A BROWN BLOG

My sweet Stratton's 3 month photo shoot.

2012-02-15T22:09:00.003-05:00

Well hello there buddy...The limelight looks good on you!

2012-02-15T20:46:00.013-05:00

I can tell already the blog is going to shift into survival mode. Soon to consist only of long breaks followed by huge posts in a desperate attempt to catch up. Oh well, life will go on, the world will still spin, and my kids will continue to grown like they're in a race against time.

So take off that coat, grab a hot toddy, and get comfortable, it's gonna be a long one:)

Stratton is almost 4 months old!!!!

I know, WHAT??!! Crazy how fast it went. You would think after having one kid who went from 0 to 3 in 8 seconds I would know how it worked right? Well no, still shocks me. I have been so slack with the blog, and as you all know, baby's change so much in their first year, so here is the complete run down of my sweet babe's first 1/3 of a year...through his eyes:)

First...I came home.

Then I stayed pretty lazy for the first little while.

Different position, still lazy.

I hung out with my sister some.

Met a new friend:)

Hung out with my sister again.

Bummed around the skate park.

That made me really tired.

Anxiously awaited the arrival of the big man.

Still had time to look really cute:)

Dressed like a lumberjack.

Started sleeping in my crib. I was scared at first.

Spent some time with Dad.

Spread the word.

Got all dressed up, having no place to go.

What? It keeps me warm!

I started smiling and I haven't stopped:)

I looked really cute again.

Oh yeah, and then I made this face!

Got to meet my Aunt Valerie! She came all the way from Vermont just to see me!!

I met a girl.

Stole her right away from this (unsuspecting) character.

That made me tired again.

I figured out how to get this blasted thing into my mouth.

Spent more time with my sister.

This is embarrassing...once again, looking cute.

Wore a hat.

Tested out the bumbo seat and was quite happy about it.

Then I got tired.

I'm so sorry about this, I don't know how these keep sneaking in...cute AGAIN!

Holy crap, it's like she's ALWAYS there!!

Sometimes I sat alone...

Sometimes I shared.

Found time to run for office at the Shady Pines retirement home.

Squeezed in a bath or 2.

Did I mention spending time with my sister?

Went faster than a speeding bullet.

Needless to say...that also made me VERY tired:)

What?? What did she say?

2012-02-09T10:30:00.004-05:00

In case anyone was having difficulty, here is a key for the most recent Harperisms :)

"Last year" = Yesterday, last week, basically any point in the past

"Next morning" = Tomorrow

"Breaquist" = Breakfast

"Compooterer" = Computer

"Little second" = Just a second ("can you come here for a little second")

"Cups" = Because

"Smoch" = Smoke

"Resternaut" = Restaurant

"Cewall" = Cereal

"Harper size" = anything small ("Look it's a Harper size chair!!")

"Cuppy" = Comfy

"Harper show" = Any kid show on TV

"liva" = Olivia

"Scetti" = Spaghetti

"Blitz" = spit up

And on a funny note...since Adam and I have started spelling words to each other in front of her, Harper will now just say random letters when she talks about certain things.

"Can we go to the L.P.T. park today?"

How many of those moments do you really have in life?

2012-01-11T15:56:00.005-05:00

I have had 4 so far.

Everyone wants to achieve their dreams in life, whether that's marriage, a family, a job, or travel. You obviously want these things for yourself. You also want all these things for your family and friends. I am lucky enough to have 2 friends in my life where the line between blood and water is very blurred. Friendships that will never go away, just like family.
As I have been immensely fortunate to have met and married my love (moment #1). Almost 2 years later we welcomed our little Harper (moment #2). Then, just over 2 1/2 years later, our sweet Stratton completed our family of 4 (moment #3). Like I have said before, all indescribable moments that would take my breath away.
Having the same dreams and hopes for my 2 best friends, I was elated when both Emilee and Valerie married, creating their own families.
Though seemingly perfect, there has always been one thing missing. One thing to complete this utopia with in our circle. Something we have all been praying for, wishing for, crying for. Finally, as acceptance started to come for what seemed would not be, so did relief from the constant disappointment, the very miracle so many had been begging and bargaining for...(moment #4).

There are few moments in life that could make me as happy as this news did...3 to be exact.

Congratulations to you Emilee and Mike. This is going to be the most amazing summer to date, and come July, we will all welcome this baby into our hearts like one of our own. Love you and your growing family more than you know :)

Skater Hater

2012-01-11T15:23:00.005-05:00

We went ice skating. It was my idea. I thought it would be fun. I'm not going to lie, it didn't go well.

We started out strong. Harper talked about it incessantly for 4 days. She even reminded me as I tucked her into bed..."don't forget to call Grace about skating tomorrow". She was very excited the whole way there, in line to get her skates, putting them on, even walking to the rink (in her skates). As we hit the ice there was some definite hesitation, and a little uneasiness, but she was brave and gave it the ol' college try. We even had some smiles for the first little bit. However, those smiles quickly turned to tears as she realized how difficult it was to actually keep her balance without holding onto me. She was very upset that she couldn't skate around like the other kids or keep up with Grace. She wanted to be out on the ice so bad but did not want me to put her down at all. I guess we will just try again another day. She'll get it, she is MY daughter after all:)

The park...and rides

2012-01-11T14:21:00.005-05:00

We have been waiting patiently, or in the case of Adam and myself, impatiently, for one of our local parks to finish it's makeover and open to the public again. Pullen park is a huge park in downtown Raleigh known for it's kid sized train and antique (but rideable) carousel. Two years ago, that's right the exact time we would want to start bringing Harper, they decide to give it a complete overhaul. Well, it FINALLY opened back up the weekend before Thanksgiving. Of course, Adam and I, in our haste to see it, went opening weekend. Other than having to bob and weave around 10 million people, not being able to go on the train OR carousel due to the lines, and leaving with a screaming child slung over our shoulder, IT WAS AWESOME!!! It was totally worth all the time, and all the money they put into it. It's beautiful and super clean. It has a snack bar style restaurant, plenty of open grassy areas, paddle boats, ducks to feed, the nicest kids playground area I have ever seen, and of course the train and carousel. We did end up going back again a week or 2 later so we could fully enjoy all it had to offer without the crowds.

We will definitely be frequenting this place in the weeks/months to come, but sticking to the weekdays.

Close talker is an understatment

2012-01-11T13:39:00.004-05:00

Don't take this for complaining...well maybe a little...but I know it could be much worse. At least there is love behind the action.
Harper CAN NOT leave Stratton alone!! If he is in the room, she's on him like white on rice. She's either kissing on him, hugging him, laying ~~next to~~ on top of him, or begging to hold him. It's actually quite comical when you ask her to back up, or try to describe how to play with or talk to him at a reasonable distance, there is absolutely NO comprehension. Stratton is a good sport for the most part but does, quite often, sport a look of either utter annoyance or complete terror. The fact is, he's not even safe while he's sleeping or in his crib. We woke up one morning to Harper standing over him in his crib playing with his mobile. I'm sure not having a "safe place" weighs heavily on his 3 month old mind.

Things will run full circle as they usually do. All in good time Harper, watch out:)

Stratton's turn. Why shouldn't the baby get to enjoy their own shower?

2012-01-10T22:42:00.004-05:00

Since Adam and I decided to be difficult this time around, and not find out the sex of the baby, a shower was not really in the cards. With a second baby you often don't have a shower since you probably already have all the necessities from your first. In the case of your second child being the opposite sex, some people have showers to be able to get the clothes, towels, blankets, etc you will need. With us not needing any necessities and not knowing if we needed any clothes yet, it left the need for a shower quite low. Not to mention the sheer frustration it would create for all the guests.
We decided to do a "Sip and See" instead of a traditional shower. This is a party you have after the baby is born and allows people to bring gifts accordingly, and for everyone to come see the baby on a scheduled organized day... quite a bit easier for the mom too.
Stratton's Sip and See was hosted by my 3 great friends Emilee, Beth and Lauren. They did an amazing job, and I think, completely blew everyone away with their creativity and detail. The coolest part of the whole thing was that Stratton was there to enjoy his own party, and feel first hand the love that surrounds him and his family.

These were push pops with 2 little cupcakes in them. Possibly the most delicious thing I've ever eaten :)

Little "onesie" cookies with his monogram, so cute!

These were the take home boxes for everyone to fill with goodies.

What's the best way to end the Christmas season? Why with Christmas of course!!

