First Day of "School"

(Brock on the first day of "school")

Today Brock started "school". He is going to the Early Learning Center at First Baptist Douglasville on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 am till noon. He is in the Cuddly Cow class and there are 8 little boys & girls in his class. He was such a big boy this morning while getting ready and on the way but when we got there things changed a little. He walked inside the church like a big boy but as we got closer to his classroom he started wanting me to pick him up. When we got to the classroom door he started crying. His teacher came to the door and got him and I am sure that he stopped crying soon thereafter. While Brock was at school, I got to enjoy shopping alone for a couple of hours. When I picked Brock up he was so tired. He could hardly stay awake until we got home to have lunch. I asked him several questions about school : Did you like school today? Did you like your teachers? Did you have a snack? Did you color? Did you play outside? His answer to all of these questions was NO! I then asked him "Do you know what mommy is asking you? and he said NO! His favorite word right now is NO so I am sure that he really did have a great time today and I know that he is going to love playing with the other little kids this year.

(Brock exhausted after the first day of "school")

Busy Weekend

This past weekend we took Brock to the Auburn football game. He had a great time!!! Here are some pictures from the game.

Brock and Wilson

Wilson, Mimi, Brock & Gaga

Brock at the game


Auburn football team

Brad & Brock

We also had Miss Emery's First Birthday party this weekend. It was fun and she looked so cute in her party dress. Happy Birthday Emery!!

Lastly on Monday, we enjoyed our day off with the exception that our computer is on the verge of dying. I got to go out for a little while and this is what I came home to.....sometimes it is just easier to stay home :)

GO TIGERS!!!!!

WAAAARRRRR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are heading to Auburn for the game this weekend. Brock is going to the game with us so it should be lots of fun. We will have an update with pics when we get home on Sunday. We hope that you have a great weekend!

Pictures to Share

Brock eating ribs...yum yum!!

Brock driving the boat and this time we were really out on the lake (usually he "drives" it when it is in the boat house).
Brock acting like he is taking a nap...no chance...this child does not miss a thing!

Brock playing with Olivia...how sweet!

Brock wearing dad's t-shirt...he looks like a little ghost.

Brock stuck in his coloring container...he is such a funny little guy.

Brock waving to me while I was trying to take his picture...at this age, I cannot seem to get a decent picture made of him so I just take what I can get.

Lastly, this is my newest creation....a Diaper Cake. My aunt Opal and sister Brandi have been making them for shower gifts so I decided to give it a try. Not bad for the first time...we will see if this is still standing next Sunday for the Baby Shower.

Meet the Teachers

Last Thursday night, Brad and I went to Brock's Parent Orientation for his little school that he will start next Wednesday. We got to meet his teachers and see where and what he will be doing at "school". Today, I took Brock to meet his teachers. Ms. Morgan and Mrs. Robinson are going to be teaching Brock at the Early Learning Center at First Baptist Douglasville this year. He will be going on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 -12. I am so excited for him. Pretty much they just play and have snacks. There are 8 little boys and girls in his class. I really think that this will be good for him since he usually only gets to play with mommy. I am excited too because I will get a little time to run errands or do whatever I want for 3 hours, 2 days a week....yeah!! I will let you know how the first day goes next week.

Weekend Fun

On Friday night Brock went to spend the night with Granna & Grandaddy Greg. They went out to dinner and then spent lots of time playing. I know that Brock probably wore them out! When I went to pick him on Saturday, they were playing in a "house". Granna had brought a big box home from work and had cut some "windows" in the sides. It was so cute! I brought it home and plan on painting it sometime this week so that Brock can continue to play in his "house".

Since Brock was at Granna's, Brad and I got to go to dinner on Friday night. It was nice to not have to rush. We went to Carrabba's which is one of our favorite places. It was really good!!

On Saturday, we went to Pop & D's at the lake. It was a dreary day outside but we still had a good time. Brock had fun riding on the boat and playing outside. He fed the fish and ducks. He loves to say "fish" and now is saying "lake".

