Fashion Friday

Ahhhhh!! This post is long over due.

We have been with out a computer for the past 2 weeks!! Our hard drive crashed and we have been waiting with bated breath to see if we were going to get all of our pictures back. WE DID!!!
We do have a backup drive that we use but it's been about 3 months since we did it and we have racked up quite a few pictures in 3 months.

Anyway, back to the point of this post. I have noticed that several of my fellow bloggers have cute little "day of the week" posts that don't require a long explanation, they are just a fun thing to look forward to each week. I have seen "Wordless Wednesday", "Thankful Thursday", etc. I have yet to see one for Friday so I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes, at least those that are in my blog circle.

I decided that "Fashion Friday" would be a perfect way to be able to share Harper's trendiest moments. Sometimes I just want to show off an outfit that doesn't really have a story behind it, other than it was cute.

So here goes the beginning of a new tradition in the Brown Blog.


This post is a little full since we are backlogged 2 weeks.

Making the most of it

If we made every day count as much as we did this past weekend, we could tour the world in a week.

Adam's dad and step-mom were in town this weekend from Colorado. It's always nice when they come back to Raleigh. The boys and Beth take time off work, and it's like having a mini vacation ourselves. It was a flying trip for them this time, they were only here Thursday night through Sunday morning, however, we got the most out of those 4 days that we possibly could.

Thursday: Kenny, Beth, Adam, Harper and I went up to North Hills for the first Beach Music Concert of the season. It felt so good to welcome summer's return and see everyone back at our regular table. We went a few times last year with Harper but this year will be much more enjoyable with her able to take part in the kids play area and dance her little heart out.

Kate & Harper

Friday: The boys went out golfing that morning while the girls went shopping. Harper and I hung back until after her nap, then had lunch in NH with the boys. Adam and I then brought Harper over to the square where she could run around with the kids and met up with Missy and Beth. The girls then went out for some additional shopping.
That night we all went over to my parents house to take part in a "make your own pizza party" with my dad's self built pizza oven. We invited some other close friends and everyone had a BLAST playing pool and creating their own masterpieces. My dad had added the finishing touches on Harper's wagon so we put all the girls in it for it's maiden voyage.














Saturday: Adam, Harper and I took his parents over to the Farmer's Market in the NH square. We sat and listened to some blue grass music after walking around and checking out all the booths. From there, we met up with Kenny and Beth and headed down to Cameron Village to walk around and have lunch outside. We then went back to our house where we grilled out and had dinner and cocktails on the patio and enjoyed the fire pit. It was a perfect day/night for all our outdoor activities.







Sunday: Early that morning Don and Missy left to catch their flight back to CO. Adam and I then went out to Umstead Park for a hike. Don and Missy had bought us a great carrier backpack, and we were so excited to use it. As the pictures show, it was a BIG hit. I have said before, Harper is not a stroller lover, not to mention, even our jogger stroller with the big rubber tires doesn't do very well on the rooty trails we go on. Therefore, the backpack was a perfect option. She sat high enough to see everything and really enjoyed herself. We went down to the water for a snack and to stretch her legs. By the end of the hike she was pretty worn out and unfortunately did not get to see the finish line. I guess that is the proof that the weekend was eventful and the backpack is comfortable.










We can't wait until August when they come back. We should probably start saving our energy now.

Under Construction

Ok...I need help. I see everyone changing their blog backgrounds all the time, and I just want to be one of them. I want to change with the seasons, holidays, my mood...I am a designer you know, it's in my nature. Hopefully I can get a hold of my tech support, ie Emilee, and get this all worked out. Thanks for hanging in there.

What can I say...they did it again.

So I was doing a little "window shopping" online today. Yes, I realize that I should be doing 1 of 20 different things I have to do today, but I always like to ad "fantasize" to my to do lists. I am proud to say, that task has never gone unchecked.

