American Gladiators

I have always loved watching "American Gladiators"--I tivo the old episodes on ESPN classic and then watch them the next day while I'm puttering about the house. It's all about tests of physical strength with just the right amount of cheese--okay, so it does get a little too cheesy at times but they have a great obstacle course at the end and who doesn't love an obstacle course? So imagine my excitement when I learned that American Gladiators is making a comeback!

Ah, if only I were in better shape I might try out!

Cruise

A few weeks ago, John and I decided at the last minute (a week in advance) to go on a cruise. It was about time--John claims it is the first vacation we've ever been on (when we were trying to decide whether to go, the big item on the "pro" side was that John could then stop complaining about us never having been on a "real" vacation). I figure the cruise just made up for our lack of celebrating our five year anniversary (or was it our tenth?). It was a five night cruise and we visited Progresso (where we saw the amazing ruins of Chichen Itza) and Cozumel, Mexico. Unfortunately, the next to the last day, I accidentally deleted all of our pictures--so we have no proof that we were actually there (hmmm . . . might have to go again). My favorite part was holding hands while snorkeling off the coast of Cozumel. John's favorite part was that someone else planned things for us that we could go to or not (usually not). I actually think his favorite was Blackjack. But who am I to complain when his winnings paid for our souvenirs.

Halloween

Brooklynn was a lion for Halloween. Can you believe my mom made this beautiful costume?
Taking on the big guys

library storytime

Brooklynn's birthday!

We had a blast celebrating Brooklynn's first birthday and were so happy that the Cherrys and Aunt Betsy were here to party with us. Even the dogs got into the festivities and stole a "leaf" from her cupcake flower but it was an easy fix and the party went on. Thanks to Matty, her candle was eventually blown out and after just a little hesitation, Brooklynn feasted on her cupcake (saving a few crumbs for the dogs).


Having Brooklynn in our family has been the most amazing blessing. We are always mindful of her wonderful birthparents who gave us this gift. We hope Brooklynn will always be aware of how many people love her.

Our fall visitors

John went to Malaysia in September so my mom came out to keep me company. Poor Mom--I talked her into bringing her sewing machine and then I kept her busy with projects. We made living room curtains, reupholstered my cedar chest and desk chair, made a cushion for the piano bench, and a bed skirt. We also found a pattern for a cute Halloween costume for Brooklynn (which Mom finished making after she left). Not much of a vacation I guess. She was great company though and my house was always spotless while she was here. Brooklynn loved blowing raspberries and singing with her Grandma and was more than happy to celebrate her birthday early by opening Grandma's presents. Just a short week after Mom left, John's sister Betsy came to visit. How we have missed Betsy since we moved from New York! Betsy is so easy going and fun to be around and it was neat to see that Brooklynn remembered her old "roommate" (fortunately, our place here is big enough so that Betsy got her one room). We had been talking about making this reunion an annual event, although I'm worried that since we made her watch all six hours of Pride & Prejudice she might not dare come back. While Betsy was here we did a lot of the things that we did while we were in New York--we played Settlers of Catan (Betsy-1, Emily-1, John-0), ate, listened to music, and watched tv! Of course, I also took advantage of having my own personal style guru around and made Betsy go shopping with me. Betsy, why again won't you move here? Just a few weeks later, John and I made a spur of the moment decision to go on vacation so Mom came out again to take care of Brooklynn and the animals while we were off cruising around. Luckily, Dad was even able to come out for a few days. John and I missed Brooklynn horribly while we were gone but we didn't worry about her at all--we knew she was being well taken care of and loved.

Dad, Brookly, and me

House help

Here at the Dobbs' household, we don't believe in giving anyone a free ride, which is why everyone is required to chip in and help out around the house. Here are some of Brooklynn's tasks:

Giving Doggy Massages

Unloading the dish-washer

and looking cute (our first attempt at pigtails).

The dogs are in charge of all floor clean-up. This includes baby spit/throw up. They are very effective at their job. By the time I run to get a rag and return, I can't even tell where the accident took place. I'm convinced that Brooklynn is aware of their talents and purposefully throws things on the floor just to watch them clean it up. I'd like to say that they've discovered that Brooklynn is the source of all messes but I've noticed they tend to follow me around a fair bit also.

Now granted, I do have to put up with some unprofessional tendencies from my help at times. The silverware does occasionally end up on the floor or in Brooklynn's mouth instead of in my hand and on light floor cleaning days the dogs will sometimes steal the Karo Syrup, food coloring, corn starch, baby bottles (etc., etc.) in order to make their own messes that they in turn clean up. These are small inconveniences that one must contend with in order to keep cheap labor.