2012-01-10T21:29:00.007-05:00

Of course Christmas is a very exciting time no matter what. Every year Adam and I enjoy it a little more as Harper starts to grasp all the traditions, and meanings of the holiday. This year we broke out the "Elf on a Shelf" to help build the anticipation. Our elf, Finnegan, or Finn as Harper called him, would visit us every day and flew back to see Santa every night giving him a report on the actions of the day, good or bad. In the morning he would be in a different place than the night before and it was fun to search the house for our little visitor. This year, of course, was that much more fun with the addition of our little Stratton. Though not all that enthusiastic about it this year, he still made the day a little more special for us.
We had a perfect Christmas eve of Church, then dinner at my parent's house with Adam's mom and Step dad. Then we spent Christmas here with everyone.

I already can't wait 'til next year!!

Harper had a super cute Christmas dress this year thanks to her Auntie Emilee. The dress was adorable from the front...

but the bustle in the back puts it over the top.

Stratton produced quite the buzz at church as well. Quite the dapper little man:)

Though they are cute together, this night was not their night.

The most AMAZINGLY decorated house I've EVER seen!!

Santa DID come!!

This was how Harper emptied her stocking. The type A is shining through!

Didn't even make it past the stockings...novis.

A little striped delight :)

The purple shoes were exciting, but not worth changing the whole outfit for.

Our little princess, and her very own doll to match :)

See you next year :)

Please people, don't rain on my parade!!

2012-01-10T15:32:00.009-05:00

We have missed the Raleigh Christmas Parade every year. Usually due to Adam's work schedule. This year we vowed to go to every single Christmas influenced event we could handle.

First came the Raleigh Christmas Parade. It was actually quite impressive. Not that Raleigh's a small town or anything, but I wasn't expecting some of the big floats and giant balloons they had. I also wasn't expecting it to last 2 hours! We headed out there as our new little family of 4. It was approximately 12 degrees that morning but did warm up over the, agian, 2 hours that we were there. Our friend Jay met us there with his little gir,l and Harper's idol, Grace. We got there about an hour before it started and still missed out on the front row. We were lucky enough to camp out right behind a super nice family who squeezed over and let our little ones (and husbands) sit on the curb. The kids had a great time, and as I said before, Raleigh really put on a fantastic show! We even got to see our own "Idol" Scotty.

Now, on to the next event. We all went to the tree lighting up at North Hills. We met a bunch of friends up there and their kids. The tree lighting ceremony was really cute. They had us all singing Christmas carols and then Santa himself made an appearance to help light the tree. Despite being totally starstruck, the highlight of the night was when Santa pointed directly to Harper and waved. With a look of sheer terror, she gave him a half staff, slow motion wave back.

The following week we spent an afternoon in Wake Forest for their own town parade. Again, I was not expecting too much and was very wrong, but we stayed from beginning to end. Harper was just as impressed but much more active during this one. She made sure she didn't miss out on anyone walking by handing out goodies.

And last but not least we rounded out our Holiday event calender with a breakfast with Santa! This was the coolest thing! My parent's country club hosted a breakfast for all the members and their families, that ended with a visit from Santa. It was a fun filled morning where we learned a new trick, decorated gingerbread houses that were displayed in the clubhouse throughout the holidays, and anyone who wanted to got to sit on Santa's lap and profess their every desire. Harper's was for a Princess (not a doll, but the real thing).
We ended the afternoon at a friend's house for a cookie exchange where Stratton got to formally meet his first best friend, James :)

Wrapping up fall with a few forgotten moments

2012-01-10T15:00:00.005-05:00

In my true fashion, I have slacked off and jumped the gun at the same time. Granted I have had a lot going on since early fall but that's no excuse for missing such monumental moments in my familes lives (as you will see). I was so excited to post our pictures of Stratton that I skipped all of these little gems from September and October.

Here is Adam's little tribute to the seemingly endless raking he did. Every time we would drive through the neighborhood he would say "we have way more leaves than them" or "our pile is definitely the biggest one!" Seriously...they're leaves!

There were a lot of trips to the playground with dad. Sort of...lets get out of the house before momma explodes retreats.

Sometimes daddy would pick out the clothes. Only in extreme emergencies!

We fed all the babies in the house...the natural way :)

And, we went to the fair. Somebody was loving on their ice cream cone!

The story, the experience...the 411

2011-12-04T21:27:00.000-05:00

It was 4:30am, October 18th, one week to the day before my due date. It was still dark out, cold, raining, and my water broke on a routine trip to the bathroom. I must say, I'm a big fan of the water breaking. It happened with Harper too, and it definitely takes the question out of going into labor. Knowing that a week prior, at my last appointment, I was already 4 cm dilated, I grabbed my phone as fast as I could and called the doctor on call. To my extreme jubilation...it was Dr. Zimmerman! He is my absolute favorite doctor in the practice, and the one who delivered Harper!! Another reason I love him is he doesn't jerk you around. He answers the phone "Hey Sarah, it's Zim, great day to have a baby isn't it?" He then tells me "Well, come on in, we'll be expecting you." None of that...wait at home in severe pain, and possibly miss the opportunity to get an epidural crap.

My next phone call was to my parents, and then to Emilee. I figured I would alert them ASAP so while we were getting ready to leave my mom could be on her way and Emilee could be getting her stuff ready. 30 mins from Wake Forest is a long time when you're in labor. By the time I showered (I absolutely HAD to shower) grabbed a banana and some cereal (knowing I wouldn't be eating for a while) and kissed Harper good-bye, my mom was there and ready for duty.

We got to the hospital, they assessed I was actually in labor, and put me in a labor room. Emilee arrived about the time we got to the room and she was also ready for duty. After seeing our birth video of Harper, I couldn't imagine not having one for our little Stratton too. It's one of the most amazing memories I will ever have.

Labor was almost a carbon copy of that with Harper. Contractions started within minutes of my water breaking and were fast and intense. I finally got my epidural around 7:30. Along with it came relief and drops in blood pressure whenever I changed position. I managed to keep my banana down, but definitely had some lightheadedness. They did have to give me a few extra doses along the way as my right side was a little less numb than the left. When the time came to start pushing, everything was numb that was should have been, and it was completely painless. As Stratton emerged (pretty much on his own) Adam had the exciting and wildly anticipated job of announcing the sex. Those words went something like this "IT'S A BOY, OH YES, IT'S A BOY!!!" It was quite a moment. One definitely worth waiting for.

Recovery has been a breeze, and for the most part everything has come back to us. I'm not going to lie, the first few weeks are not fun, and it is definitely a different story with a 2 1/2 year old running around. However, they are just that, a few weeks, and we are almost out of the dark and into the light as that goes.

I can't wait to share with you the slideshow Emilee puts together. I know it will take our breath away like the day itself.

Jumping right to the pictures

2011-11-16T21:51:00.010-05:00

I promise to fill everyone in on a detailed (well, not too detailed) birth story for our beautiful little Stratton, but for now, I'm just going to post some of his newborn photos. Actually, since I never posted them, I'm going to post some from our maternity, newborn, and family sessions. Wow, how lucky are we to have a photographer as a best friend :)

Boo!! This blog post really does exist

2011-11-16T20:43:00.008-05:00

Halloween this was definitely an event in the making. Actually, October was in general. First of all...Adam took the DAT (Dental Admissions Test). This was a huge event in the Brown house and basically consumed our/Adam's life for the 3 months leading up to it. Well, luckily HE DID GREAT!! So we won't have to go through all of that again (that is of course until dental school). Next on the line up was...The North Carolina State Fair!! This may not sound like a big deal to you, but I am a fair lover and never ever miss it. This, of course, leading up to the main event of THE BABY!! We spent most of the month praying he would wait and wouldn't come until after all of the happenings...which he did.

Now, on to Halloween. Though we were hoping the baby would hold off for a while, I was very optimistic he would be here for a little trick or treating with the family. I had planned the kids costumes and was very excited.

As luck would have it, he missed all the dates we wanted, and made it in time to hit exactly 4 houses on a rainy miserable Halloween night :(

Earlier in the month we found the time to make a repeat visit and grab some pumpkins at Hillridge Farms. We were so excited that we randomly ran into our friend Whitley and her little boy Tully (one of Harpers favorite little buddies). It made the day that much better, especially for the kids. The train and hay ride were just as fun as always, and feeding the animals never gets old. The 2 new attractions for Harper were the hay jump and the big slide. She had the best time!!

This was a very big slide for such a little girl to take on all by herself!

Out of the hundreds of pumpkins to choose from, Harper chose this little guy and wouldn't let go. No matter how much mom and dad tried to convince her to get a bigger one, or a smoother one, she would have none of it. It wasn't even carvable. This was, in fact, the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of the pumpkin patch :)

And now for the costume reveal!! Harper was a beautiful Eskimo (princess) as she would say, and Stratton was her sweet little papoose. My precious little babies.

And the winner is...

2011-10-27T21:37:00.002-04:00

MY MOM!!!

