Our 25 days of Christmas

At the end of November we started planning out our 25 days of Christmas. I made an advent calender for the kids to open daily with a different Christmas activity for them to do each day. Some days were big surprise things (trips, going out shopping, zoolights) but most were simple, quiet things we did in the home. Proud to say we did it all but not all in order because of some schedule changes. I wanted to take the chance to keep the kids busy this year, knowing that next year Travis and I will be outnumbered. I don't have a picture of everything but hope to blog several of the activities. Here it is:

Dec 1: Decorate the tree
Dec 2: Buy Chocolate advent calender
Dec 3: Daddy's work Christmas party
Dec 4: Christmas craft
Dec 5: Hot cocoa by the Christmas tree
Dec 6: Write Christmas cards
Dec 7: Movie night: Little Drummer Boy
Dec 8: Gather some allowance and donate it to Salvation Army Bucket
Dec 9: Look at lights in Sky Island
Dec 10: Read the true story of Christmas (Luke 2:1-20)
Dec 11: Zoo lights
Dec 12: Fantasy Lights with The Frost's
Dec 13: Birthday Party for Jesus with home school group
Dec 14: Wrap presents
Dec 15: Snowflake Lane
Dec 16: Dinner and Christmas fellowship with The Arnolds
Dec 17: The Nutcracker Play (for Lexie)
Dec 18: Christmas craft/ornament making
Dec 19: Pj's, hot cocoa, and stories by the fire
Dec 20: Make fudge with Daddy
Dec 21: Movie night: Polar Express Movie Night
Dec 22: Last minute shopping with Daddy
Dec 23: Wrap presents, hang stockings
Dec 24: Brock family party, Christmas Eve
Dec 25: Happy Birthday Jesus! Go to Olympia and celebrate with more family!

Day 1- Trim That Tree

Neicey and Lex after lots of hard work.

Day 1 of our Advent Calendar activities was to "Trim the Tree." Timed this one nicely on the day my mom comes up to visit, as she is much more talented in the decorating department. Lexie and Liam both helped and it turned out gorgeous. Wondering how many ornaments will stay on this year or how many will face a untimely fatality due to a curious 2 year old? Only time will tell :)

Halloween 2011

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. (25 week pregnant here)


Our super cute, superman

Beauty and all her hair

Halloween was so much fun this year! Knowing Liam would not tolerate anything on his face or head, the cozy but tough superman costume was a great fit. Lex got this awesome wig from Neicey while we were in Disneyland and put it to great use as Belle. Trav and I have never really done the costume thing before but having 3 kids in 4 years made us feel a bit like The Duggar's and we just ran with that. We went around our cul-da-sac and saw some neighbors, then visited Grandma and Grandpa Brock, and finished off at our church's annual Harvest Party. Great memories made!

The cutest boy in the world...turns 2!

Our little Liam turned 2 on October 21st. These days he is sweet, busy, and all boy! He is so much fun and so much work, we wouldn't have it any other way. We celebrated both the kids birthdays together this year with a party at Roach Gymnastics, hope to get pictures up soon. Liam loved that place and literally did not stop running around in circles.
We have enjoyed watching him this last year, as he has had many milestones. Including learning to sleep (something he didn't partake in much the first year of life.) He now sleeps great from 8pm till about 7pm at night, with a mid-day nap for about 2 to 3 hours.
He is gaining more words every week and the doctor said he is right about where most 2 year old boys are at. He knows his colors and ABC's (with some of the phonics sounds) already. His favorite phrases are, "all done?," "hi!", "uh-oh!"
He LOVES being outside in the backyard. Helping dad mow the lawn would be his favorite pastime. He also loves hanging out in the garage. Apparently that is our hidden"man cave."
He does well with structure and routine. Likes to see the same people, in the same places. He still has a small dose of separation anxiety but for the most part we no longer get called out of church and I can leave him with sitters without a problem.
Liam is a lovable little guy. He kisses us at bedtime and greets me each morning with a smile and a "HI!" Despite being a busy body, he still loves to cuddle. He gives the best hugs ever. He is as sweet as he is cute and I am so grateful to have him as my son. I cherish each day I get with him and every bear hug he gives me. God is so good!
Happy Birthday precious baby boy!