PS I'm now in the market for someone to wash windows and iron clothes. The cats just aren't learning fast enough.

Malaysia

Hello from Malaysia!

These pictures are actually from my last trip to Malaysia about a month ago, but I'm here again, so Emily suggested I create an entry.

The picture below is of the entrance to Batu Caves, a geologic formation of interest and a Hindu shrine located just to the north of Kuala Lumpur. There are 272 steps (labeled for your convenience) leading to the entrance of the limestone cave. Along the way, there are numerous monkeys to distract you from the humid climb to the top.








The main cave holds a shrine of Lord Subramaniam, a Hindu deity. This is a site of an annual festival, attracting thousands of people participating in a pilgrammage.

(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batu_Caves)

On this trip, I was with my good friend Bruce Palmer, who lived in KL for three years while working at ExxonMobil. He had actually never visited this site while living here, but he certainly knew about it. He also showed me and some other colleagues from Ryder Scott around town and into the local markets. It was nice to be there with someone who was familiar with the area.






The next two pictures are from our hotel room window. We stay at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, which is right next to the Petronas Towers. The towers are actually much more impressive in person than in pictures -- not just because of their size, but because the outside of the building is clad in stainless steel, which I never realized from looking at any pictures I had seen. In most pictures, it looks to me like the towers are white. Photographs just can't capture the changing light reflected from the steel. The towers are particularly pretty at night when they are all lit up against a dark sky.

Teja

I love animals (its all Dad's fault). So what was I supposed to do when I found an abandoned 9-month old puppy at the dog park? John agreed we could foster her while trying to find her a good home. She was a sweet little Shar Pei mix--the most cuddly and affectionate dog I've ever known. She wanted nothing more than to lay on someone's lap all day (when she wasn't playing). Remy and Gunner loved her (okay, truth be told--Gunner was annoyed by her) and she was very patient with Brooklynn. Adding one more animal--and a playful puppy at that--to a household of two dogs, two cats, and a baby was a little chaotic at times. After hanging up flyers and talking to vets, she finally found a good home thanks to CAP's (Citizens for Animal Protection) weekend sponsor program (we kept her with us during the week and took her to CAP on the weekends). I miss her and hope she is happy and that her new family lets her curl up on the bed next to them.

Teja trying desperately to cuddle with Emily's Mom
Teja and Remy asleep on the couch

If you are ever interested in getting a pet, please look into adopting from a shelter like CAP, your local Humane Society, or ASPCA and give a wonderful animal a second chance.

Addiction

It could be worse!

She's never been one for a pacifier or blanket but once she sees Ellie's trunk her eyes glaze over and she starts sucking away. We have to wash Ellie more often than we'd like otherwise her trunk starts smelling moldy. For awhile, her monkey Marley's tail was a good substitute but no longer. She is a loyal elephant lover through and through.

Don't ever get between a girl and her ice cream! Daddy is no match for Brooklynn as she exhibits super human baby strength to get to her Blue Bell.

Since we've been gone . . .

Okay, so its been awhile. I'd like to think that we've been busy doing so many fun things that I haven't had time to blog. Or, it could be that I'm just lazy. You decide. Regardless, now is the time to catch you up on our family happenings over the summer.

Brooklynn traded in her Yankee's outfit for something more Astros worthy. It was a long game and we almost made it through all 17 innings (some of us stayed more alert than others). Too bad the Astros lost. Better luck next year.

We visited several of our neighborhood pools to cool off from the summer sun--this one "The Beach" was our favorite. All the fun of the sand and water without the salt!At the end of July, John's dad and Shari were married in Atlanta. It was the first time we got to meet Mandy's daughter Ella and Brooklynn loved playing with her cousin!

John's parents, Greg & Kathy, accepted a mission call in San Antonio. They stopped by our place in Katy for a visit on their way. We are grateful for the wonderful example of service and bravery they have shown in their missionary work.

We love living near the Cherrys here in Houston and Brooklynn adores her cousins. We've been able to have some fun sleepovers and outings since we've moved back.