I promise you there was no nepotism involved. She was as "in the dark" as the rest of you. This was completely a computer generated contest, and all the scoring calculations were out of my hands. I guess she's just that good.

It figures it would be the one person I constantly get free babysitting from and totally doesn't share my design style. Oh well, Mom, I'm sure we can work something out. Maybe you can come over and watch the kids WHILE I paint you something.

Congratulations to a well deserved winner :)

The baby is HERE!!

2011-10-18T20:20:00.001-04:00

Well, all the guessing is over, and all the questions are finally answered, the newest Brown is here and it's a...................BOY!!!!! He was born at 12:31 pm, weighs 8lbs 4oz and is 21.5 inches long. A week early and still a big boy. Name is still in the works as we had only narrowed our list and didn't come to a final decision before the ol' water broke.

We could not be more excited...especially Adam. A boy, holy cow!! I have no idea how to be the mom to a boy. I guess I'll figure it out soon enough, I'll have to.

Details and pictures to come, but for now here's a side by side comparison of Harper and her new brother so you can see the family resemblance. My 2 babies on their first days of life :)

This may be your last chance...

2011-10-11T13:43:00.006-04:00

or I could go another 3 weeks.

That's one thing about labor I HATE, not being able to predict or have any sort of guarantee. Funny that based on that character flaw I possess, we didn't find out the sex either. What are we doing to ourselves??!!

Anyway, anyway, back to the point of this post. I just went to the doctor today for my weekly check. I am 38 weeks (14 days to go) and almost 4cm dilated, 50% effaced, and still at -2 station (meaning the baby hasn't dropped at all yet). My thought process is...another week, maybe. I am sending you all this friendly reminder so that you will get your Baby Pool guesses in before it's too late. As soon as this baby sees the light of day, the pool is closed for business. Remember, if for some strange reason you don't want to babysit as your prize, or you live out of town, I have decided to do a Painted Peacock piece for the winner. Now who would pass that up??

Good Luck :)

Click here for the link.

Too...many...posts. Running...out of...time!!

2011-10-09T21:04:00.006-04:00

Well hello there captain obvious, I've been neglecting the blog. I really have no excuse either. Pregnancy would be a great one, except how do you use the same excuse for being too lazy to do the dishes, laundry, or grocery shopping, aaannnd sitting on the sofa, playing on the computer. Seems like maybe I should be able to muster up the energy to do one of those things. Well...I'm madly catching up on posts this week, so guess which one I chose?

After going through our phones for pictures and downloading our camera from the past 4 months, I have found a ton of pictures. Most of them weren't vital enough to get their own posts. However, several of them were definitely blog worthy. So I've decided to just do a mass catch up post and give a very small commentary for each picture or group of pictures. We did have a few events that were given an entire post so make sure to read down through all the new ones :)

Back in July, Harper made the switch into her big girl room (more on room design later). We decided to keep the nursery as is and move her into our old guest room. Surprisingly, she took right to it and has never turned back. She, for whatever reason, never gets out of her bed. She will talk, sing, or read to herself, but has been good as gold since the big move. Love her!!! Here is our little girl and dada on "night 1".

Life these days is all about the mouse. If Mickey isn't there, it isn't worth doing!

Oh, and Minnie too!

We are potty training. Well we have BEEN potty training. Harper was a fast learner right from the start, as long as it was warm out and we could go bottomless. She then seemed to have a little setback when we moved to just underwear. Still was still doing really well, with only the occasional accident. The problem came when poop was involved. This was evidently a concept she didn't agree with. It's a work in progress. I will say, in the last week or so, we've had a few issues. This, I'm sure, is due to my lack of ability to "play" too much, and Adam always studying. Once Adam's test is over, and the baby is here (allowing me to get back down on the floor) we will find our new normal and she will get back into her groove.

When you gotta go, you gotta go.

Everything looks better in heels...even potty training.

We haven't had a ton of rainy days lately, but those that have found there way to us have definitely been utilized to their fullest around here.

"I want to look like dada."

"Baby or not...I'm sitting on your lap!"

We made our own pizzas. It's no brick oven but it'll do.

We held a baby for the first time!!

Speaking of first times, dad brought us to Krispy Kreme to enjoy the incomparable taste only the hot light can bring. This was a moment I didn't get to experience until college, she is already waaaay ahead of me!

This was a mistake. Though a brilliant idea at the time, not all stores have the "shopper in training" carts. That does not make for a pleasant time.

When all is said and done, we had a great summer, and the most important thing was...we stayed safe :)

Well, when you have 14 different devices that take pictures you're bound to miss a few!

2011-10-09T18:32:00.005-04:00

I had forgotten to download all the pictures from Adam's and my phone. Therefore, I'm "forced" to post a supplemental collection of pictures from Colorado. Enjoy :)

First day there, enjoying pizza at one of the family's favorite watering holes.

Harper's traditional picture with Buff. My how she's grown!

Adam's dad was one of the highlighted donors to the event.

How could you have a bad day on this course?

Our champion traveler on our way home.

Another year, another baby, still no Adam

2011-10-07T20:29:00.003-04:00

Well, you could go back to my post from last year and it would explain everything. My year after year excursions to the beach, husbandless. First there was work, then there was school, this year it was the dreaded DAT that kept my other half from our annual mini family vacation. In case you are unfamiliar, the DAT is the dental admissions test. Obviously, it's a huge part of the application process, and has Adam studying 8 hours a day, everyday. Unfortunately, even the beach could not interrupt this madness.

Alright, now that my rant is over, lets move on to pictures.

Juris and Harper checking out the view from the upper deck.

The pool last year was such a hit with all the kids, we were excited to see the house this year also sported a blue lagoon.

Harper was, as always, quite the little fish. She has become very independent in the water thanks to her new little life jacket. Getting in, out and all about all by herself.

Kids: Harper, Cameron, Forest, Juris, Jada (the new recruit this year), & Westly.

Harper, Forest, and Juris observing the starfish they found on the beach.

Harper showing off her tan lines from the day.

To the Butte and Beyond

2011-10-06T20:32:00.000-04:00

This post is a long time coming. I have gotten really bad about keeping up with my posts. I'm not a writer. I was always the student that would write 503 words for the report that had to be at least 500. I love posting all the pictures and I love TELLING the story, but I HATE writing!! Maybe I should just become a video blogger? That way I can just sit here and tell you all about it without having to touch the keyboard. Ugg, but then I would need to do my hair, and make up just to sit in my living room. Forget that!!

All 3 1/2 of us headed out to Colorado back in August for a much need "escape from reality". What better place than the insanely beautiful Crested Butte. Now, it does require 3/4 of a day and planes, trains and automobiles to get there, but well, well worth it. Not to mention, staying with Adam's dad and stepmom is always like being at a 5 star resort equipped with fun excursions.

One of the main reasons we went out there that particular week was for Adam to participate in the Crested Butte Open golf tournament. He hasn't played in this for years so it was really awesome for him to be back playing with his dad. During this week/end the entire town participates in the fun. They have art festivals, crafts, and an auction you really need to be a part of to fully understand.

The week was beyond fun, and despite a couple of swollen ankles from the altitude, we would have stayed forever.

Here she is, the adorable little town of Crested Butte. It's just about the cutest little place you've ever seen. And doesn't the down town look like the set of a movie from the old west?

The down town, though quaint, has everything you could ever desire as far as food. We ate everywhere from a little hole in the wall mexican joint (awesome by the way) to an upscale sushi bar which has become a staple for our trips out. They also have a toy store, a baby boutique, and plenty of trendy shopping for the ladies. Oh, and ice cream!!

After the tournament we all got dolled up and headed out to the "barn" for the big auction. This barn is personally owned and always offered up for the charity event. It's by far the most spectacular barn I have ever seen and held literally millions of dollars in horses. Little did I know the millions of dollars it also held in people. There were items available as part of a silent auction you bid on at the beginning, and then the dinner, before the real auction began. They were auctioning off trips, dinners, and jewelry all going for upwards of $10,000. I didn't think my mouth could drop anymore, until they got to the end, where people just gave with no prize to be had. $50,000 was thrown out there as the first bid, followed by my "are you freaking kidding me" laugh. Two seconds later 5 peoples hands went up!! That was the fastest $250,000 I've ever been a part of. The fact is, it was all donated for an awesome cause (The Adaptive Sports Center) and goes to show the selflessness and unity of this special place.

Adam's Uncle Mark was also out there for the event. He's tremendously fun guy and Adam and I were so happy to get to spend some time with him that wasn't at a wedding reception.

Even the centerpieces were cute!

The rest of our trip was spent, visiting the horses, picnicing, and enjoying the beautiful 75 degree days.