A New Tradition

We started a new tradition this year. The night before Travis goes on his annual hunting trip, it is family ice cream night. Worked out great as a distraction for the kids who have been seeing his bags pilling up in the garage. Not bad for me either, as my sole pregnancy craving has been after DQ pumpkin-pie blizzards. You have not lived until you have had one of those! Kids were extra sweet that night and enjoyed getting out of the house right before bed. It's the little things!

Thomasson Family Farm

Driving tractors

Ephraim and Lex jumping in the corn

We love fall here in the country! So gorgeous and great to be near a lot of fun farms. The Thomasson Family Farm in Enumclaw is our new favorite. My MOPS group had a "buy 1 kid, get the other in free" deal that we could not pass up. Amy and her little ones, Ephraim and Selah joined us. The weather was okay at first but later started pouring. We just stayed in the corn-pit and they had plenty of covered activities to keep the kids busy. Actually worked out well since we got to chat and didn't need to chase children all around the farm. Everyone was cold and tired after all that fun, so a Starbucks stop was a must. The Brock Babies love that hot chocolate. Kids took great naps when we got home. Perfect fall day!

Just turned 4

2 weeks till he is 2

The Brock's, beach, and boat

From September 10th, 2011

It was an over 85 degree Saturday in September. So we made plans to meet with Pops and Neicey at Tolmie State Park in Lacey. We did this once last year and got some amazing pictures of the kiddos. This year was no different. Liam just loves this place. He loved throwing rocks, running off in the sand, and checking out the boat. We so enjoyed getting some sun and fresh seawater with the ones we love.

Mt Peak Family Hike

From September 2nd



Mt Peak is a well-known hike only about 10 minutes from our house. It took us a year of living here but we finally did it!

We hooked up with Frost Family and headed up the mountain around 4pm. Luckily, Liam has a very strong Daddy who could carry him in the backpack for the whole 90 minutes that it took to climb up! Didn't hear much complaining from him. I was super impressed with the 4- year olds who managed to get all the way to the top without requesting to be held. We saw lots of hikers and their exhausted looking dogs on the way up. Once up top, we had a good snack and re-hydrated. Lexie had a great outdoor peeing experience (thanks Carla.) She usually is not fond of going anywhere but in a potty but broke her princess rule this one time. Let Liam out to stretch his legs for a bit and we quickly remembered why he still requires to be controlled by the backpack. He is fast. He does not care for listening. He is crazy.

Really the kids had a great time despite the depressed faces.

The way down we saw the effect of overtired children. Lots of small falls that got BIG dramatic cries. Lots of "my legs hurt, can you carry me." Desperate to keep them moving and get down before dusk we promised them all Wally's milkshakes for getting to the bottom. No sooner then the words left our mouths and the smallest triplet with the biggest appetite, Audrey, takes off down the mountain. The others follow and we all made it before dark.

Celebrated burning all those calories by consuming some more at Wally's. Kids were EXHAUSTED which makes bedtime easy for parents. Looking forward to this one again! Super thankful for having such great friends close by.

4 is fabulous

Our oldest Brock Baby turned 4 on September 29th. She woke up excited that it was such a special day. Infact, from this point on I think I will have to wait to remind her that her birthday is coming until it is the actual day. She didn't want to fall asleep the night before, soooo excited to be turning 4.

It was a Thursday which meant she had ballet class. It turned out to be extra special because Neicey came all the way up from Olympia (much earlier then usual) to watch. Then, her ballet class sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Afterwards, she got a Starbucks hot cocoa and opened a few presents. That night, we celebrated by taking her out to Red Robin for her favorite dinner. On the way to Red Robin she said the sweetest prayer. Thanking Jesus for her special day and that everyone loves her. She has the best heart.

