tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63774182903750736192015-09-18T12:31:31.716-07:00This blog chronicles our life in Portland, Oregon with our baby boy Arlo and Olive, our Bernese Mountain Dog. Life is good.Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-71907578658299475442014-05-18T10:07:00.004-07:002014-05-18T19:01:04.948-07:00

I received another amazing mother's day gift from Luke this year:  A photo board book chronicling Arlo's first year.  Starting with my pregnancy photos and ending with some super adorable shots of the two of them from a super sneaky photo shoot done by the fabulous and talented Courtney Z.  I'm sure Luke would agree that this awesome gift would not have been made possible without the help of

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-73199694008240461282014-04-20T20:28:00.002-07:002014-04-20T20:30:47.848-07:00

Well, the hubs has once again outdone himself.  Phase two of the mudroom is complete, and after a complete gut job (here is where we started) it is looking good! Luke built all of the benches, shoe racks and the shelf.  Actually, it's worth noting that he reconstructed the entire room from the studs. This is Arlo's new favorite room in the house, and I don't blame

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-19843164023755109752014-04-20T20:02:00.001-07:002014-04-20T20:10:44.583-07:00

It just didn't feel right to stop taking monthly photos at 12 months.  So, I found a gal on Etsy to customize some belly stickers for 13-24 months, so the fun can continue.  Sometimes trying to get Arlo where you want him to go is like trying to wrangle a drunken sailor….

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-74989146702556114612014-03-26T20:18:00.002-07:002014-03-26T20:19:14.574-07:00

How is our baby one already?  This is crazy - who sped up time?  We had our families in town for the big B Day, which was the perfect way to celebrate baby Arlo. He's been reaching lots of milestones lately.  He started taking steps right around 11 months, and he was full on walking just a few days before his birthday.  He has added "ball" to his vocabulary, he dances, he points to his tray when

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-89368229354346238882014-02-19T21:19:00.001-08:002014-02-19T21:20:15.043-08:00

Our little love nugget is 11 months old.  How is this possible?! He has said his first word, which is Olive, naturally.  He also says mamamama and dadadadada and bebe.  He is working hard on trying to whistle; and he has even taken a few steps on his own here and there.  We are absolutely smitten with him. He is totally enamored with the sticker on his shirt.  And though, I tell him it's

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-23973963442527466472014-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:002014-01-20T16:00:06.024-08:00

It's hard to believe that this little guy is already 10 months old.  He is very confident in his mobility - at times too a little too confident perhaps.  They should make crash helmets for toddlers.  He can walk along the couch and likes to chase and be chased by Olive.   This photos in this post mainly consist of us trying to keep the sticker on his onesie and him trying to eat it/tear it off.

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-63645556617726601152014-01-20T11:11:00.002-08:002014-01-20T11:11:57.695-08:00

I'm a litte late posting Arlo's 9 month photos, from December but that doesn't make them any less cute.  He is quite the active boy, crawling like it's a race, and lots of pulling up to stand.  He puts everything in his mouth. The monthly photo shoots have become harder and harder to get him to stay put in the chair.  But that's half the fun. Ten month photos to come

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-64575157180641332252013-12-17T17:00:00.000-08:002013-12-17T17:00:06.798-08:00

It is sure to be a festive and fun holiday season this year with baby Arlo to add to our joy.  Arlo doesn't really understand the whole Christmas thing yet, but he is starting to play with toys and enjoys crumpling and tearing paper.  As does Olive. Here are some hilariously adorable holiday photos I snapped of Arlo for your viewing pleasure.  This one above cracks me up because it looks like

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-25051343971397745072013-12-02T20:01:00.001-08:002013-12-02T20:01:50.435-08:00

I'm a little late posting Arlo's 8 month photos.  Every month I keep saying "This is my favorite age".  I wonder if I'll ever stop staying that.  He's really on the move and starting to get the hang of crawling.  He also loves to make noises with his mouth, like buzzing his lips and clicking his tongue.  Oh, and he puts EVERYthing in his mouth... It's getting harder and harder to keep him in

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-58377427460867829642013-11-16T13:50:00.000-08:002013-11-16T13:50:20.160-08:00

The lovely and talented Courtney Z has done it again!  We are awfully lucky to have such a great friend that is also such a great photographer!  She captures our family in such a realistic light.  Her photos never look too posed or forced.  We went to Cathedral Park just north of Portland, which sits underneath my favorite bridge in all of Bridgetown - The St. John's Bridge.

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-21702257477924035152013-11-01T17:00:00.000-07:002013-11-01T17:00:11.128-07:00

We celebrated our first Halloween with our little pumpkin yesterday.  Arlo did not go trick-or-treating because he goes to bed pretty early, but we did get some fun photos with our two little pumpkins :)

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-46844275571255702832013-10-24T17:30:00.000-07:002013-10-24T17:30:00.781-07:00

Last weekend Arlo got to meet more of his cousins.  Look how cute they are - I just said "hey, let me take a quick picture" and boom they fall effortlessly into this adorable "pose"!  We had a blast visiting and playing.  So much love!  Can this family get any cuter?!

