It was great to spend time with Michelle, Nate and Brooks before everyone else got there. It was quite obvious that having a baby is a BIG adjustment and it was nice to be there to help out a little. I have so much more respect for mothers and what their emotions and bodies go through to bring new souls into this world. And of course hats off to all those husbands that are nothing but helpful and supportive! Here are a few more pictures of baby Brooks with our family - can you ever put up too many baby pictures?
Uncle Rich and Brooks having a stare down.....Brooks won.
Brooks and the penguin conversing
Grandma and Grandpa!
I never know what G's faces mean!
Best way to take a nap!
Brooks discovering Spencer :)
People back home call my mom the "baby whisperer" and it's a very appropriate name.
Big Al loving cuddle time!My mom arrived Monday night and I don't know who was more excited to see her, Michelle or me. We welcomed her calm, motherly help from the moment she pulled up. Mothers are truly the greatest!
Garlan arrived Wednesday night and words can't quite express how nice it was to be next to each other after 7 LONG days apart. Mrs. Claus gave us some early Christmas money to go and spend the day in San Fransisco. Our next post will have all the details and pictures from that wonderful adventure.
Thursday night the rest of the clan pulled up after a long 13 hour drive from Washington. And after 2 years I finally got to hug my younger but much bigger brother Spencer! I'm so excited to have him down in Provo with us starting January. Garlan was actually in Spencer and Richard's ward the semester before Spencer's mission so it was nice that he wasn't meeting G for the first time. That night we went to Five Guys and stuffed our faces. It was my first time there and I have to admit that I really liked it.
Elder Spencer Hadley is home! How I love this guy :)
Isn't it obvious that Matt and Richard are brothers?
Friday (Christmas Eve) we headed to the Oakland Temple. Of course it was closed but the grounds and visitor center were open. We even could walk up on the roof portion of the temple and get the most beautiful view of San Francisco and Oakland. We also spent a couple hours in the visitor center watching films and just enjoying a peaceful feeling. How appropriate it felt to dedicate the afternoon to thinking and talking about the Savior. It helped to put so many things into perspective and it reminded us just how blessed we are to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.
It was a little windy up on the temple but the view was worth it.
The poor Elder taking this picture couldn't seem to get us centered.
The Girls! (Mom struggles keeping her eyes open in pictures)
The Boys!
After the temple we headed back up to Walnut Creek to eat at one of our favorite restaurants - The Cheesecake Factory. All I can say - so very delicious!
That night we relaxed, went swimming, played xbox, watched movies and just enjoyed being together (especially with a brand new baby to adore).
movie time
Pool Party!!!
Exhausted doesn't even begin to explain this picture.Christmas day was wonderful. Santa brought WAY too much as always. All of us kids ate breakfast at the hotel and then we headed to Michelle and Nate's to open presents. It takes a long time with 13 people going one at a time. After presents we filled the table with food and enjoyed eating and admiring our new gifts. One of the gifts I made for Garlan was a t-shirt quilt. I'm not a quilter by any means so I was very happy to see how much he loved it. It consisted of shirts from elementary school to college. Luckily I didn't cut up any of his coveted Seattle Sonic shirts or else his tears wouldn't have been tears of joy. haha. Here are the pictures of this crazy project in action.
Sunday was another eventful day because we blessed Brooks. Nate's parents had flown in Friday night so they could be there for the blessing. It was so wonderful to see my brothers, dad, husband and brother-in-law all standing there together. We also took family pictures (which Garlan's uncle Ted is going to spruce up for us) but poor Brooks was hungry and not in a very good mood. All in all it was a wonderful Christmas!
ok so brooke is soo soooo sooooo darling and it really makes me want a newborn! am i crazy? yes! and the quilt turned out so incredibly cute! i love it! and do i spy your H&M skinny jeans making their blog debut?? CUTE! you are hot stuff!
ReplyDeleteLove seeing all your cute family pictures..we sure miss your family and now it is fun to see everyone growing up and starting families of thier own. Tell your mom hi for me when you talk to her next!
ReplyDeleteawesome! christmas looks great and man your brother is tall! love the quilt, ooh i'll have to go back and look for the jeans. love the name brooks, its a bit southern. how fun you could go help your sister, that sounds like a nutso couple of weeks! glad you all survived. at least it was all good crazy.
ReplyDeleteSpencer is a tank! I guess I didn't realize how big he really was, he looks great! I loved all the pictures and had to sit back and think where has the time gone. Your family has grown so much! Glad you had a great Christmas.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you need one of those lil babies yourself ;) and you look hot with bangs =)
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