We feel very blessed by Lexie. She is the perfect oldest child. She is thoughtful, giving, well-mannered, and has great social skills. All qualities that have helped enhance life for Liam. Sometimes I forget she is as young as she is because of her maturity and ability to really follow directions. She loves to laugh, play, learn, do crafts, games, pretend, and help mommy with the house. Personally, I feel like I could keep her home forever and never send her off to school :) Teaching her is very easy, she has a desire to learn and learns fast.

Crazy to think that 4 years ago, she surprised us by coming over 2 weeks early and with that our lives were changed in an instant. Forever grateful to be home with her and be able to take in every minute of it. Happy Birthday to our sweet, sweet girl!

Chelan and Rocky Reach Dam

From August 7th
My parents took us over to Chelan to celebrate Pops' Birthday in early August. Great time with the family, only missing our brother Casey who couldn't break away from Florida this summer. Somehow we managed to get no pictures of the Lake. The guys had a great time jet-skiing and the girls got some sun in at the park. Liam and Caralynn ran all around like the crazy, cute toddlers they are.

Here is our little stud showing off his swimming skills at the hotel pool

He is obsessed with "driving"

Just having a little one year old fun with cousin Caralynn

On the way home, we stopped at the Rocky Reach Dam. We did the whole tour and visitor center which was nice and air conditioned. I would love to take the kids back here when they are older, it is very educational and awesome to see the fish ladders. Travis took one for the team and drove around a very tired Liam who desperately needed a nap, so that leaves Lexie and Caralynn to get some cute pics. Thanks to The Garwood's for a super fun weekend...and Happy Birthday to Pops!

Fish ladders

Kelsey Garwood, Britnee Garwood, Neicey Garwood, Caralynn Garwood, Lyndsey (13 weeks pregnant with "Bonus Baby") and Lexie Brock.

Hand's on children's museum

From July 2011
Olympia is home to many great things. The Garwood's, the prestigious Evergreen State College, and the famous Hand's on Children's Museum. We realized we hadn't been since the birth of Liam (22 months ago) and added that to the summer bucket list. After all, when Lexie was at this age she couldn't get enough of all the pretend scenes they have set up for little ones. Well once again I am reminded of how night and day our two children are. Liam could care less for this place. He played with the train set and ran around and full sprinting speed in circles the rest of the time. Thank goodness my mom came with the lend a hand. Lexie really enjoyed it as always, she loves using her imagination and this is the place to do it (gardening, a vet, doctor's office, you get the idea.)
This is the one and only picture I was able to get of my wild boy during his first (and last for a while) visit to Hand's on Children's Museum. Thank goodness for that train set.

Bonus Baby

From July 2011

Well this was not on our summer bucket list but worth mentioning. We were surprised to find out in June that we are expecting a 3rd baby due February 13th. Due to the shock of it all, we really didn't make the news public till about 12 weeks.

I had a really rough first trimester, throwing up and not enjoying food at all (lost about 5 lbs but always gain plenty in the long run.)

Travis dubbed the name "Bonus Baby" because we already have a girl and a boy, this one is the bonus. We are excited to complete our family and know that God's plan is always way better then ours. This baby will always remind me of that!

Drive-in crazyness

From July 9th The drive-in-movie was on the summer bucket list so we packed up the car, picked a nice night, and headed out to catch "CARS 2." Ended up being more exhausting then we thought. Liam would not stop messing with the steering wheel and any controllers. The wind-shield wiper was his favorite. He found the headlights. Then the horn. He thought he was back on Autopia in Disneyland I guess. Pretty sure no one could concentrate on the movie anywhere in a 20 mile radius of us. Maybe we will try this one again when he is a bit older, like 30.

