The trip that didn't go as planned

Brooklynn and I got to go to Utah in April from the 15th-29th to spend time with my family.  I was more nervous about this flight with Brooklynn than any before, because she is at a stage where she hates sitting still.  It actually wasn't too bad. 

She ended up even getting her own seat from Vegas to Utah!

Granddad was there to pick us up when we landed!  So fun to see him waiting at baggage claim when we came around the corner.  Brooklynn usually gets shy around men so I wasn't sure how she would react to my dad since she hadn't seen him for a while.  She went right to him and did just great!

One of our first days there, Brooklynn got to go spend time with Uncle Dallin, Aunt Brittany, Tate, and Luke while I went to get my haircut.  She absolutely loved this little car!  I sent this picture to Joe and when we got home, he had one waiting for her!  She's got him wrapped around her finger!

On Friday my mom threw the cutest little Easter Party for all the grandkids.  Everyone had their own place setting with bunny ears and treats.  

Grandma and all the grandbabies, except Brooklynn, who was taking a nap.

The kids didn't want to wear their ears for very long, so we mommies put them to good use!=)

Yeah, we're normal!=)

When Brooklynn woke up from her nap we snapped a pic with grandma.  It took a few tries to get this cute photo.

I had to try a few times because Grandma kept cracking up when I would make animal noises to get Brooklynn to look at the camera. This makes me laugh because it's like Brooklynn is saying "Come on Grandma, keep it together, lets get this over with!=) My mom is laughing, not crying!=)

After the Easter Party, we had a little Birthday Party for Brooklynn since she had just turned 1 on the 11th.  Everyone was so sweet and gave her the funnest things.  She loved ripping the wrapping paper.

My mom made a yummy strawberry trifle cake

The next day was Easter.  My mom woke up feeling yucky.  She felt like she had the flu.  I was so sad that she was sick on Easter!  We got up feeling good, and found out the Easter Bunny had come!  Brooklynn loved her little Easter Bucket!  It was so fun to watch her pull everything out and get excited about her new toys.

My mom ended up staying home from church because she felt so bad.  She had prepped me on the lesson for her Youth Sunday School class and I was going to teach.  Well, during sacrament meeting Brooklynn was so restless and wouldn't eat her snacks I had taken.  She took a nap before church so she shouldn't have been whiny and as fussy as she was.  I ended up having to take her out of the chapel because she was so disruptive.  After about 15 minutes of sitting in a chair in the hall, Brooklynn started throwing up!  I immediately leaned her over my diaper bag so the throw up wouldn't get on the carpet or furniture, and was grabbing for her burp rag or anything I could find!  I ended up lifting up the bottom of her dress to keep it from going everywhere and she just threw up all over herself and me. AWESOME!!!  I didn't know what to do!  I just grabbed her and walked as fast as I could to the bathroom.  I ended up taking her dress off and using paper towels and wipes to clean us off as best as I could.  Luckily sacrament meeting was almost over so we just went outside and sat on the grass near the car, and I sent a text to my dad letting him know what happened.  He wasn't too thrilled when I told him he was going to have to teach my mom's class.  I gave him a quick run down of the Easter Lesson, and then I took the car and headed home with Brooklynn.

When we got home I bathed her and put her in her jammies.  She ended up throwing up several times after that, so we knew she also had caught the flu too.  This picture breaks my heart.  I kept her on the tile so she wouldn't throw up on the carpet.  She felt so horrible, and watching her throw up was heart wrenching for this momma!  At one point she just wanted to lay down on the blanket.

My parents had Aunt Terri and her family, Joseph and Britt, and Michael & Braden over for dinner.  Turns out Tiff was sick with the flu too!  Right before dinner my dad was helping make the pizza sauce and dough, and all of the sudden he just had to run to the bathroom because he felt sick.  They were dropping like flies!  It was a complete bummer of a holiday.  Brooklynn didn't get to do her first Easter Egg Hunt, my mom stayed in her room pretty much the entire time, and half of our family wasn't there. Michael ended up getting sick that night too.  Craziness!!!  