When we got home on Saturday night, I ordered my new computer program for my monogram machine. I am so excited!!! Hopefully this will allow me to do many more things. I am going to practice and hopefully make some cute stuff....I will keep you posted.

We had a great weekend and we hope that you did too!

August 21st

Today is special for two reasons:

First....
Brock is 20 months old today! I cannot believe how he is growing so fast. He is still a little guy weighing only about 23 or 24 pounds. His hair is finally growing good and he has a good bit of blonde hair. He is VERY active and loves to climb and crawl on everything!! His favorite show is now "Barney" instead of "Blues Clues". He loves playing with his blocks and toy broom. He is trying his best to talk so much. His favorite words right now are "knock knock", "Amen", "light", and "peace". Brad has taught him to flex his muscles when he says "show me your guns" which is so funny. This age is really fun and Brock is learning so much. I know the terrible twos are quickly approaching (some days I think they are already here) and I hope that they do not last long. We are looking forward to all the special days ahead!

Second....
Emery is ONE today! Emery is our niece that lives in Auburn. We will be celebrating with her next Sunday at her party. HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMERY!!

Crib vs. Toddler Bed

Brock is going to be 20 months old this week....I cannot believe it. I am trying to decide if he is ready for the conversion of his crib to a toddler bed. Right now, when he wakes up he has to yell "mom" or "dad" for us to come and get him. That is nice. This way we know where he is. If we convert to a toddler bed, then he can get out on his own, which scares me a little. I know that he is getting older and is a "toddler" but is he really ready for the toddler bed??? For you moms out there, when did you convert to toddler beds and what are your suggestions for a smooth transition? Thanks for all your help (in advance).

Family Fun Day

Today we decided to spend the day together as a family. We wanted Brock to do something fun so we took him to the IMAGINE IT!! Children's Museum in Atlanta. We had a great time! Brock got to play in the balls, with a train, in the work zone, in the sand, paint a picture, tumble on the mats, fish, and much more. I really suggest this place if you have children under 8 and are looking for something for children to do in the Atlanta area. We certainly will take Brock again. After we left the museum we decided to walk over to Olympic Park. It was neat to see and to remember that in 1996 the Olympics were in Atlanta. We then headed to The Varsity. You just cannot go to Atlanta without eating at the famous Varsity. Brock was exhausted and slept on the way home. We had a great day together and we hope that you did too!!

On the way to the Museum

Turning somersaults (with dad's help)

Playing in the sand with dad (we really like Moon Sand!!)

Painting a picture with mom (he is such a great artist at 19 months)

Sliding down the banana slide

Driving the fork lift

Fishing in the little pond with a cute little rain coat on

Future Construction worker

Lunch at The Varsity

We ended the day with our friends Jason, Megan & McKenzie at the new Japanese Steakhouse in Douglasville. We had a great time and Brock got to experience the habachi grill for the first time. (I usually do not eat Japanese food but did not want to pass up a great time of fellowship with our friends. )

T.G.I.F.

Thank goodness it is Friday!!! This week has been busy with errands, work, gym, visits, and playing. I am still working on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Brock is still enjoying playing with his babysitter. He seems to take better naps for her instead of me (wonder why that is???). We took a quick trip to Cedartown on Wednesday to visit grandparents and great-grandparents. Today we had a lunch date with Megan and McKenzie. Now, we are finally home to rest before the weekend begins. We are planning to take Brock to the IMAGINE IT Children's Museum tomorrow so that he can play and explore. We will post pics when we get home. Other than that we are just going to hang out. We hope that you have a GREAT weekend!!!

New Baby in the Family

Congratulations to my cousin Mary and her husband Matt!!!! Mary had her little baby girl today at 1:12 pm. Her name is Maris Kate and she weighs 7 lbs. 1 oz. Mary had a really short labor and everything is going great. Please pray for them as this is a huge life change and for the health of the sweet baby girl.

