More Celebrating

We celebrated Brody's birthday some more at John's parents house with some of the family. It was a perfect day for a pool party and BBQ. John's grandparents and Tyler and Kristi and the boys came over for the festivities. Thanks to Lee and Aneta for the great food and fun pool!

Great Grandpa Brown having fun with Piper.

The boys playing on the swing set.Preston on the swings.Grandma Brown and the kids table and having so much fun.Can you tell that Brody loved his hotdogs?Piper loved her hotdog bun.Time to open gifts! Brody was so excited and opened them like a pro."It's James!"Thanks Papa for the big rig!

Brody loves his Caterpillar game. Thanks Grandma!He also LOVES his helocopter.All the boys loved the helicopter. It created some fighting and we ended up having to put it away for the rest of the day. Grandma made yummy cupcakes for everyone and let the boys decorate their own. They had so much fun. Brody especially loved it since the frosting is his favorite part. His tactic was to eat the frosting off and then apply more. I like the way you think Brody!Since his party was a Curious George Party. I found these George masks for the boys. They all loved them.

Preston with his mask.

After presents and cake, we all had a blast in the pool. Everyone got in and was jumping off the rocks and going down the slide. Brody has no fear now and is everywhere in that pool. Thanks goodness for his life jacket!

Thanks to everyone for celebrating with us and for all the fun gifts. Brody loved every minute of his day.


After our great day with the family, John arranged for his parents to watch the kids while we went out on our anniversary date. The next day, Sunday the 16th, was going to be our 6th year anniversary! John didn't tell me where we were going, so I was very excited the whole way there. We made our way to the Victoria Gardens outdoor mall in Ranch Cucamonga and hurried down the crowded shopping area to catch our reservation at Fleming's Steakhouse. I kind of guessed where we were going as we were looking at the mall map. I knew by the nice dressy attire we had on that we probably weren't going to California Pizza Kitchen or Johnny Rockets.

We hadn't been there before, but both really liked it. It had a great romantic feel and delicious food. It was so nice to get away and have a nice night out. Thank out Lee and Aneta!

We both couldn't believe that 6 years has already passed, but we are enjoying every minute of it. We can only hope that this next year is even better than the last. Happy Anniversary John!

Summer Pictures

I had wanted for some time to get some outdoor pictures of the kids dressed up. I loved these outfits I had gotten for the family reunion pictures. Since Brody cried his way through those pictures, I was determined to get some more. I had seen on so many of your blogs the adorable family pictures with every child smiling perfectly. I was really wanting that amazing shot where both my kids looked great and thought I could get it. Then I could make a nice portrait and put it on my wall. I was a little disappointed (or maybe a lot, I was in one of those moods) when I didn't get that money shot. Now I have come to realize that these did turn out pretty cute.

These last two I think are my favorite because their personalities shine through.

Beach Day with Daddy

In the middle of August, John surprised us by taking the day off and taking us all to the beach! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the beach! It is not very often we can go as a family since John's busiest time at work is usually in the summer. We went to our favorite beach in Laguna Beach and it was beautiful weather. The kids had so much fun too.

John and Brody checking out the water. Brody is so afraid of the waves every time we go, then by the end he doesn't want to leave.

"Cheese!"

"Mom, I saw the waves with Daddy!"Piper was still fascinated with the sand."Look mama! It's on my hand!"The kids loved playing in the sand together.And Piper enjoyed eating all the sand toys. Brody loved showing us his collection of rocks and shells.Piper loves laughing with her daddy.She recently learned how to do raspberries with her mouth after watching Brody. Just one of the many things she will be learning from him. It is kind of cute though.


Taking Piper down to the water for the first time. She was sure happy before getting in.Almost there. . . . .And was LOVING it every time a wave came up. I don't know why. The water was still pretty cold even for being August. She is one funny girl!After all that fun, she was pooped and rested with me under the umbrella.

Thanks for the great day John! You are the best! I love days like this. :)

Trains, Trains, I Love Trains!

That is the title of his favorite train book. He LOVES his Thomas trains. A few days after his birthday, the train set he picked out for officially being potty trained arrived. We waited to open it until he went to bed and then set it all up so he could wake up in the morning to a surprise. And he was surprised. He was SO excited. It was fun to see him accomplish something and then be rewarded for it, even at the age of 3.

"Look! It's Percy mom!"Piper was so excited too. I love happy kids in the morning!Potty training update: We had to take away his train set a few times because he reverted back to doing it all in his underwear, which totally bugged me. I think that gave him the message and he really hasn't had any problems since. That and the fact he thinks peeing standing up is the greatest thing ever. The only problem I have now are frequent cleans ups of his bathroom. Oh the life of having a boy! :)