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-80272843746840826612013-10-12T20:34:00.000-07:002013-10-12T20:41:02.743-07:00

Arlo turned 7 months old on Friday.  The monthly photos are getting more, shall we say, active.  Now that little man is working on crawling, he takes every opportunity he can to move. Don't let this proper pose fool you... Oh, and he thinks biting is hilarious.  It's hard to stay mad at him after he bites when he laughs after I scold him. He loves grabbing his feet and has learned to

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-32149196858977142842013-10-06T19:54:00.002-07:002013-10-06T19:55:08.735-07:00

We had the most gorgeous and sunny fall weekend.  We took advantage and made a trip out to Sauvie Island to visit a pumpkin patch and take some fun photos.  Our little pumpkin is weighing in around 21 lbs these days.  An arm work-out for sure. We also went down to the park at the end of our street to take Arlo on the playground for the first time. He wasn't

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-2656161735195576122013-09-16T18:55:00.001-07:002013-09-16T18:55:17.389-07:00

My mom came to visit us this past weekend from Ohio and I took the opportunity to snap a few photos.  These were taken at Peninsula Park in Portland - a beautiful rose garden with a great fountain.  The perfect backdrop to capture my gorgeous mother and adorable son in all their glory. This one above is my favorite.  It captures my Mom's fun loving personality perfectly; and

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-16290900677153842672013-09-13T15:22:00.000-07:002013-09-13T15:22:22.280-07:00

Our little man turned 6 months old this past Wednesday.  I like these blog posts because it gives me a chance to note some of his milestones.  So, here we go: He is the sweetest baby.   He just sprouted his two bottom teeth and has been trying some solid food - and loving it (shocker).   He likes the water and is in his second round of swim "class" where they focus on getting them

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-30558769131984544482013-08-23T15:09:00.000-07:002013-08-23T15:10:45.999-07:00

We are deep into the master bathroom addition and the end is in sight!  I thought I'd post a few sneak peek progress photos before the big reveal which will hopefully be in about 2 weeks. We splurged a bit on heated tile floors.  Partly because the new addition will not have an HVAC vent but mostly because I hate cold tile floors - don't you? The tile we chose for the floor is a

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-39850049012551888612013-08-12T17:30:00.000-07:002013-08-13T09:41:54.275-07:00

So, THIS guy turned 5 months old on Sunday.  It's hard to believe he's 5 months old already.  He's the coolest little guy - we are really loving this age.   He started his first swim "class" last week.  He has these little foam water wings and it is just too cute.  He is enjoying it so far. He has successfully transitioned to his crib to sleep at night, and gets up 2-3 times, which is not

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-26930320068771900662013-08-03T05:00:00.000-07:002013-08-12T13:23:57.957-07:00

A few weekends ago we spent a couple of fun-filled days with some friends over in Terrebonne, Oregon.  Home to Smith Rock State Park it is the go-to spot for rock climbers in the area and beyond.  There are over 1,000 bolted routes for rock climbing.  Guess how many of those routes I explored?  None.  Heck no - that's crazy talk.  While I think it's super cool and awe inspiring that people can

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-85708590719868668152013-07-29T05:00:00.000-07:002013-07-29T17:56:20.149-07:00

This isn't the world's most exciting post, but I think it's worth sharing.  Drywall makes a big difference.  You can actually see and feel how the space is going to look. Here are some photos - I tried to post them in the same order as the last post.  Apologies for some of the poor photo quality - the lighting was poor and I was being lazy :-/ And, yes - we have an interior window.  It

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-86873817720852769842013-07-27T16:36:00.001-07:002013-07-27T16:37:40.264-07:00

Luke and I ran some errands this morning to choose some tile for the master bathroom.  We are going with a wood look tile similar to the one in our mudroom for the floors.  And we chose Cararra marble 1" hex tiles for the shower accents and backsplash. We are thinking of Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue for the bathroom walls, and perhaps Knoxville Gray for the accent walls in the hallway/bedroom

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-5748935238912887162013-07-19T17:27:00.001-07:002013-07-19T17:27:26.578-07:00

I'm just dying over these guys... These and more can be found here.  It all started with a stay-at-home mom who had a vision.  Love, Love, Love!

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-54213051079766240602013-07-18T05:00:00.000-07:002013-07-18T05:00:12.135-07:00

So, little Arlo has started a bit of teething.  He's not actually cutting a tooth yet, but there is a lot of drooling, and sticking everything in his mouth.  Even biting down with his little gums on my hands, collar bone and whatever he can get his mouth on.   I was thinking about frozen teethers and treats that he could have, but being only 4 months we are not ready to give him any

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-56400749024649225572013-07-17T05:00:00.000-07:002013-07-17T08:57:04.639-07:00

What kind of crazy people do major home construction with a 4 month old?!  THESE guys (double thumbs pointing at us).  It's been a bit crazy but we are super excited and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.      Here is what the back of the house/roof looked like before We basically blew a hole in the roof to create a dormer that will give us about a 10' x 12' area of new space for

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6377418290375073619.post-10077895456368696952013-07-15T20:49:00.002-07:002013-07-15T20:52:19.971-07:00

I might just be the world's worst blogger ever. Needless to say it's been a challenge juggling a new baby, a full time job and a blog. Oh, and a major home remodel. And sleep deprivation. And being a good wife and dog-mom. Whew. Am sure all 7 of my followers are aching for some baby and home updates. Well, I'm going to try to post more regular updates. Fingers crossed.  For starters, here

Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09108003899827177122noreply@blogger.com0