Brooklynn took a really long nap and after she woke up I changed her into her shirt to share with our family that she is going to be a big sister.  I was feeling so sick, so I knew I couldn't keep hiding that I was pregnant, and that was the day that the most family members would be together.  It took them about 15 minutes to notice it.  Joseph was sitting in my dad's recliner and all of the sudden he jumped up, slammed the foot rest closed, and with his arms in the air, yelled " You idiots!  Breana is pregnant!!!  Look at Brooklynnn's shirt!!"  Everyone was so excited!!

We got to go to Tate's first t-ball game.  Talk about stinkin' cute!!  

The Fan Club

Brooklynn loves her Uncle Dal!  Since Daddy was home, she hadn't been tossed in the air for a while, and she loves it!

I ended up getting sick with the flu for about 24 hours.  Talk about miserable!  But I was so thankful to have my mom and sister there to help with Brooklynn.  We had been wanting to go to Jim's for breakfast ever since I got to Utah, but people kept getting sick!  So, after my round with the flu was done, my mom and I went.  

They have the best western omelet, hashbrowns, and omelet!  So yummy!  The best part is it's enough to last a couple days!

While we were there we got to celebrate Dallin's 27th Birthday!  It was so fun to all be together at their gorgeous house, and to eat some delicious cake and ice cream!

Brooklynn and I went to church with Ashley our second week, and when we got home we took a nap. Brooklynn woke up before I was ready to, so my mom came and got her.  When I came out, these two were cuddled up on the floor eating cheetos!  Brooklynn will love you forever if you give her food!=)

That night before we went to Korver's Family Birthday Party, we stopped to visit my Dad's Aunt, Yvonne.  This was the last time we saw her, because she recently passed away.  So thankful we went to visit her that trip.  She loved holding Brooklynn.

While Joseph was grilling burgers for dinner Tiff painted Brooklynn's nails and toenails, with the help of Michael and my Mom to hold her still.

Brittany threw the cutest construction themed birthday party for Korver.  Brooklynn loved her construction hat!

All the Griffin Cousins, except Raquel

Raquel likes to just play on her own and do her own thing, so these two don't really play together much, but they did have a moment at the birthday party.  Love these sweet girls!

Mom and Dad holding Brooklynn and Luke.  They are about 4 months apart

One of the big things that happened while we were in Utah, is Brooklynn learned how to walk by herself!  I knew it would most likely happen there as she watched all her little cousins walking around.  Sure enough!  Aunt Tiff loved teaching her!  My baby is growing up!  Not sure I like it, but it's happening!

All in all, we had a fun trip.  I'm hoping the next one is free from illness.  Things don't always go the way we think they will, but we just have to make the most of it!  We had a lot of fun dinners at Cafe Rio, shopping with Mom and Tiff, and lots of fun cousin time.  We love the time we get to spend with my family.  

Brooklynn was a champ in the plane ride home and pretty much slept the entire time.  I couldn't help but think that we only have one more trip with just one child!  Craziness!

We were both very happy to see Daddy when we landed.  Two weeks is a long time to be away.  