At the "Beach"

Today Brock and I spent a lot of time playing together. Brad had to work because of quarter end close at the Home Depot so Brock and I spent another day of quality time together. First, we took a walk around the neighborhood. Brock loves to ride in his stroller and point out all the "burds" (birds) along the way. On the way home, we stopped at the neighborhood playground and played. After we got home and had a "nack" (snack) we then went outside and played in his little pool that Granna and Grandaddy Greg bought him. He calls it the "beach" so that is the reason for today's blog title. He played and splashed for a while and then it was lunch and nap time. I was exhausted too so I took a little nap myself. This afternoon we played blocks and colored. It was a really good day and Brock did not have to go to time out one time. I love Saturdays that we do not have much planned and we can just hang out. Saturdays are about to get busy with AUBURN football games.....YEAH!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait!

Uneventful Week

It has been a week since making a post and I know that you are just wondering what have we been doing.....nothing!!!!

This week we have just been taking it easy. Brock's face is much better. All the red spots are gone and the color of his cheek is turning back to the pinkish color that it usually is. He has been playing with his blocks and Little People car garage this week and asking "What's this?" all week long. Hopefully he is learning what we tell him but he is already asking "What's this?" again before we can answer him the first time. He is getting more teeth and is back to drooling a lot. He has also developed a love for Barney this week. He wants to watch it all the time and he loves to dance to all the songs. He got to meet a new friend on Wednesday, Matthew. He was born in June and hopefully will be playing with him soon. (I went to Auburn with Matthew's mom and we were both Tri-Deltas. Brad works with his dad at Home Depot....small world.) Tonight, Brock had a date with Miss McKenzie. We went to dinner with our friends, Jason & Megan and their daughter. Both children were so good and so that made the dinner more enjoyable. Other than that, just a slow uneventful week here at The Slocumb home. We hope that you had a great week.

Enjoy your weekend!

No news is good news

Not really much going on here this week. We have just been relaxing and playing while Brock's face is recovering. All the swelling is gone and most of the red marks or "blueberries" are disappearing. Now we just have to wait on the red on his cheek to fade so that we can see if the surgery is working. He is such a little trooper and has not let the whole surgery thing bother him at all. We hope that you have a great weekend!!

Yum...Yum...

As you can see in the picture, Brock loved eating corn on the cob tonight. This is the first time that we have given him corn that was not cut off of the cob. I think that he liked playing with it more than he did eating it : )

On another note, he is recovering great from his little surgery (see post below). His face was really swollen on Saturday but today it has gone down a lot. He has just played his little heart out and it has not bothered him at all. He should be back to normal in a few weeks.

This afternoon we finally got to meet Abby, Heth & Cindy's little girl (see their blog link on the side bar). She is just a little ray of sunshine. He just smiled and had a great time the whole time they were here. Here is a picture of Abby & Brock playing in the floor.

Brock's 2nd Surgery

This morning Brock had his second laser surgery on his face. For those of you who don't know, Brock has a birthmark on the left side of his face. It is called a Port-wine stain. These are the types of birthmarks that get darker and bumpy as you get older. We're having laser surgeries performed in hopes that the birthmark will clear up and he won't have any issues in the future. They put him to sleep for the procedure and then take a laser to his face. The laser goes a circle at a time and is trained to zap the color red. The red is blood vessels and the Dr. is tyring to destroy those vessels. Brock did great for the surgery, he was cranky right after the procedure, but otherwise was a trooper, Brock says "pain don't hurt". That's a reference to his favorite movie which is Roadhouse. After the surgery he has bright red circles on his cheek and his cheek is very swollen. The swelling should go down in a few days and the red circles take a couple of weeks to disappear. After the surgery we took him to Krispy Kreme and to The Varsity. He enjoyed his donut and cheeseburger, we're trying to get him over 24lbs before his second birthday. (Posted by Brad)

Brock in his little hospital gown before surgery.

Picture of his birthmark before surgery.

Picture of his face after surgery.

As you can see it does not bother him at all. He played all afternoon. How do you like his new gloves?? (too funny!)

