karen. City Creek Mall was pretty neat, too. 

We surprised my sisters on Sunday (instead of coming into town Thursday). We had all 10 Beesley grandkids together!

All my college roommates were able to get together, too - for dinner and baby time. *Erika had to leave before the camera came out...she really was there. 

We got to celebrate Elizabeth's wedding while we were there. We learned Scottish dancing and I was so glad I wore flats! We are so happy for you Elizabeth and Matthew! 

It was such a fun and relaxing trip! I can't wait to go back up in a couple months!

Trip to Davis

We traveled to Davis California at the end of March for Grandma Pauline's funeral.  She was 92 and left over 110 great grandchildren.  The funeral was really moving and helped us all remember what a great person she was and the legacy of family and food that she left.  It was great to see everybody and spend another couple days at 821 A in Davis.  We'll always remember Grandma Pauline Broadbent.

Thanks to Amy for putting the collage together.

Up Up and Away

The girls went on their first flights a couple weeks ago. We first flew out to Davis, CA for Grandma Pauline's funeral and then to Utah (pictures to come...). I think the key to flying with the twins is to get really nice gate agents and a little luck so that you can get an empty seat next to you. The girls were much better when they got to sleep in their car seats for the flights. 

Rockets vs Kings

We had a great time at the Rockets vs Kings game last month. The last time we went to a Rockets game we were literally on the last rows. It was much better being about 13 rows from the court. Plus, I love that the Toyota Center has padded seats.

Spring!

It is certainly feeling and looking like it is Spring here in Baytown!

...I know I put too many pictures, but I couldn't narrow it down any further :)