Three cousins in a tub
(Matty, Katie, and Brooklynn)

Matty teaching Brooklynn the finer points of
Scooby Doo

Brooklynn and I took a quick trip to San Jose to help out while Jane was recuperating from eye surgery (unfortunately, I fear that my dazzling beauty only blinded her further--her recovery has been slow and painful). Jacob and Aidan were good playmates for Brooklynn (when they weren't spending hours on their HORRENDOUS homework) and Claire very graciously shared her bedroom, toys, and even some of her clothes--just so long as Brooklynn ate with her mouth CLOSED! (good thing babies fly free--at just 10-1/2 months, this was Brooklynn's fifth trip)


Brooklynn touring the Harris' estate

Jacob drying Brooklynn off after her bath

That's it for now. With any luck, you'll hear from us again in less than three months!

El Dorado

A couple of weeks ago, John had business in El Dorado, Arkansas so Brooklynn and I went along to keep him company on the 7-hour drive and to check out the town we almost moved to. My favorite part of El Dorado had to be Papa Pablano's Mexican Restuarant. I would have eaten there everyday if John would have let me (and believe me, I tried). Brooklynn and I enjoyed exploring El Dorado and swimming while Dad was at work. At night after Brooklynn was asleep John and I stayed up watching the first season of 24--yes, we brought our DVD player. Unfortunately, Brooklynn got sick while we were there. She had a temperature of 102, a runny nose and cough. She was such a sad little girl. It was the first time she had ever had a fever, and being far from home I was very nervous about it but several calls to sisters and my sister-in-law put things in perspective. It did remind me, though of the times I had been sick growing up and what a wonderful job mom did taking care of me--so much so that I still actually like getting sick!

The dog park

Don't get me wrong, we are so grateful that we lived within about a three minute walk from the well-kept but small Hell's Kitchen dog run in New York. The run became an even greater life saver once we had Brooklynn. But the dogs have never been happier now that we can visit the Millie Bush dog park several times a week. It is 13 grassy acres and contains two large ponds. We're also within about 20 minutes of another 14-acre park and the newest addition, a 35-acre park that has a bone shaped pond and built in agility course. Data shows that these parks are used much more than regular people parks so the parks department sees it as a wise investment. We definitely agree. Way to go, Houston!

Gunner, Hell's Kitchen Dog Run

Remy (swimming) & Gunner

Millie Bush Dog Park

Cherry Cousins!

The best thing about being back in Houston is that we are now (relatively) close to Phil & Jana Cherry and their kids. Brooklynn loves hanging out with her cousins. This past weekend, the Cherrys made the long drive from Spring and spent the night. Brookly was so excited to wake up the next morning to find she had people (and not just dogs) to play with!

Together Forever

June 1 was a wonderful, special day for our family. After finalizing her adoption earlier in the day, we took Brooklynn to the Jordan River Temple and were sealed as a family for time and all eternity. As always, Brooklynn looked like a perfect angel and I started to tear up the second she was brought into the room and I saw this beautiful little girl. My cousin, Chelle, who was so instrumental in Brooklynn being a part of our family, held her during the ceremony. John and I are both so happy to have her with us! And it was wonderful to be surrounded by so many family members.
After the sealing, we met again with friends and family to celebrate the sealing and give Brooklynn her name and blessing. I hope that she will always know how many people love her!
To top off a wonderful and emotional day, my sister, Amy called late that night to say she was in labor and to invite John and me to witness the birth of her twins. We are both so grateful we could be there (even if I did come within a couple breaths of fainting!) to see Elizabeth and Elijah come into the world (at 7lbs 7oz and 7lbs 2oz respectively).
Finally, on Sunday, we celebrated with my sister Sarah's family as her husband, Dave, blessed their fourth child, beautiful Samantha Brynn. Brooklynn is so happy to be surrounded by so many cousins!
We ended the day in Fairview Canyon with the Shawgo kids and Hollie, Shane, and Emery. This spot is very special to me and it was Brooklynn's first time there.
What a spectacular trip home!

Ode to Betsy

Brooklynn misses her Aunt Bets! And John and I miss our sight-seeing companion, Settler's competitor, and the person who can turn any frown upside down. Betsy, I figured we would become good friends during our "New York Experience", but I didn't expect to find a true sister. Thanks for all the sacrifices you made to spend time with us and keep us happy week after week. We love you!

Farewell Manhattan!

We loved our time in New York City and had some terrific experiences there. We won't soon forget trying to cook dinner in our temporary apartment where the kitchen was so small we couldn't open the oven door far enough to put anything in it. We loved wandering in Central Park, searching for good restaurants in Hell's Kitchen, and gazing at the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty from our apartment window. In New York we brought our pet count up to four when Remy joined Harley, Asia, and Gunner (what were we thinking?!). And best of all, it is where we spent the first seven months of Brooklynn's life and started learning to be parents. New York will always be a special place for us!