Luke's FIRST Birthday!!

My second angel and blessing turned 1 this year!  I am so quick to say that the year flew by but then I stop and think and that I can't imagine what life was like without him.  It feels as though he has always been apart of our lives.  He is truly a blessing to our family.  

The spread!  Mom and I worked really hard on these treats and they turned out really good!

Chilling before the festivities began!

Before

After

Fall 2011

Fall is coming to a close so I thought that I would share some pictures from our Fall adventures this year.  The Fall would not be complete without a visit to the pumpkin patch or Grave's Mountain!  We did our annual trip to Ashland Berry Farm as a family.  Bradley was really able to enjoy the experience this year and had a blast picking out pumpkins and toting them around.  Luke was just fascinated by the environment and the pumpkins.  There is not much that fulfills me more than making good memories with my family :-)

So strong!

Unfortunately, Mark wasn't able to come this year to Grave's Mountain because of work :-(.  So we went this year with my parents, sisters, and neices.  The weather was beautiful this year.  The one thing about this time of year is that is can either be hot or cold but it was just right this year, lol.

Granddad and his boys!

One of my favorite pictures!

Another Fall has come and gone!  Now we can look forward to shorter and whiter days :-)

Too hot to be outside!

This summer weather has been scorching so we thought we would find a fun indoor activity.  I am not the craftiest person but I have been wanting to make some diy handprint molds with the kiddos.  So thanks to http://www.theimaginationtree.com/ we found a really fun and easy recipe!  Bradley seemed to really enjoy doing all the measuring and mixing.

First add 1 cup of flour

then 1 cup of salt

then 1/2 cup water and mix

form it into a ball and roll out

this was his favorite part... the hand press

Luke got in on the action too!  We put them in the oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours.  We just have to paint them and tie a ribbon to put them up on their wall! 

My boys!!

I love every  moment of being a mommy!!  My boys are growing up so fast!!  Luke is a big boy.  He has his 9 month check up this friday so we will see if his weight has surpassed his big brothers yet.  He rolls all over the place but isn't crawling yet.  He just recently cut 4 teeth (2 on top and 2 on the bottom).  His big blue eyes are so beautiful!  Bradley is talking up a storm and being such a wonderful big brother!  He loves his little brothe and is so good with him.  They will be best friends forever!!  I captured some playtime photos of them being so sweet with one another.

this is really one of my favorites!



The Browns invade Hilton Head, SC!!

It's just not summer without a family vacation! So the Brown family invaded Hilton Head Island, SC for our 2nd annual family vacation!! Mark & I love the beach! There is something so soothing about sitting on the beach, watching the waves crash at the shore, and watching the kiddos play. Bradley was a bit more daring with the ocean this year. He seems to share the love of the ocean with his parents! Luke was hilarious discovering sand with Mason.

The resort had a splash park that was fun for the kids and the adults. Mark liked it so much that he has been checking out how to get one into his parents pool.

This was the only family shot of us from the trip!

Mark had some help this year from Jason for the Iron Chef at the resort. They made roasted tomato risotto and it was soooo good!! They didn't win but I was quite impressed!

Me & my love!

One of our favorite dining experiences is a local joint called Harold's Diner. It is a small little diner with a ton of personality and delicious food! Luke was trying to get Papa to share, lol. We went there for lunch on Lucy's birthday and got the whole place to sing Happy Birthday. She even got a gift from the diner.

Kira and Jason had a great idea to go on a dolphin cruise. It was a hot afternoon but we got to see quite a few dolphins. We even got to see a mother and baby dolphin!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip! Those Brown boys being silly with the next generation!

I had to add this one of my blue-eyed boys!

I really adore my family and it was so wonderful to have them all to myself for a few days in a row! There is nothing more precious in this life than spending time with the ones that we love most doing the things that we love most... relaxing, eating, and loving!

Summatime!

I have been enjoying the summer much more this year since I am no longer preggo! It's amazing how much growing a baby makes you feel like a furnace! The boys are growing like weeds! Bradley is talking so much and being such a sweet natured little boys. He loves his little brother and is a wonderful big brother. Luke is getting around by rolling around and in a month has cut 4 teeth! They are both amazing little boys!!

Bradley enjoyed his first father/son campout with Daddy and Papa!! They swam in the lake, road jet skis, played and chatted with Uncle Adam and Matthew. That night mark put the seats down in our Envoy and put a memory foam mattress cover down and they snuggled and watched a movie on Mark's playbook. Now that's making awesome memories!!

The day after the campout we went to the Riverhouse with some amazing friends! We had a wonderful time relaxing in the water and on the jetskis. Bradley rode for the first time with Daddy. I love spending time with good friends and my wonderful family!







So many more memories to make this summer and it has only just begun...