Little Stinker

Yesterday I was trying to clean house. It is a much harder task when you have a shadow (aka Brock). I have to get him entertained with something and run and clean one room. Cleaning house used to take me about 2 hours now it is an all day chore. I had left him playing in his room and I ran to clean his bathroom. He was being really quite so I went to check on him and this was what I found....

Brock had gotten into his dresser and pulled out all his Diaper Doubles. Not just one pack but two packs of them. (If you are wondering, he has to wear them at night because he overloads a regular diaper.). At some point you just have to laugh, right??

Well, today I was trying to get ready because I have to leave to teach in a few hours. I always leave Brock in the bathroom while I am getting a shower so that he does not roam all over the house. He usually plays really good but today this is what he decided to do....

Yes, he got into the closet and pulled out all of my shoes! It was a disaster and he was so proud of himself. You can't get mad at the little fellow so you just have to laugh (hoping that he does not do it again). For those of you experienced parents, is this a phase or should I plan on picking up a mess every time that I turn around (more of a mess than I usually clean)?

Most days he is good and plays his little heart out. Here is him riding his little truck which entertains him for about 3 minutes, but that's good for a 19 month old!

Happy Birthday Pop!

Today is my dad's birthday (we want mention the age :)) Brock calls him "Pop". We just wanted to wish him a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The Big 3-0

Happy 30th Birthday Brad!!!!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Brad (dad),
Happy Birthday to you!

We hope that you have a great day!!
Love, Brooke & Brock

Las Vegas

This past weekend, Brad and I enjoyed a trip to Las Vegas with my two best friends, Kim & Molly and their husbands, Reese & Jason. It was tons of fun!!! We spent most of the time going in and out of all the hotels and looking at all the nice lobbies and casinos. It is just amazing at how nice some of these are. The first night we went to a Comedy Show and it was pretty funny. The second night we went to see the show LOVE by Cirque de Soleil. It was really good and something that you should see if you have never been to one of their shows. The last night we went to Downtown Las Vegas and toured around. The night life is certainly entertaining and I do not think that most people go to bed (but since we are all getting older, we had to have some sleep). On Saturday, we rented a car and drove to the Hoover Dam. It was something to see! I am not really into sightseeing but it was neat. We had a great time and it was really good to spend time with friends. If you have never been to Las Vegas it is something that you should do. There are many things that you have to ignore but it is really fun. I do not suggest taking your children :), but it is a nice long-weekend adventure. Thanks to my parents for keeping Brock so that we could go. Here are some pics from the trip. Enjoy!!

M & M World (look at all the colors!)

In front of the New York New York Hotel & Casino

Reese, Kim, Jason, Molly, Brooke & Brad

Molly, Brooke & Kim at the Hoover Dam

The famous Las Vegas sign

What Happens in Vegas.....

Brad and I are off to Las Vegas tomorrow morning until Sunday. We are sooooo excited! We are going with my two best friends and their husbands; Molly, Jason, Kim & Reese. We have been planning this trip for some time now and it is finally here. When we return I will post some pics and give you a report on the fun times that we had.

On another note, I had to leave Brock today for four nights....yes, FOUR nights. I am so sad! This is the first time that we have left him this long. It is a much needed trip but it is sad to know that we will not see the little man until Sunday. I know that he is in great hands with Pop, Dee, Granna, and Granddaddy Greg. I know that he will get spoiled and that next week will be tough getting him back on schedule, but that's okay. He deserves a fun weekend too!

Girlie Wisdom

Someone sent this to me in an email and I thought that it was good enough to share. I hope that it puts a smile on your face! Have a great day!

Girlie Wisdom!

Women over 50 don't have babies because they would put them down and forget where they left them.

A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills... she has 14 kids but doesn't really care.

One of life's mysteries is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.

My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you are doing, someone else does.

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.

Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.

I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my knicker's.

Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks 2 sizes!

Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like...'You know sometimes I forget to eat!' ......Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!

The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him.

I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day!