Not every holiday is for family, some are just all about good friends

2011-07-17T16:42:00.006-04:00

We had a fabulous time this 4th of July at the beach with our friends, the Barone's and the Toni's. Jim and MJ have been extremely generous with the beach house this year and invited us back for another round on the water.
Well, I will have to say that the second time was a charm for Harper. After a slightly timid start, she came around with a vengeance. We couldn't get her out of the water for the better part of 2 days, and had to take turns watching her because she refused to take a break and just hang out on the sand. Harper and dad had a grand old time looking in the tide pools for shells. Mostly just little what knots until Harper found the diamond in the rough...an entire sand dollar!! A big one at that!
We made the traditional trip to the aquarium, and took the ferry over to Southport. We were very excited to find ourselves just in time for the Independence Day Parade. We had planned to eat lunch at a quaint little restaurant on the water, but wound up discovering, after a nice little walk in the 95 degree heat, that it was closed. We had a nice little picnic on the sidewalk back in town and enjoyed some good ol' street vendor food. Despite our shabby appearance after our sweaty walk, Harper and I were asked to be filmed for a show. Don't ask me what show, I was too distracted to even ask, but nonetheless, Harper's magnetic personality and sweet little patriotic outfit drew them in and...BAM...we're famous!

It was an awesome 4 days of relaxing and laughing.

We weren't exactly roughing it were we?

Where exactly did Picaso start? I mean, these are pretty damn impressive to me.

2011-07-10T18:07:00.002-04:00

I promise on the air we breath that I didn't help, coach, or influence her in ANY way. We do a lot of patio chalk drawings around here. These were a couple of the documented masterpieces created and named by our little shining star this summer.

Flowers

Mickey Mouse

No particular reason, just randoms that slipped under my radar

2011-07-09T16:21:00.004-04:00

Found a few pictures that were cute but really didn't have a place in any of my previous posts. I didn't want to let these babies go unappreciated so I'll just fit them in right here.

Plastic pool, driveway, hose...duh, cowboy hat!

We make our own rainbows 'round these parts.

Making (and reporting) the Difference

2011-07-09T11:14:00.009-04:00

I'm sorry if this is a little TMI. I'm under the assumption that most of my readers are of the female nature.

HARPER

1) Random nausea during first trimester

2) First trimester heartbeat = 174 bpm

3) Cravings were all about sweets/chocolate

4) Weight gain mostly in hips/thighs

5) Second trimester I had high energy

6) Carried like a basketball all in front

7) Could barely keep up with shaving legs

8) Linea negra line was present but not dark

9) Second trimester heartbeat = 150 bmp

10) Baby measured right on track from start to finish

NEW BABY

1) Random nausea during first trimester

2) First trimester heartbeat = 175 bpm

3) Cravings mostly salty but still won't pass up an oreo if within reach

4) Weight gain mostly in hips/thighs

5) Second trimester low energy

6) Carrying like a basketball all in front

7) Very slow growing hair, shave every other day (or even 2 sometimes) very nice!

8) No Linea negra line this time at all

9) Second trimester heartbeat = 127 bpm

10) Baby measuring ahead of schedule

Here is an ultra sound picture of the new babe at 18 weeks (almost 7 weeks ago)!

Please, help keep us occupied while we wallow in self pity with the fact that we didn't find out the sex of our baby!!

2011-06-24T20:54:00.001-04:00

I came across this really cute website to help us find entertainment during this long agonizing wait to meet our little bundle. Would love to have everyone throw us a bone and fill it out. I am even willing to raise the stakes (especially for the out of towners) and offer up a Painted Peacock goodie. Everyone can still feel free to accept the babysitting offer if they'd rather, that is still on the table. Thanks in advance. Can't wait to see everyone's guesses!!

Click the link below or the "BebePool" button on the top right of the page.

http://bebepool.com/sarahbrown12

"Seriously, the nails were just a mess!"

2011-06-23T17:55:00.010-04:00

I wasn't too sure how she was going to do, but after seeing "Auntie" getting her's done, Harper stepped up to the challenge. The "challenge" of sitting there and being pampered that is. But, considering it was a stranger that didn't speak in a recognizable language, I wasn't sure how it would all go. Harper was a champ. She actually sat there through 2 coats plus a base and top coat. She even kept her fingers spread so they wouldn't smudge. I was unable to get a clear shot (shocker), but the end result was a dazzling Carolina blue, to which she receive several compliments the rest of the day.

We slacked on Easter pictures so here are a couple more to make your day:)

2011-06-09T22:08:00.002-04:00

Just need to post a few cute pictures from the last month or so. Harper looked adorable on Easter, but unfortunately, we mostly stuck to video memories that day and therefore we are lacking some precious still shots. We have had a few other special days we got to dress up so I'll include those also to fill up the void.

A couple pics of the egg coloring extravaganza! Fun fun fun, and, surprisingly very little mess.

Even though this isn't a great shot (and I hate we don't have one with out that little sweater) she was such a baby doll. Her little tulle dress and silver shoes were priceless.

I know how much you love a good before and after

2011-05-18T22:40:00.003-04:00

So peaceful, so happy, drifting off to dreamland...picture perfect.

Aaaaannnd...1 hour later

"The Lake People" head to the beach

2011-05-17T23:32:00.004-04:00

As part of his resume for Dental School, Adam is volunteering at various "MOM" clinics around the state. The Mission of Mercy opens up these clinics to provide free dental care to anyone in need. It's really a wonderful organization and I know Adam is thrilled to be a part of it. Not only does he leave with a full heart but also quite a bit of experience. He was ecstatic the first day he came home after actually getting to work in people's mouths. Don't worry, he wasn't doing anything too risky, but just getting to hold the spit sucker (at this point in his journey) was an absolute rush!

Any way...this all brings me to the purpose of this post, and that's to share with you our first beach trip of the year. Adam had a clinic to attend in Wilmington, and we are lucky enough to have awesome friends with an even more awesome beach house. They were kind enough to let us stay there so we could all have a mini vacay together and enjoy some much needed R&R. Now, as stated above, and in probably 2 or 3 other posts, we are definitely "lake people". This being said, we all still enjoy the view, the breeze, and just the overall mojo at the beach. We relaxed, ate, walked, went to 2 different street festivals, ate, and even did a little kite navigating. It was a full 3 days and we loved it all. Thank you so much Jim and MJ for your generosity and the use of that million dollar view.

Oh, did I forget to mention??

2011-05-10T18:11:00.003-04:00

Just in case there's someone out there who doesn't know. Someone who must not share the same moon, considering nothing stays private these days between Facebook and or our family's own personal information hotlines (ie: The Grandmothers). The Browns are expecting!! Expecting what you say? That will be determined only come the birth of our sweet little darling. That's right, we are NOT going to find out this time, and now that I said it out loud and put it in writing...we will stick to it. This is, of course, much to the dismay of a few people, but we know they will all be at peace with it when the time comes. We, in no way, regret finding out with Harper. I had been waiting forever to get my hands dirty decorating my own nursery, so waiting really never stood a chance. Not to mention all the showers you have plus your own itch to start buying stuff. This time around, we absolutely don't care in any way what we have, we don't have the time or really the money to do up the nursery like the first, and I have all the girls clothes I could possibly need so (just in case God doesn't get my memo) it would only be if we have a boy we would need to grab some things. We are really excited about having the opportunity to do it both ways!!
I will say, out of sheer intrigue, I have checked out the Chinese birth charts to see what the stars say. I did the same thing with Harper and they ALL said girl. This time, no matter which way I add it up they ALL say boy!! Harper has also shared this opinion. She is very excited about the baby. She talks about, kisses, feeds, and hugs the baby every chance she gets, and if you ask her what it is she instinctively says "boy". At this point she has added a little annoyance to her tone since she has told us so many times and we obviously aren't listening. I have definitely voiced, a few times, my slight fondness for girls, and that (if given the choice) I might lean in that direction, but when it all comes down to it we will be completely thrilled with either and are just excited to be growing as a family.

We are due in October (the 25th to be exact) so I am 16 weeks right now and feeling good!

...continued

2011-04-22T20:51:00.004-04:00

Finally, the post from the birthday party!

Well, it was a blast. Of course, it ended up being 3 times the size we originally intended, but still was a huge cut from last year. This year we made a point to keep the guest list to family, and close friends, most with kids around Harper's age she is close with. We lucked out again and had another perfect weather day...thank God. We need the outdoor space, when hosting a party our house gets crowded very quickly. Needless to say, Harper had a fantastic time and still has not stopped talking about "Happy Cake". I can't believe she is 2 already!!

I got this idea from a picture I saw. It's such a cute design for a cake and fit the "vintage" theme of her party perfectly. Super easy too!

