Brooklyn's New Chair

Brooklyn got a chair for Christmas, and she LOVES it!

First Christmas

This will be a Christmas to remember! Not only for it being Brooklyn's first, but also for the blizzard-like weather that fell on Christmas Eve, postponing all of our Christmas plans! We still managed to make our rounds and visit everyone; we were just delayed by a day or two! Here are some snapshots of Brooklyn's first Christmas!

Hangin out with Mimi & Grandpa

Cousin Canon got a four wheeler!

Markert-Lee-Brown Christmas

First Thanksgiving

One of the few family traditions my family always had was at Thanksgiving. During the prayer before dinner, we would take turns going around the table listing the one thing we were most thankful for that year. Last year, I was most thankful for the answered prayers of my mom's improved health, after being diagnosed with colon cancer. That scare in August was a reminder of how precious life is. And it reminded me of how much I love my mom.

This year, although we didn't list our blessings aloud, that was the first thing I did on Thanksgiving morning. I listed them one by one. And number one this year was the health of our new beautiful baby girl! We're also thankful for the supportive family that surrounds us with love and joy all year long! It's been amazing to watch the faces of our friends and family light up with smiles when visiting Brooklyn! My favorite is watching her Great Grandpa (Papa) Byrd hold her. His eyes light up so bright when in her presence! It's pretty fun to watch!!

Here are some pics of her other "Great's":

Great Grandma Byrd

(Great) Nona

And Great Grandma Helen

She's still waiting to meet Great Grandma Lee in California! Maybe next summer?!

She's all ours to take??

It seemed like an eternity that we spent at Hillcrest Hospital! After five nights, we were glad to be on our way home with our new little family member!

It felt a little like we were breaking the law by leaving the hospital with this precious little girl...like maybe we should've been accompanied by a professional! But on our way we went; our lives forever changed!

Welcoming Brooklyn

Our lives were forever changed at 9:11 pm on Friday, November 6, 2009 when Brooklyn Paige Markert entered this crazy world! After a 48+ hour long induction, we were ready for her to bless us with her presence, and we welcomed her with lots of love and kisses!