LIVE SIMPLY.....LAUGH OFTEN....LOVE DEEPLY

New Shoes

On Friday, Brock got a new pair of shoes from Granna. He tried them on in the store and did not want to take them off....this was what I was afraid of. You see, these are not shoes that Brock can wear everyday but I am sure that he will want to. They are made for rainy days...they are rain boots. He loves them! When we got home he wanted to put them on and play outside. Below are some pics of him in his new shoes. If you see him out in public with these shoes on, you know that he pitched a fit to wear them and I just gave in :-).

Little Prep

I just could not resist taking a picture of Brock yesterday. To me, he looked just like a miniature fraternity boy at Auburn. So now we are trying to decide if he is going to be a janitor (read post below) or a Frat Boy ;) Who knows?? Anyway, Brad had to get Brock those little Sperrys at the beach so that he would have shoes likes his dad. Brock could not leave the house without the sunglasses and I just love his little seersucker shorts. So when we put it all together....we get a little preppy toddler.

Future Custodial Engineer???

We all dream about what we want to do when we grow up. Most kids would say that they want to be a lawyer, doctor or teacher. Well, I believe that all Brock wants to be is a janitor or for a more technical term, custodial engineer. He loves to clean! Every time that he is eating, he wants a napkin to wipe off that table. When we are finished eating, he wants you to get the "boom" which is a broom to sweep up his crumbs. He loves to pick things up and throw them in the trash. He loves to take a kleenex and wipe down the tub. I could go on and on. This is so funny to me. I know that when the days start for him to do chores and pick up his room, his love for cleaning will stop. However, for now it is so funny to watch him and I appreciate his help.

Back to Work

Today I started back to work at West Central. Summer Quarter started today and will last for 10 weeks. It was nice to have a couple of weeks off but it is also nice to get back to teaching. This quarter I am not only teaching a night class like I usually do but I am also teaching an afternoon class and tutoring. This meant that I had to find a babysitter for Brock on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A girl that works at the gym nursery that we go to is keeping him. Her name is Jessica and Brock really likes her so it was not hard to leave him (and it was only for a couple of hours). This is a milestone for us since this is the first time that Brock has really stayed with anyone except family. She said that he did great. She said that he even took her by the hand and walked her into his room and said "nap". So she laid him in his crib and we went right to sleep. This is great! I hope that things will continue to go well for the next 1o weeks and maybe into the next quarter.

4th of July

On Friday we went to my dad's house on Lake Weiss to celebrate the 4th. We had a great time. Brock loves to pretend that he is driving the boat. He also likes to swing on the dock. He played outside all day and was worn out last night. We hope that everyone had a great 4th of July and we are truly blessed to live in America!!

Fireworks

Tonight we went to the Fireworks show here in Villa Rica. This is the first time that Brock has been to see fireworks and he loved it! He kept saying "ooh" and "ahh". It was so funny. We met up with a couple from our Life Group and Brock played with their little girl. It was a fun time! Happy 4th!!!

Brock enjoying his water before the fireworks show.

Pic of the fireworks

18 Month Update

Today we went for Brock's 18 month check-up. He turned 18 months on June 21 so we are a week late going to the doctor. So far, doctor's visits have been good for us. He has only been once for being sick so all of our visits have mainly been wellness checks. We are so happy that he has been such a well baby or now toddler. The doctor's office has a new train track with a train circling the room. Brock loved this....until he had to leave and go to the exam room. This is the first fit that he pitched. Once he got settled down, he was measured and weighed. He weighed 23 pounds 9 ounces (20%) and was 32.25 inches long (50%). The doctor checked him out and said that everything was great. She asked was he saying at least 10 words, running, trying to put on clothes and obeying commands. We said yes (obeying commands for the most part). He then had to get dressed and get ready for shots. This would be the second fit that he threw. The doctor said that is was normal for him to act like that. She said that it would last about 8 more months and said that he was starting the "terrible twos". On my, I do not know how I will survive. If you have suggestions, please comment and let me know. Otherwise, we are truly blessed to have a healthy boy!!!