The most unbelievable cupcakes you've ever tasted were made by our good friend MJ. She rocks a cupcake recipe!!! Flavors...Cherry vanilla, red velvet, and lemon coconut, all with her homemade frostings. If you were lucky enough to taste one you know what I'm talking about.

The activity for the kids was making stuffed owls. Harper's animal of choice for the moment and a really easy little craft.

I'll give you one solid guess who this was from.

Girls and their chocolate. Who knew...they really are born with it.

"Like I didn't know my kid was cute!"

2011-03-28T23:00:00.004-04:00

Well, I don't have Harper's birthday party pictures back yet but what I do have is her 2 year portraits and some big news.
Since the pictures speak for themselves, I guess I'll just get to the good news. Emilee decided, with out me knowing might I add, to enter Harper in a modeling competition for the clothing line she was wearing in her pictures. She happened to catch the advertisement for it the day she was editing Harper's photos and just sent a few over to them. Well I guess they liked them as much as we did because...SHE WON!!! That's right... first place baby!! Ok, so I guess didn't really mind that Emilee took matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, she will not be able to truly accept her winnings considering they are in Utah and that is a little too far to travel on a regular basis for a modeling career. We tried to have them let Emilee take the pictures but they already have a photographer under contract and that wouldn't be fair. Anyway, she is going to receive some sweet free clothes from them and the pride that can only come from a first place finish.

We shared her session with my good friend Meredith and her daughter Savannah (Harper's bff). They were too cute together, as always and we got some really great shots of them laughing and just hanging out like girls do.

Ok, ok...We're back

2011-03-28T14:53:00.005-04:00

I guess I need to apologize for the long hiatus. I've been getting a bit of slack for it. I don't mind though, at least it makes me feel like people are reading, and enjoying the blog, which is why I did it in the first place. We have been so busy between Adam working and going to school, me working part time hours with 2 different companies, and...well...having a 2 year old, it didn't leave a lot of extra time for blogging.
Any way, I probably have plenty more I could fill you in on but, in typical fashion, don't really have a whole lot of time, so you're going to get brief overview and a bunch of pictures.

About a month ago Adam and I took Harper for her first trip to the zoo. I think the timing was perfect, age, season, etc. Not that she or we wouldn't have had a good time if we had gone previously, but she has a huge love for animals right now and is at an age where she knows most of them by name and the sounds they make. She was nothing less than enthralled with each and every species we came across and it definitely gave Adam and I a whole new love for the zoo. We have talked about going a few more times this spring, and can't wait. I can say, however, we will be packing our own lunch in the future.

First ingredient...SNOW!!

2011-01-18T20:31:00.005-05:00

This year, with Harper being on the brink of her 2nd birthday, Em and I decided to throw her right into the mix of our Christmas cookie baking exstravaganza. On the menu...oreo balls, turtles with and with out pecans, peppermint brittle, and rice crispy squares. After the day was done, Harper could add to her resume, accomplished ingredient pourer, mixer, and taster. She loved being a part of everything and she was a welcomed addition to the kitchen.

After all that baking, what's better than a little merrymaking in the snow. Funny story, Adam and were on such a mission to find Harper a snow suit before the big snow Christmas weekend, that we forgot the possible need for a sled. Lucky for her, we are quite innovative. Unlucky for her, she will be humiliated by the level of redneck these pictures will add to her life as they will undoubtedly pop up time and time again. Sorry baby girl.

Yep, that's a laundry basket and the dogs leash.

Teaching my baby how to smell the snow.

And the red comes out again with the bag over the socks. You can't deny, it works.

Pink cheeks means it was a successful day in the snow.

It just keeps getting better with age

2011-01-03T21:51:00.007-05:00

This Christmas was...in a word...PERFECT.

Adam and I were so excited for last Christmas because it was our first one with kids. We couldn't wait to see how excited she got when she ripped into her presents and realized Santa had delivered pure happiness and wrapped it in shiny paper. This was not quite how it went. Not to take anything away from Harper's first Christmas and the fun it did bring, but it wasn't really as exciting as we had built it up to be...at least not for her.

This Christmas, however, was exactly how we envisioned it. Harper ran down the steps (in the cutest little Christmas pajamas made by Adam's Aunt Mimi) and straight to her presents. She opened each one with delight and curiosity, and seemed absolutely thrilled with every single one. She completely made our day with her eagerness and joy.

I can definitely see how people spoil their children. It's so easy!! I don't want her to get used to having her own toy store under the tree, but how do you stop buying when you know how elated each give will make her?

We don't have a mantle on our family room fireplace so we need to hang
our stockings up in the living room.

First present she opened and she not only loved it but decided to put it
to use right there and then.

She could not have been more excited about having her own little house.
Best $24 we ever spent! Unfortunately, the thing is HUGE, and taking down the queen's castle would not go over too well. I guess we're stuck with it.

I'm not saying she's a genius or anything but...

2010-12-27T13:58:00.005-05:00

I really have nothing to go on since she's our first baby, we have no nieces or nephews, and she's not in preschool yet. However, I am completely amazed at how fast kids at this age learn things. I wish I could retain information like her, I'm pretty sure if that were the case I would rule the world by now.

Harper is 21 months old and here are her most recent "can do's".

1.) Harper knows 21 out of 26 letters in the alphabet!! She will either point to them if I say the name or she will tell me the name if I point to it.

2.) She knows all the letters in her name and recognizes her name when spelled out.

3.) Though she can't count on her own yet, she will say the numbers at the same time as me when counting all the way up to 10!

4.) She now knows and uses over 100 words, and will repeat and remember just about any word we say to her. She regularly combines 2 words together and has started combining 3 words more and more often. It's crazy to think she will be speaking in sentences in not too long.

5.) She is getting much better about the potty, sitting on it for longer, knowing what it's for, however, still no actual success. Trust me you will all be the first to know when she does.

6.) She knows some shapes, Circle, Rectangle, Oval, Star, Heart, Moon, and even Pentagon (yes I said pentagon). Funny to me that square has been the tough one for her to learn.

7.) She knows the colors, blue, red, purple, and yellow. Colors have been the hardest thing for her to learn. Ironic, considering color is my expertise.

8.) Harper can halfway dress, and completely undress herself. She now gets huffy if we don't let her do it ON HER OWN!

9.) She LOVES shoes and will put on and walk around in any pair that has been left unattended within her range.

10.) And the big one...HARPER CAN NOW WEAR PIGTAILS!!! This is huge! I haven't been this excited since I found out she was a girl.

And just because I can't publish any post without a picture...here you go.

Business trips are such a downer.

2010-12-27T10:50:00.004-05:00

In most cases I would definitely agree with this statement. However, our latest trip to the NC mountains would not fit into this category at all.
Adam and I accompanied Mike and Emilee this year on their annual Christmas trip to Asheville. We went up for 3 specific reasons.

1.) To get a Christmas tree from a "cut your own" tree farm.

2.) To visit with an old friend from high school.

3.) And most importantly, to find some furniture. Asheville being the hub of the antique furniture market.

We, very happily, accomplished all 3!! We spent plenty of time shopping around for goodies to add to the enormous "need to paint" pile in my garage. Plus, Emilee found a few additions for her photography prop collection. The next day we went to brunch at a cute little restaurant right in the middle of downtown and met up with our friends Lynell and Don and her 2 girls. We had a fabulous time catching up and everyone meeting one another. Her girls were so sweet and incredibly well behaved. It made me a little regretful we didn't bring Harper. However, the night before when we were bar hoping and that morning when we slept until 10 completely justified our decision.
From brunch we headed off to find our perfect tree. We followed Em and Mike since they had been there before and wanted to revisit the same farm. As we got further and further up the mountain we began to see more and more snow. The irony of the situation is that Adam and Kenny had switched trucks the night before we drove up because Adam has been having some issues with his engine and we didn't want to get stuck in Asheville or have to have it towed back to Raleigh...$$$. Kenny's truck is much newer and more reliable so it seemed like a no brainer to make the switch. Ha Ha. We in fact traded a possible breakdown with 4 wheel drive and good tires, for a great running truck with 2 wheel drive and bad tires. We got about 20 feet down the road to the tree farm when we decided it wasn't such a good idea. Too late! It took us 15 mins and several attempts to get back to solid ground. We then got in the truck with Em and Mike (I, on Emilee's lap, and Adam in the bed of the truck) and proceeded down a very steep, very windy ice covered road. This was definitely one of those dilemmas you pray your kids are smart enough never to get into. Any way, we made it safely to the house only to find...THEY WERE CLOSED DO TO THE ROADS!! Then we got stuck in their driveway.
Blah, blah, blah, we eventually got out with the help of a random guy and found our way to another tree farm that was open and ready for business. Keep in mind it was 19 degrees and snowing during all of this so it made for a beautiful but FREEZING cold experience.

