It's a Sprinkle!

Some of my best girls gave BIP a "Sprinkle" on Saturday.  We had a lovely time catching up, sharing stories and just being with one another.  As Mom and I left the party, I turned to her and said, "I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for!"  Thanks again for EVERYTHING ladies!

The "baby bump" photo

yummy food!

BIP received some new clothes as he is "off season" from Brock.

I promise there were other people there....we didn't get a group photo :(

Love the stroller!  We can fit both kiddos in it!

Bring Your Child to Work Day

So, we had "Bring Your Child to Work Day" the other day and it was a success!  Brock didn't even want to leave work and then had a meltdown the following Monday because he wanted to go with Mommy to work.  Well, unfortunately, we do not color, play games, have donuts, pizza, ice cream and face painting at work every day!  HA!  Those kids have no clue what we do at work, but they would have been bored to death if we took them through an actual day of work.

Our little guy looks so big here!

The kids made soldiers "welcome home" cards.

Reluctantly taking a break from his pizza to show the camera Thomas and Percy.

Old Fashion Family Vacation

I titled this an Old Fashion Family Vacation because a few weeks ago my parents, John and I flew out to San Fran to visit Stephen sans Buck and Brock.  We had a great time and covered 925 miles in the rental car in just five days...nothing was going to slow us down....not even missing our flight out there (but that's a different story)!  Let's see a quick summary of our trip...Yosemite National Park is absolutely beautiful (go there if you haven't already), Highway 1 and Point Reyes National Park, Sonoma Valley and wine country (obviously, I did not participate in any tastings), and finally the tour of San Francisco itself including a Giants game (this baseball family couldn't skip that!).  Here are a few photos to document the trip....

Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias-perhaps the largest living things on Earth!

Just a little perspective...remember when Buck and I visited Muir Woods to see the redwood trees here  They are the sequoias cousin.



Our drive through Yosemite the first evening



El Capitan and Yosemite Valley at Sunset

Same view the next morning....

So beautiful!  Can you see the waterfalls in this photo?

We did a lot of hiking in Yosemite and rewarded ourselves with a nice dip of our feet in the stream.

Met up with Stephen- Muir Woods

Some things never change...

View from Hwy 1

Point Reyes National Park

Golden Gate

The Parents!  It was windy and cold!!!

Giants Game!

Nanny Jen Came to Visit

We love it when Nanny Jen comes to visit!  It was great spending the weekend with her back in July-we went to the Splashpad and the park (of course!), met up with some friends for a night out and cruised around the lake on Saturday.  The weekend was a lot of fun and went by too fast...

Brock loved pushing Rylan on the swing.

31 Weeks!

We had a dr appt (and ultrasound) Monday to confirm everything is well with BIP.  YAY!  According to babycenter.com: 

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up (UM YES!). Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

And here is a recent photo of BIP:

If you are really good at "seeing" things you can probably make out BIP's side profile of his face with his hand resting over his eyes. 
Let's see what else....oh, recent Brock-isms:

One Sunday morning I was getting ready for church when Brock picked up the brush, turned to me and said, "Mama, your hair is funky!"  He then proceeded to brush my hair.  Yes, true story.

He loves to yell, "HOT TAMALES!" when we get in the car.  Yes, it is hot outside and even more hot in the car, but I must stop teaching my son these nerdy sayings. 

And....he was excited to call me at work yesterday to tell me he earned the right to wear big boy underwear.  I will spare you the details, but he is quite proud! 

New Braunfels and 4th of July

We spent a very relaxing week in New Braunfels with Grandma, Grandpa and Brandon over the 4th of July.  We enjoyed the pool(s), went for walks, fed the deer, attended a 4th of July Parade, watched fireworks, rode a miniature train, had a picnic, visited the San Antonio Zoo and much more!  It was a wonderful getaway!  Many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for letting us crash their house for the week.  By the end of our stay Brandon and Brock were picking on each other like brothers.

Happy 4th of July!  At the parade...

with Brandon

Fire truck!  Brock loves trucks!

Helping Grandpa haul rocks away.

Brock loved being his helper!

Feeding the deer.  We did this several times each day!

Miniature train at Landa Park

We told the conductor that Brock loves trains, so he let him ride up front!

The San Antonio Zoo

Monkeys watching the monkeys...

They have large walkingstick insects!

I am pretty sure Brandon and I were watching Family Feud here. 

Bubbles!

Swimming with Daddy

Good times!!!

This and That

I have so many little things to catch you up on....

Our little guy is a talker.  It is amazing how much his vocabulary has increased over the last several months.  He is even funnier than ever....our little comedian.  His favorite show is now Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and he loves to say, "Mishka Mushka Mickey Mouse!"  He is still a good eater and LOVES cheese, blueberries and ICE CREAM (not together!).  He is demanding independence and we often hear, "let me do it all by myself!"  Well, they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here goes it....

Loves the park

Our first garden has been successful.  Daddy went overboard planting....we have those pictured and several different tomatoes, radish, peppers, attempted lettuce and spinach, etc.  Brock loves picking the veggies!

First medal received at gymnastics!

Must help Daddy in the yard!  Ms L says that Brock is always looking for a task and that is the truth.  I suppose because Mommy and Daddy are always busy doing something!  I am pretty sure this little guy sold the house next door that day.  The woman and her daughter could not get enough of him!

Good ole Chestnut!

Likes to wear his towel just like Daddy...

Blue Eyes...

I caught this little guy walking around the house in Daddy's boots.  This was not posed!