Helpless

Today I had my scariest mommy moment thus far with Brooklynn.  Well, besides the day we were told she would need surgery on her head.  This was a different kind of panic.  After lunch today, we headed over to Kroger to get some things that were on sale this week.  When we were parking, I noticed a firetruck parked out front and the firemen walking inside.  They were actually talking in the produce department when we got inside and I had to kind of maneuver around them to grab some cilantro.  We did our shopping, which was a fairly quick trip, and headed back out to the car.  I loaded the groceries in the trunk and then put Brooklynn in her carseat.  I usually set my diaper bag in the passenger seat before I buckle her, just because it's big and can be a nuisance, but there was a cart next to the door so I just flung it on my shoulder.  She was fighting me on getting buckled and was making the noise she makes when she wants something and was grabbing at the keys.  She loves to hold them.  So, I handed her the keys so I could get her buckled without a fight.  I closed her door and by the time I got around to my side of the car I heard "click".  Oh no, my heart sank!  She had locked the doors!!! I have given her the keys before, and this scenario had played through my head.  To get into my car, I don't have to pull my keys out, as long as my keys are in my pocket or purse I can just walk up to the door and push a button and it unlocks.  I figured that's what I would do if I were ever in this situation.  Well, when I pushed the button on the door it didn't work!  Turns out I didn't realize the keys needed to be outside of the car for that to work!  My heart sank to the pit of my stomach!  I ran around to look at Brooklynn and she still had the keys in her hand and her fingers were on the unlock button.  I started saying "Brooklynn, push the button, push the button!"  and she just looked at me and smiled and did nothing!  It was probably about 85 degrees or more outside- it was pretty toasty! All of the sudden this video that I had watched online about a mother leaving her little boy in the car in the summer while she did her grocery shopping flashed through my mind! It showed the little boy starting to sweat, then becoming drenched in sweat, crying, to eventually lifeless.  I started to get very anxious!  For a second I thought what do I do?!  Then I immediately grabbed my phone and dialed 911. I didn't have any time to waste!   I am SOOOO glad that I hadn't put my diaper bag in the car, because that is where I keep my phone.  I was connected to Pearland Dispatch and told the kind woman that my baby was locked in the car.  I answered questions like "Is the car on?  How long has she been inside, is she in distress, is she sweating, where was I and where was I parked?"  No the car was not on, Brooklynn had just been inside for a couple minutes at this point and wasn't sweating yet.  I stayed on the line while she radioed for an officer.  I was parked close to the store, and had glanced at the fire truck earlier.  I told her there was a firetruck there and didn't know if the firemen could do anything. She didn't respond to my question because she was busy trying to get me help.  By this time Brooklynn was starting to sweat and I was becoming even more anxious and scared.  When I told the woman she was sweating now, she said she was calling an ambulance to be on site to check her out after they got her out.  I glanced back at the firetruck, and my heart leaped with joy when I saw one of the firemen outside next to the truck smoking.  I told her there was a fireman and took off running towards him.  I hollered " Excuse me, my baby is locked in the car can you help me!?"  He immediately came running.  Luckily at that second, the other firemen were coming out of the store and he yelled to one of them to grab the lock kit.  I ran back to the car to check on Brooklynn and found a man standing there saying a baby was locked in the car.  I'm so thankful he cared to stop and try to do something.  I told him it was my baby and I had run to get the fireman.  I just stood next to the window and Brooklynn was still just looking at me smiling.  "Push the button!!" I said over and over again.  One of the firemen was trying to unlock the door by sticking a wire type thing down inside the window and pushing the unlock button.  By this time the policeman had showed up and there was a swarm of people around my car.  I just kept watching Brooklynn, and was growing more and more anxious by the second.  She was still doing well, just some beads of sweat on her forehead, and nose, and her face was a little bit red. I felt so helpless, just staring at her!  The Cop was next to me looking through the passenger window at the guy trying to unlock the driver's side door.  He told him "You're going to have to hit it dead on."  Great, I thought, this is going to take forever!!  "Push the Button" I just kept saying, to no avail!  Finally, I heard CLICK and all the doors unlocked, the alarm was going off, and I yanked the door open as fast as I could and grabbed Brooklynn and the keys! The fireman had been able to hit the unlock button dead on!  Brooklynn was fine, just a little sweaty!  I felt this huge sense of relief rush over me, and the deepest feeling of gratitude for these men who had been right there when I needed them, and had saved my baby.  I just kept saying "thank you" over and over again and I held her and cried.  They called off the ambulance since she was visibly ok.

The entire fiasco lasted about 10 minutes, and luckily Brooklynn never reached an extremely dangerous stage physically.  I was shaken up a bit afterwards and just felt like crying out of gratitude.  The officer told me to get her some water, and she'd be just fine.  I hadn't brought her water bottle so I started heading back into the store to buy one for her, and the officer asked if I had my keys.  I replied that I did, and he said my driver side door was wide open still from the fireman opening the car.  I hadn't even noticed!  All I could think about was Brooklynn and getting her some water.  He was so kind and said he would close it, which he did, and then drove away.  Just like that, the swarm of people that had been there to save the day, were gone!  How thankful I was for them!  I felt like I needed to repay them somehow!  All I could do was thank Heavenly Father that everything turned out ok.  And I learned my lesson the hard way.  I will never let Brooklynn hold the keys when I'm not in the car again!