We had a fabulous time and can't wait to make it back next year.

Harper has to get this for Christmas or she'll just DIE

2010-12-15T14:27:00.007-05:00

Need a last minute idea? These are the cutest little snow boots perfect for this global warming induced winter climate we are enduring. Plus they go perfect with her new pink and black snow suit she got.

Where can you get them you ask? Well, it just so happens I have the website right here, and it's free shipping!

Oh my gosh I can't believe I forgot to post these!!

2010-12-13T21:22:00.005-05:00

Look at her perfect form...poise...and extraordinary balance.

And...the dismount.

Oh one piece zip pajamas, we had a really good run.

2010-12-09T20:41:00.001-05:00

Ugh...too tired for a cute title, just need to catch up.

2010-12-08T23:29:00.006-05:00

Admittedly, the entire fall season got away from me. We did a lot of enjoying and picture taking, but not enough blogging.

First off...Harper's introduction to the fair. We went with some great friends Whitley & Steve and their sweet little boy Tully (a strong contender for her arranged marriage). We went during the week so the crowds were minimal, and had perfect weather to boot. Harper was luke warm about the rides. She could take 'em or leave 'em, but the waiting in line was not for her. She enjoyed the food and was a big fan of the well crafted carnival prize her dada won for her.

In November we took Harper to her first college football game, ECU. We went with our friends Anne and Andy and they brought their little girl Kate. Prior to the game we played out a little energy on the jungle gym. It was quite cold that day and it took Harper a little while to warm up to the idea. After that we went in to the game, where we stayed approximately 1 quarter. This was not at all because of the girls. They were good as gold and we couldn't have asked for better behavior. We left because it was flipping cold out there, we were cramped, and not to mention...getting killed by Navy. As soon as we walked out of the stadium, it started to rain. It was at that point the girls decided they wanted to play and frolic on the way back to the car. This made the process of getting warm and dry about 3 times as long. God love 'em, they were having fun and deserved a little freedom after being so good during the game.

Out with the old in with the new.

2010-11-23T09:45:00.004-05:00

Harper and Ella have always had a special bond. From the first days they spent together there was love in the air. Ella is a big 80 pound lab that is oodles of fun to jump on, roll under and play tug 'o war with. Big dogs are undoubtedly super amusing. However, there is also a glorious world of games and recreation to be had with small dogs. Harper has been around a few smaller dogs, as I have several friend with miniature breeds, and ALWAYS finds them hilarious. My friend Meredith brought over her (oh too cute) Cockadoodle a couple weeks ago for us to meet. Rigby was, to say the least, full of energy and gave Harper the highlight of her ~~day~~ week. The 2 of them couldn't get enough of each other and it was quite entertaining to watch.

Suck it up Daddy, I want some candy!

2010-11-10T09:57:00.005-05:00

This Halloween will be one for the books I'm sure. Obviously, with it being Harper's first year of actual door to door trick or treating, it will hold a special place in our hearts. However, there will be an additional memory that came with this momentous event. Adam was sick!!! If you know me at all you know that this statement deserves exclamation points.

Adam came down with some sort of stomach flu late Saturday night. As the soldier that he is he tried to do a little studying in the library Sunday morning; but after a valiant effort...spent the rest of the day in bed. We all had plans to go over to Harper's friend Katie's house for some trick or treating in their neighborhood. This did not happen. By 5 o'clock Adam was awake and ready to give it a go for his little princess, but we decided to just go to a few houses on our street to keep it as easy as we could. We got the baby in her costume, the wagon out of the garage, and we were off... 5 houses later, we were done.

Harper did great! She walked right up to the house, pounded on the door, then contemplated which piece of candy she was going to take before EVENTUALLY choosing one. I will say, with Adam being sick, and Harper only allowed 1/2 of a little tootsie roll a day, that little bit of candy lasted a LOOOONG time.

Here are some pictures of my little Peacock.

Serving up a little pumpkin patch, with a hay ride on the side.

2010-11-07T18:01:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the delay in my post. I have honestly forgotten to keep up with the family blog with everything else that's going on.

Keeping it short... my mom joined Adam, Harper and myself for an entertaining trip to Hillridge Farms. There are a million things to do there and I'm pretty sure we tried them all. Some were a hit, some not so much.

Enjoy the pics.

::Warning:: :: Warning:: This could be too cute to handle.

2010-11-03T21:00:00.009-04:00

Last week, Harper and I met Lauren and Katie out at the Farmer's Market for lunch and a little "palling around". It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day and the girls took complete advantage of it. They chased each other up the hill, and back down the hill, played ring around the rosie, and excitedly announced every time a car drove by. What better way to spend the day.

OMG...I hope I'm ready for this

2010-10-25T11:42:00.005-04:00

Ok, I did it. I launched a website and Facebook page for my furniture!

Thanks to Emilee I have a well crafted website that couples as a professional blog. I think this will be a better fit for my kind of biz. People want to see before and afters, and everything in between. I'm hoping that by giving each piece it's own introduction and editorial, people will connect better and want to give them all a home...much like puppies.

Well, Saturday actually marked the first "coming out" for The Painted Peacock. Emilee Beth Photography had a Halloween costume event that was held at our house. She invited me and our friend Lauren to show our stuff. Lauren is an extremely talented artist who sells kids painted step stools, canvases, bow holders, etc (let me know if you want to get in touch with her). It was a gorgeous day, everything went perfectly, and all the kids looked great in their costumes!

As far as the furniture, we had a lot of nice complements, and lookers but no purchases. Well, at least not then. We launched the site and FB announcement last night around 9pm. By this morning I have had inquiries about every piece of furniture except for 2!! Holy crap! It took me 2 months to find and paint all that furniture. I am definitely going to have to find some more free time in my schedule to keep up with this apparent demand.

Don't get me wrong, I am THRILLED! However, I'm a little nervous about keeping up.

A big fat THANK YOU to everyone who has helped me get started. Don't think for a second your job is done. WE have a lot of work to do (ha ha).

See our website
See us on Facebook

Fashion Friday...Dust off those boots.

2010-10-15T18:26:00.005-04:00

It's finally cowboy boot weather in the south. Well, I guess what I should say is, we have had a day or 2 cool enough for boots tossed into the last 2 weeks. They are however, starting to come a little more often, and those warm days aren't getting quite as warm as they used to. FALL IS HERE AND I LOVE IT!!!!

Sunny days are here again

2010-10-14T23:40:00.003-04:00

FINALLY...Adam, Harper, and I took a vacation!!! (pause for applause)

We did it, we took the plunge. Adam got some time off work and we escaped to sunny Florida. We went down for an incredible 4 days of bliss. We rode bikes everywhere, relaxed in the pool, spent time with Adam's dad and step-mom, and overall enjoyed each other. We had perfect weather and fabulous food...damn...it was nice.
I even got to see my cousin Meg (and her little boy Caleb) who I haven't seen since we were both pregnant. Harper and Caleb are only 2 months apart in age and it showed. They had a blast together hitting it off right from the start. It did however, make our good-byes that much sadder.

First ride on a beach cruiser. Fun Fun Fun

We ate breakfast at the cutest little coffee shop/store.

We saved time for a little skinny dipping. (Harper NOT Adam)

Harper and Adam mapping out our fun filled weekend.

Yes, we found an aquarium. Lord this girl loves fish!

Yes, we are those parents.

You in the back...smile.

Harper and Caleb from the back

...and front.

Even ol' Max came over for a visit.

Questions of the Day

2010-10-10T22:04:00.004-04:00

Are you sadder for a life that was lived but cut short, or a life that never had a chance to live? On one hand there is the element of missing what you knew could have been, and on the other hand never getting to experience this magnificent world at all, not even one breath.
Is it right to mourn something you lost even though you didn't know you had it? To cry thinking how bad you would have wanted it if you had only known? Or do you sweep it under the rug, saying "I was fine before I knew, so therefore nothing has changed"?
It's funny how it's so easy to give advice and tell people "it's not that bad" until you walk a mile in their shoes. Sometimes it is just that bad.

SAY MY NAME!!!

2010-10-04T15:54:00.003-04:00

Harper learned how to say her name today. It's crazy how one day things just click. Yesterday she was saying "Hah" when we asked her to say her name. Now she clearly says "Ha-per". We are so elated we aren't even going to worry about that missing "r". I'm sure in time it will make its appearance.

.

Who knew this was all hidden in the streets of Durham?