Lemonade Stand

From June 26th

The Brock Babies teamed up with the Frost kiddos and hosted their very own, and very cute, lemonade stand. We were doing a garage sale together and thought it would be a fun way for the the kids to learn about money. Instead, they taught us about being generous. After making some small change they began pouring up big cups of lemonade for the tons of neighborhood kids who rolled by to say hi on their bikes, scooters, and roller skates. There were no dehydrated children in the neighborhood that day! Got to love their little heart's.

The end of summer

One member of our family got a lot of use out of the backyard pool in August. He would run outside and go down the slide in to the pool first thing in the morning.


We made it to a Mariner's game on a beautiful Saturday in August. Kids did amazing. I think we made it to the 7th inning. They loved the SAFECO kids playground and seeing the moose. Before the game we spent some time hanging in the city.

Summer 2011 Bucket List

This year we wanted to be very intentional with how we spent our summer months. I had read an article that encouraged readers to make a summer "bucket list" and plan your calender out accordingly, so that come September you can look back on your summer and not feel like it passed you by. Who doesn't remember that feeling as a kid? So we came up with the list as a family but each person got to put an individual activity or two on the list. Here is the list we came up with the first of June:

- Disneyland
- Drive-in movie
- Swett Family Reunion
- Day at the beach or lake (Lyndsey)
- Baseball game with Daddy (Liam)
- Ride bikes on the trail as a family
- Hopscotch
- Lemonade stand
- Sleepover at Neicey and Pop's (Lexie)
- Water ski or boat ride with Pop's
- Hand's on children's museum
- Golf Tournament (Travis)
- Outdoor BBQ with friends

Can't believe we did almost all of it. Also had plenty of down time and lazy days, something we don't do much of after September. Making a list like this really helped us manage our time and make memories together. My goal is to backtrack and attempt to blog all these adventures, both big and small, so the kids can look back on it all someday.

The Happiest Place On Earth

Our sweetest family vacation to date

We have been talking about going to Disneyland for years. When we first got married, we said we would do it before the kids came. When that didn't happen, we said we would do it before Trav turned 30. Then that milestone came and went, and at last we finally agreed to stop putting it off. I found a great deal on hotel and airline tickets. My energetic mom graciously agreed to come and help be a extra hand for the kids. Everything fell into place and I am so glad we did it.

We left on the 4th of July around nap time. The plane ride there was a dream. We took a risk by not buying a seat for Liam (20 months) and it payed off. On the way there, both him and Trav ended up getting the whole row to themselves because the plane wasn't full. He slept for most of the flight and was happy to just play with his cars when awake. Lexie (3.5 years old) was a breeze, perfect age for flying. She read books, talked Neicey's ear off, and snacked during the two and half hour flight.

Lex watching the planes taking off with Neicey at the airport on the 4th of July

When we arrived at the hotel, we grabbed some lunch and headed to Downtown Disney. Travis had never been to Disneyland before and it had been 11 years for me. There was so much to see and do outside of the park alone. Got the kids back and in bed. They missed the fireworks but we could see them from our room.

Linebacker checking out the rooftop pool.

She had just wrapped up swim lessons + the water wings = unstopable


The next three days, we spent at Disneyland. My mom and I had so much fun watching Travis react to everything. Seriously, this is the guy you want to bring for vacation. He was crazy about the characters and I am pretty sure security was keeping a close eye on him. As soon as one would appear, he would get very competitive about getting in line and making sure the kids got a picture and autograph. We had to remind him that the characters were really just 16 year old kids who happen to be 5 foot 7. He got upset when we had to break it to him. I loved watching him on Pirates of the Carribean and Splash Mountain. Pretty sure he thought Disneyland with the equavalent to The Puyallup Fair until he saw it with his own eyes.

Stage-Dad Orchestrated this for sure

T-Brock knows how to vacation

Up, Up and Away

Stage-Dad Travis made sure his kids got only the best when it came to the characters.

licensed and ready to give mom a ride.

