Brynn is 11 months old today!  I can't believe she fits the category of "toddler" more than she does the category of "baby."  For the last week to ten days, she's become more of a walker than a crawler. She only crawls when she has fallen down, so she crawls to a wall or something sturdy to pull herself back to standing, and off she goes walking again. However, just yesterday, she actually went from sitting on the floor to standing without the use of a support.  Every now and then, we do a double-take when she walks across the room...wow! She's walking!

Brandon and I still have occassions that we "fight" over who is going to go in and get her up from a nap or give her bottle to her at bedtime. She is quite the talker.  Regularly, she says the phrase "da-da-da" but it seems to be the sound she makes for lots of things. Occassionally, she says "mum-mum-mum" and it seems to be when she sees me, so I like to think her first word has been "mumma", but that's something else Brandon and I "fight" over.

It is definitely fun to see her develop and see her begin to understand the things we say. She will go to the bathroom door if we ask her if she wants to take a bath. She claps her hands if we say "clap, clap, clap." If someone in a store waves at her and says hi, she will wave back...a couple minutes later.  

What a joy to be her mom! I am humbled and blessed!

Not only did we have a nice and relaxing Saturday, we completely enjoyed dressing Brynn up in her costume and visiting a couple of friends. She was a real sport, and we enjoyed showing off our ladybug!

It was a little bit of a challenge to get all of her hair into the hat.

I love my little family and am thoroughly enjoying this stage of our lives!

Brynn turned 10 months old on Friday. It seem that she's learning and doing new things all the time. She's recently begun to play peek-a-boo by lifting her blanket in front of her face.  She somewhat consistently will wave "hi" (although sometimes she uses both her arms to wave) and will also clap her hands when anyone starts singing or claps their hands first.  She still gets around easily, but hasn't walked on her own yet other than holding on and walking with a push toy. We think she's capable, but she hasn't realized she's capable.

I've started trying to think of some ideas of things I can do with her this winter. We have such a small apartment for an active and mobil little one, so if you have suggestions of things to do when the weather is bad, I'd be happy to hear them.

Today, she helped oversee Brandon's installation of those safety gadgets on some of our drawers and cabinets.  She sure loves her Daddy and doesn't wander far from him when he's at home.  It's very sweet!

In about 3 weeks, my sister-in-law, Patty, along with some of her and Justin's friends will be running in the 34th Annual Marine Corps Marathon 10K in Washington, DC, October 25, 2009. They run in honor of Justin and in support of TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors).

Will you please consider sponsoring Patty in the Marine Corps Marathon so that TAPS can continue its mission to support those who have been impacted by the death of a loved one in the armed forces?   To learn more about TAPS and to access Patty's personal donation page go to www.taps.org/friends/run.aspx?id=3234 and select her name, Patricia Peterson.

Running with the TAPS Run and Remember Team is a very special way of honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this great nation, and in helping those whom they have left behind.   May God bless you and the memories of our nation's fallen heroes.

On September 30th, we celebrate the life of my brother, Justin.  He would have turned 35 this year. Although I know that I can be thankful that he lives on - in heaven and in the lives of his three beautiful children - I miss him being here, as do many others.  I miss that he's not just an email or phone call away.  This year I've especially missed him because I know he would have been a fun uncle to our Brynn.

Justin and I used to watch The A-Team on tv when we were kids. So, when I heard there was a new A-Team movie coming out next year, I wondered what he would think about Liam Neeson being cast as John "Hannibal" Smith.  I'm sure we could have had a lengthy discussion about such an important subject. 

This picture was taken at our house in Ann Arbor on March 17, 2006.  What a fun night that was!  The guys, in the back row, kept trying to stand on things so that they could be the tallest one in the picture. Joy and Patty were awaiting the arrival of their girls, Emma and Caitlin. Jordan and Joshua kept trying to claim mine and Justin's childhood stories for their own. It was generally a loud and boisterous evening...which was typical when we were all together.  This ended up being the last time all of us were together, so it has become an even more special evening than we knew at the time.  I'm so grateful for memories of fun times together!

Be sure to check out Patty's, TAPS Run and Remember web page.  She, along with some of their friends, are running in the Marine Corps 10K in Washington on October 25th.  They are running in honor of Justin and to raise funds for TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). 

To learn more about TAPS and to access Patty's personal donation page click on this link www.taps.org/friends/run.aspx?id=3234 then select her name, Patricia Peterson, from the list of runners.

Justin...a good man...who is missed every day!