Playing outside

Brooke loves to play outside; especially with our 3 neighbor girls across the street. They like to chase each other and ride bikes. It is a nice break for me too. I can just sit in a chair in the front yard and watch them play. Lately Brooke has been crazy about wearing our neighbor Morgan's bike helmet; even when she is not on a bike. I had to take her picture when she put the bike helmet on with her hat and sunglasses. Talk about accessory overload. You might also be wondering why she has a spiderman bike with a missing pedal. Well, I know we are moving shortly, so I didn't want to spend very much money on a big wheel. I found this one at the Goodwill and she loves it.

Happy St. Patrick's day

We had a great St. Patrick's day this year; our good friend Lindsey had her sweet baby girl Julia, we had a nice dinner with the residents, and the weather was warm and sunny. Brooke also got a package from her Grandpa with fun St. Patrick's day items. Here are a few pictures from her care package and visiting baby Julia in the hospital.

Story Time

It is always a challenge to keep Brooke occupied and safely entertained. She is so fast at climbing, opening doors and getting into the potty. I found a library within 30 minutes that has a Friday morning story time. We invited our friends Christian and Lindsey along to check it out. It was the perfect activity for Brook and Christian. There was a little singing, dancing, story reading and puppet time. The kids area of the library has a big train set and other toys too. I was happy to have this activity on the permanent schedule for Friday mornings.

Co-Baby shower with Resident Wives

Lindsey and I had the sweetest shower, thrown by the West Penn Resident wives. Amy and Megan made a delicious brunch feast. They even invited all the kids, very brave of them. We enjoyed getting to visit, let the kids play and open some really nice gifts. It was a really nice day. Thanks Amy and Megan for being such great hostesses.

Keith's trip to Texas

Keith left for San Antonio the day I got back from Las Vegas for his annual podiatry conference.  He had a great time seeing all his old medical school friends.  I was so proud that he won 3rd place for the poster that he submitted for the conference.  Mark and Shevawn happened to be in San Antonio that same time for a vacation so they met up with Keith for lunch.  I was very jealous of all the good mexican food I was missing.  Keith's flight did not end up getting back into Pittsburgh until almost 1 AM on Sunday night.  We were so glad to have him home but definitely sleepy on Monday.

Trip to Vegas with Encompass

I enjoyed a wonderful conference this year with my company in Las Vegas.  It was the first time that I had ever been away from Brooke for the night.  Keith did a great job taking care of her while I was gone for 3 days.  We stayed at the Wynn in Las Vegas.  It was such a beautiful hotel. I felt like I was in a spa the whole time.  I was so excited to catch up with my friend and co-worker Brittany.  She was my roommate for the trip.  We had so much fun!! The conference started on a  Monday morning and lasted until Wednesday at noon.  The material was very engaging.  It made me super re-energized about our work and the people that we serve.  The company put on a great awards banquet Monday night and honored some outstanding employees.  After the presentation they had a Beatles impersonation band perform.  They did an awesome job.  It was fun to see everyone singing along and dancing a bit.

On Tuesday after the conference ended some of our group met up for dinner at a fancy seafood restaurant in the hotel.  I enjoyed my lobster risotto immensely.  After dinner we saw a live show about the history of Las Vegas.  I am super impressed with the talent in these shows. such amazing singers and dancers.
I had mixed emotions leaving Vegas on Wednesday; I really enjoyed my adult time and getting fired up about work, but I missed my family tons.  I also enjoyed two plane rides without kids.  I was able to read, snack, and sleep without interruption.  That is the best!!
Here are a few pictures from the trip.