Oh yes, the kids had a great time too! Neither were scared of the characters. Lexie has both her parents thrill for roller coasters and rode the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain.She really loved it all. Liam loved Dumbo and It's a Small World. The lines weren't bad for it being summer, we used the fast-pass as much as we could. I think the longest we waited was about 35 minutes for the Finding Nemo Submarine. Both thought it was awesome cruising in the cars, all around a pretend highway on Autopia. Lexie drove me around and I am thankful it will be another 13 years until that happens again. It was hot (about 85 the whole time.) so we made sure they got tons to drink and spent a small fortune on that.

Each day, we followed close to the same schedule we have at home. Got the park early, wore them out and headed back to the hotel for naps (nice part about the hotel only being 500 ft away.) Liam napped and Lexie swam at the pool with one of us. When it started to cool off again in the late afternoon, we headed back for more and stayed until they were done. Disneyland at night is one of my favorite memories from being a kid and it was so fun to share that with my family. The rides and sights seem extra special at night. One night my mom hung back with the kids, who were asleep so Trav and I could do some rides together. We were all so blessed by her coming. She has an amazing amount of energy and a child-like heart, exactly why she is such a great grandma.


Trav and I (without kids) waiting at The Haunted Mansion

Small World is amazing

The last night day we spent a couple of hours at California Adventure. Wish we could of had more time there but at least we got to do the new Little Mermaid attraction (Liam has a major thing for Ariel) and meet Woody. Then we headed to our last dinner of the vaca at the notoriously overpriced, yet memorable Goofy's Kitchen. Waiting to be called for our table there, was really the only time we had a full on melt down. Liam was only content laying on the floor whining. Lexie wanted to join in. They called our name and said it was our turn to take a picture with Goofy. The picture they took was awesome, both kids crying, Travis looked like he wanted to beat somebody up, and I had the perfect fake mom smile. Once we got in, all was good. Got to spend quality time with Donald, Chip, Dale, Minnie Mouse, Fairy God-mother, and Snow white. The food was similar to that of the Old Country Buffet. Yes, that good.

Neicey and I on A Small World

A picture of our brief trip to California Adventure

The boys love Woody

This would be proof of the memorable melt down at Goofy's Kitchen.

The look says it all.

Flight home was a little more exciting. Turns out parents should communicate at airports. Travis and I checked in separately and both accidentally checked that we had Liam on our lap. We tried to ask the ticket counter to assist with taking him off one of the tickets, knowing it will look odd and effect the plane count. Well the always helpful (sarcastic) ticket counter couldn't figure it out. We had no problem through security or getting on the plane. Then once on the plane and everyone is secured and ready to go. The flight attendant asks over the intercom if "The Brock's" are aboard (uh-oh, here we go.) So we have to raise our hands in front of the whole plane. Flight attendant comes over and said she just wanted to make sure we were here (uh-huh, I am so sure.) More awkward silence and the pilot comes on the intercom to say that they are having some problems with the boarding list and there will be a bit of delay. Flight attendant comes to me and asks my date of birth, then about ten minute later Travis's. At this point, we are not the most popular people on the plane. Super embarrassing. Liam is ready for a nap and starts fussing. Basically, the whole plane was delayed because of our lack of communication and some less then helpful ticket agents. Oops. After what felt like FOREVER, pilot finally said they got it figured and we are good. I was half wondering if we would be hauled off the plane or if Travis was a person of interest in a Disney character stalking suit. Once in the air, both kids were angels. The risk payed off again and somehow Liam got his own seat for free. We opted to ignore some dirty looks from other passengers, funny how you get skilled at that after your first kid. Arrived safe and sound and Travis and I are signing up for communication 101 :)

I guess he is comfortable enough with his masculinity to use a girl blanket.


All in all, it was such a sweet trip. Getting to introduce my three favorite people to Disneyland, countless memories made, happy faces, great pictures, much needed Vitamin D...worth every penny. So thankful we were able to do it!