Anyway...as I was saying, I was checking out the Baby Gap new spring/summer lines, and I fell in love. Not that I expected to be disappointed, but I was getting more and more thrilled with every page that came up.

Just thought I would share some of my top 10.



















So, if there is anyone out there with a little girl size 18 months who would like to start a clothing trade let me know. It sure would save me a lot of heartbreak watching these clothes slip through my fingers. Ha Ha

Holidays and new obsessions

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know, I'm forever late on the Easter Post. But I'm getting to it now, and it's still April, so give me that at least. I'm now chasing after a walking one year old so things have been kicked up a notch around here.

So yes, Easter came again this year, and it was even more fun than the last. This is, in fact, the first holiday Harper has experienced twice. It was funny thinking about her last year. How small and quiet she was in church. Easily comforted while sleeping in dad's arms the entire mass. This year... not so much. She did NOT want to be held. Walked along the the kneel space or up on the pew (pugh?) Played with the bibles, her doll, her hair band, and nana's necklace. When these things started to lack their luster, she cried...screamed. She had to be removed from mass TWICE! Have I mentioned how fun this "independent" stage is?

Anyway, lets just forget about all that and jump right into the important stuff like...what she was wearing. Harper, naturally, blew all the other kids out of the water. This is based on our personal opinion of course, there was no actual judging that took place. As I think most of you know, I am not a fru fru kind of mom. I love a big fun hair bow or sparkly pair of shoes, but that is where it ends. Baby Gap has been my haven for the past year. They, in my eyes, could do no wrong. Spring, summer, fall or winter, it's all perfection. I have never walked into that store and been disappointed.
I do believe that I may have found myself a new obsession... Matilda Jane.

This is the absolute cutest clothing line I have ever seen. It's very mismatched and funky, but that is what I LOVE about it. I ordered a dress for Harper from a friend's trunk show. I wasn't expecting to get it before the holiday so it really wasn't even in contention for the big day. When the dress arrived early, and I saw it in person, I WAS ECSTATIC! Not only was it adorable, but it was so different than anything else I had seen. At this point, because I hadn't thought it would be here so quickly, I had not planned the rest of her attire. Luckily, she had the perfect pair of matching shoes and a felt hair flower sitting right in her drawer. Whew! Things just have a way of working out.

After church we spent the day at my parents house, where Kenny and Beth joined us for dinner. We had a fun filled family afternoon, topping it off with some bubbles in the driveway.

When it Rains it Pours

When I was little, my dad built me a wagon. It was a wooden wagon with low sides and a large area for sitting/carrying. We had a BIG hill in front of our house and I can remember having a lot of fun and several injuries from rocketing down the yard.
For Harper's 1st birthday we decided it would be fun to get her a wagon. Neither Adam nor I have the skill to build one so we opted to head on over to Toys 'R Us. Harper has a profound hatred for her strollers, all of them. She hates being strapped down or restricted to anything. We thought that, since we often take walks around the neighborhood and will be frequenting the North Hills summer concerts, which are with in walking distance, this would be a much more pleasant way to transport her and a cooler full of beer. Not to mention, a wagon is just one of the great privileges of being a kid.
So anyway, back to my story. We got her the traditional "Radio Flyer", with the high sides and the all terrain tires. So far it has gone over with out a hitch. Considering there are no straps holding her down, and she is free to sit up or lie down, look around, or hold on and walk, she is finding it rather refreshing.
Little did we know, at the same time, my dad was building her her very own, one of a kind Jerry Gates original wagon. We came over to the house on Easter and Harper found her wagon to be a perfect fit. My dad made it out of my brother's old bed. He used part of his old racing car and some tires that make our wagon tires look like they came on a match box car. It still needs to be striped and refinished, and the high sides need to be attached, but other than that it's in working order.
Now she will have a wagon for home and away. Lucky for her, Nana and Grandpa have a big hill in front of their house. It wouldn't be worth the trouble if there weren't some skinned knees to show for it.