2010-09-29T10:36:00.002-04:00

I know I've been bad. I've been putting off this blog post for 3 weeks, solely because I was intimidated by the number of pictures to download. I, again, took over 200 pictures and feel that eliminating a single one of them would be detrimental to the integrity of the post. I have cut down as best I can, so on that note...we're off.

The 3 of us took a long awaited trip to the Durham Museum of Life and Science. We have heard several people rave about it and finally tracked down a day we could all go. Neither one of us had ANY idea the magnitude of this place. Unfortunately, we spent a little too much time inside, that by the time we were outside we were on borrowed time with Miss. H. The inside area did have several stations that Harper enjoyed but is far from understanding. The outside however, was spectacular. It had a play area that put all others to sham, and barns set up with all the farm animals straight from the pages her books. Harper was spouting out sounds like nobody's business. There was a moo moo here, and a ba ba there, oink oinks everywhere. We then went into the butterfly house, which was neat, but really more interesting because of the birds running around for Harper to chase. The rest of the day involved seeing wolves, bears, dinosaurs, and even sailed a boat or two.

Though we didn't opt to get the seasons pass, I'm sure we will be making multiple trips back. I don't see Harper getting tired of that place any time soon.

And........we're done.

I've been busy...and it looks like I will be for a while.

2010-09-22T18:10:00.009-04:00

I've been hard at work collecting old pieces of furniture from around the house, flea markets, thrift shops, or where ever else I can find them. I'm experimenting with some fun techniques to use on different pieces and LOVING the way they are coming out.

Here are a few small pieces I have started with, and then a few pieces that are up next. I can't wait to get some larger pieces finished. I'm going to have a hard time not keeping everything for myself.

I had a set of twin boys in mind when I made these, but funny, I actually ended up doing another set of 3 (one pink, one purple, one teal) for a set of triplets.

I think I may do a mate to this little guy. Probably the opposite colors like the stools above.

This one may not be able to leave my house.

It's hard to tell in this picture but the chairs are actually a really really pale blue.

You all remember Harper's table. This is my pride and joy. My first piece and still my favorite.

Here is my current waiting list. I'm excited to do pieces I can embellish with some funky hardware or fabric. Should have some pictures for you soon.

Days like these are for the birds.

2010-09-22T17:53:00.005-04:00

A couple of Sundays ago, since Adam doesn't need to be at work until 1:00, we all went over to Lake Lynn to walk around and feed the ducks. It started out a beautiful, slightly crisp, morning at 60 degrees. However, about 1/2 way through our walk, the farthest possible point from the car, the mercury shot up to a sweat producing 85. Needless to say Harper and I were not dressed the part.

Weather aside, we had fun with the ducks and Harper made a lot of friends as she fired through an entire bag of stale hot dog buns.

Word got around fast.

As we attempted to leave one area to go to the next we notice a little tag-a-long.

Then we saw...that little scout called in the infantry.

Not only did we feed the ducks but we attracted the attention of an ENORMOUS snapping turtle.

One side...

...and the other.

Time to get this big ol' thing out of here!!

2010-09-21T17:30:00.004-04:00

Harper is definitely ready for a booster seat. She has been for a while now but we've been too lazy/busy to go get one. Adam and I are really excited about getting the high chair out of the kitchen. Those things are so clunky and awkward, and after about a year of use...really gross. She loves sitting in a chair or our banquet bench by herself to eat, but has proven to be not quite mature enough to stay seated through an entire meal. We will be getting a booster seat WITH STRAPS as soon as possible.

The cutting board will have to be our booster seat for the time being.

Not a whole lot to say

2010-09-21T17:11:00.005-04:00

Just some cute pictures that don't really have much of a story. Thought I would post anyway for your enjoyment.

I think all of these are cell phone shots so I apologize for the image quality.

Harper, look at the camera baby

2010-09-06T23:09:00.004-04:00

Though Harper's roots run deep into New England, she can still sport a sweet southern look once in a while. These are not the type of outfits I typically gravitate toward, however, I did think she looked super cute in her little pink polka dots and matching bow.

Me oh my, the life of a single mom

2010-09-06T16:54:00.006-04:00

Needless to say, Adam has a crappy schedule. He really always has, that being one of the big reasons he has gone back to school to start a new profession. We have participated in as much as we could together this summer, but there have been several events we have either missed out on or Harper and I have attended stag. This leading to the running joke that I am a single mom.

Last week, Harper and I, along with my parents and brother, trucked on down to Emerald Isle to stay with my Aunt & Uncle and cousins for a couple days. They rent a place every year and the family, who live all over the country now, all meet for a week at the beach. It's a great family tradition that we are always thrilled to be invited to.

Three years ago, Adam and I did go to the beach together. It was the summer after our wedding. Since then, because of ridiculous work schedules, I have been forced to hitch a ride with my parents and enjoy my extended family partnerless. My aunt, at this point, is convinced I've done away with him and buried him in the backyard (upcoming post with pictures to prove that is not the case). Here's hoping that sometime in the years to come Adam can make an appearance at my families beach sabbatical.

Harper playing with her cousin Forest. These 2 had a great time together and shared a love for literature. Nothing like getting lost in a good book at the beach.

Here's Harper playing with her cousins Cameron and Jada. Cameron's toys were a big hit after hearing "no no, don't touch that" for 2 days.

Harper and her cousin Juris had big fun in the sand. There was a lot of work to be done, but having a partner makes it all seem like a day at the beach.

It's nice to just look into the waves of the ocean and reflect on life and what it all means.

That is until...HOLY CRAP... a rogue wave threatens your very existence.

This house was ideal for our family, as we tend to be more pool/lake goers than beach bums. It had a gorgeous pool on the back deck over looking the ocean. We admittedly spent a good percentage of our time lapping it up in the pool. Harper has become a real daredevil in the water. She got so comfortable jumping off the side, if I wasn't watching, she would just go...with or without a catcher.

Oh, she seems kind of nice.

2010-08-30T14:24:00.003-04:00

Harper met a new friend up at North Hills this last weekend. She's exactly the same age, about the same height, and has the same shy little wave. It was kismet.

Fashion Friday

2010-08-20T13:48:00.004-04:00

This week our emphasis is on how to dress up a down dressed outfit. It really isn't as complicated as it may sound. With the addition of a couple cute accessories or even just one attention getting embellishment, the simplest t-shirt can be transformed into an ensemble ready for the night.
Don't be afraid to experiment girls... and guys. Your initial mistakes could lead to the next wave in fashion.

Look what Harper just picked up for fall!

2010-08-19T18:01:00.004-04:00

Yes that is her calf bulging out of the top of the boots. Looks like we still have some slimming down to do.

I'm just going to pass the buck and let someone else do the talking

2010-08-17T21:33:00.004-04:00

There is no need to take this into my own hands when it has already been done so perfectly. Emilee took some pictures of Harper and her, literally, life long friend Savannah today. She posted them on her professional blog so I'm just going to give you the link to see it for yourselves.

http://emileebeth.com/blog/2010/08/savannah-harper-a-spot-of-tea-raleigh-children-and-tea-party-photographer/comment-page-1/#comment-1463

Here are a couple extra's that didn't make it to Emilee's blog.

Where have I been...this place is AMAZING!

2010-08-15T17:16:00.012-04:00

I'm not going to bore you with a wordy post. No need, the ridiculous amount of pictures will say it all.
Harper and I have officially hit the Raleigh museum circuit. A couple weeks ago we went to the Life and Science Museum with our friends Whitely, Steve and Tully. It's nice for a couple reasons...1.) It's free...2.) It's entertaining. We had a great time with everyone and I'm sure will be making a repeat visit. Last week we decided to keep the ball rolling with a trip to the Marbles Children's Museum. We have been waiting to go to Marbles for when Harper was walking and when Adam had a day off. Well Harper has been walking for 5 months, Adam's free day, well that took a little longer. Anyway, we made it and it was incredible!! We would have been there for a week had we not taken the reins and physically moved Harper along to each station. By the time we left...2 1/2 hours later, we purchased the year's pass. Needless to say, we will be frequenting this little slice of heaven.

I took 270 pictures while we were there. I have narrowed them down as best I could. Just make sure you have food near you and have visited the rest room recently and you should be good. Enjoy

Life & Science Museum

Marble's Children's Museum

We played games.

Drove a boat.

Rode in cars with boys.
Adam and I got pretty lax with Harper while she was there. We let her just ride off with some random firefighter.

Did a little slipping and sliding.
She LOVED the slide. She would scoot herself up to the edge and slide down by herself. Dad had a little trouble letting her go completely on her own.

Watched the fish.

We wrote letters.

Built something with sticks.

Played with a train set.

Painted a masterpiece.

Played in water.

Still played in water.

We had a hard time pulling her away from the water station. She was SOAKED by the time we left.

Drove a submarine.

Navigated the high seas...with dad.

Watered the garden.

Drank out of a cup by ourselves.

Drove a bus.

Built a house...with dad.

Met some surprisingly beautiful people.

We reached out and touched the world...

...then we rocked it.

did a little balancing act, in our tutu.

Scored a goooooooooal!!!

Climbed...with dad.

Tried to drive the Wachovia $ truck home.

Played in the ball pit.

And spotted gummy bears.

It was a very full day. She was literally asleep before we got out of the parking garage.

Ahhhhh...Pet Peeve

2010-08-15T16:53:00.004-04:00

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people stick their hand into a bag/bowl of chips and take FOREVER to take one. JUST PICK A CHIP! Seriously, how long can it take? I have discovered that, along with my husband (yes Adam you do that) Harper is guilty of this horrific action. Her pattern is slightly different though. She will select a chip, or in most cases a goldfish, quite quickly. She will then eat it and stick her hand back in the bag leaving it there until she is ready to eat another one.

I still love her though.

Harper has to get this for Christmas or she'll just DIE

2010-08-09T20:26:00.006-04:00

I know starting a new "traditional" blog post is probably not the best idea. Especially, considering I can't even keep up with the only one I already have, however, this one is different. As I come across things that are too wonderful for Harper to live with out, but too expensive for our wallets right now, I'm going to display them in a post I appropriately call "Harper has to get this for Christmas or she'll just DIE". That way there is no weekly deadline or topic I have to stick to.

There's no holds barred on this list...anything goes, as you will see.

HAPPY SHOPPING :)

Remember this little ditty Harper found herself in?

I FOUND IT IN PINK!!

I also found this in pink.

Now, I have wanted an Audi TT since they came out. Unfortunately, they are not such a family car. However, they make a great little roadster for a 2 year old.

Who says girls can't drive off road? She could do a lot of damage in this bad boy.

Classic little red convertible would make any girl happy.

Or she could just go sweet, simple and environmentally safe in a little yellow bug.

The best thing about most of these is that, even if she can't reach the peddle yet, they have a remote control so we can drive her around! It even has a safety feature that overrides her controls in the car if she is nearing a dangerous situation. I just can't see a reason not to get one.

Oh yeah...the price.

Harper can...a list of her and my top favorites

2010-08-03T11:47:00.010-04:00

1.) PUT THINGS AWAY - this includes things that belong there and things that don't. We have been on many a scavenger hunt lately.

a) her toy birthday cake pieces in the entertainment drawers.

b) the dvd remote we looked for for an entire month, in her toy bin.

2.) SAY ABOUT 20 WORDS - some of her newest being BIRD, PURSE, APPLE, & PLEASE. Keep in mind many of these words are only understood by me, Adam or my mom but nonetheless, she says them.

3.) TURN STUFF ON AND OFF - the TV being her favorite. She can do it with the remote or right on the unit. Light switches and fans are also a big hit.

4.) FEED HERSELF - still a little trouble with soft foods but most of the time she gets it to her mouth.

5.) FEED OTHERS - dolls, bears, us, if it has a mouth she'll feed it. She discovered the other day that feeding Tyler food was as much fun as eating it herself. (she was actually feeding him with a fork though it's hard to see in this picture.)

6.) KNOWS HER COLORS - well...she is really good with blue. Red, yellow and green are in the works.

7.) LOVES TO TWIRL - dancing has always been a big part of Harper's activity schedule, but lately she has discovered a new move...twirling. She really enjoys spinning around and around until she's dizzy. Funny as long as she's not near a sharp or hard object.

8.) WALKING BACKWARDS - don't worry, she still primarily goes forward, but she loves to back up to things even if they are half way across the room.

9.) RIDE WITH THE TOP DOWN - notice their matching jackets.

10.) BLOW KISSES - this is not a new skill, but it remains one of her favorites. She is not shy or stingy with them either. You could be her best friend or the bagger at the grocery store.

11.) MAKING FRIENDS - haven't they always said grocery stores are a great place to meet people.

12.) HIGH FIVE/POUND - high five is nothing new. This skill she has possessed for a while now, however, Adam has taught her to do a pound (fist bump) and it has sparked a new craze. She will come running across the room if you prompt her with either of these activities.

13.) TALK ON THE PHONE - or anything else that may resemble a phone. She spent 20 mins talking to someone on the alarm clock the other day.

14.) SWIM - she's a little fish. She now has decided she is independent enough and doesn't want any help. (sorry it's sideways, when I do video on our little camera it won't let me rotate it.)

15.) BIG LOLLIPOPS - don't worry we didn't give her the entire thing. Just enough to know that she LOVES it.

Fashion Friday is back

2010-07-30T16:48:00.004-04:00

I know, it's been a while. But we're coming back this week with a bang.

It's all about florals this season ladies. They are fresh, fun, and a great way to say "hey, I'm a girl, even though I may not have the long locks of my fellow toddler divas." Florals can also hide any imperfections you may be battling with your figure. Harper, for instance, has problems with saddle bags. Not in this lovely floral sun dress she doesn't. She says "look at me, I'm a little chunky below the waist, but for all you know, I'm Cindy Crawford under here."

Everyone enjoy your summer florals.

A much needed mini vacay

2010-07-26T20:56:00.008-04:00

I can literally remember posting about this a year ago, almost to the word. This past year went by in the blink of an eye. Crazy how that keeps happening.

This past weekend was our annual Bachelor Bay party at my friend Whitley's parents house. They live on the Albemarle sound, one of the most beautiful places in NC. They host what is basically a 3 day party for upwards of 40 people, plus, in the past 2 years, their kids. I can remember the first year we went, back in 2007. Adam and I were engaged, no kids, no responsibilities except to keep up with everyone else who was there. We ate and drank like we would never see it again, and didn't crawl into bed before 2 or 3 either night. The past 2 years however, have been very different. We still had a blast the entire time, but with Harper accompanying us, and knowing we still had to get up at 7:30 and be at our best, bed times and alcohol consumptions were not so impressive.

Get ready for a ridiculous amount of pictures and a mediocre video. I couldn't manage to narrow them down any more than this so just enjoy.

All the guys

...and the girls

An aerial shot of how we spent our days

Looking good, right down to her aqua socks.

Little Holden and Harper chatt'n' it up

Harper slept in the closet because the entire back side of the house was windows. This provided her with a little bit of darkness. When she woke up from her nap, she didn't make a sound, Adam just heard a soft KNOCK KNOCK on the door.

The 3 little ones with their personalized Bachelor Bay t-shirts.

Harper about to take to the open highway, but not before getting the perfect song on the radio.

...found a suitable passenger

EYES ON THE ROAD...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

going where ever the wind may take them.

After the babies were all in bed.

Last night we were there...so pretty.

As we were packing up to come home, Harper put her hat and deflated swimmies on and was running around the house. Needless to say, she didn't want to leave either.

Home again, home again.

Harper absolutely loved being in the water. It was shallow enough that she could walk around and visit, or swim or just wander off into the open sea. I actually was able to sit and relax most of the time and watch her spread her wings, water wings that is, ha ha.

"I pink I can...I pink I can"

2010-07-15T17:44:00.005-04:00

Last month my mom and I walked the Raleigh "Race for the Cure". Emilee was there also with a group from the hospital, so we were able to meet up and walk together. I have a bad habit of not pulling out, and some times not even bringing my camera when I know Emilee will be there with hers. Now naturally her pictures are WAY better than mine would be, however, due to her insanely busy schedule, I am at her mercy as to when I get them. I will say that they are always worth the wait and a late blog post or two isn't the end of the world.
My mom and I have done the walk together every year for the past 10 years or so, but this year we were proud to introduce our little Harper to the tradition. It was, in perfect NC style, 110 degrees that day so Harper was a little on the irritable side at the beginning. Once we got going, and she got a little breeze on her, she passed out and just enjoyed the ride. She was a much happier girl by the end of the race and gave us some great "smile for the camera" shots.

Congratulations to my mom and Missy, who are both survivors of this massively spreading disease. This year marks my mom's 10th year in remission!!

"Water...I'll come to you."

2010-07-12T20:08:00.007-04:00

Well, Adam finally had his second day off this summer. That's right, the SECOND. At least since summer school started back in May. If he has the day off of school he has to work, and vise versa. Since these special days are such a rare occurrence, we don't waste 'em. We were invited down to Kure Beach by our friends Jim and MaryJane, our hockey friends. They are in the process of purchasing an AMAZING beach front house, and decided to stay there to allow them time for a personal inspection. It passed with flying colors.
We went down Friday night after work and came back Sunday morning. We spent just the right amount of time out on the beach (not too long), went to the Fort Fisher aquarium with Harper, then, even coerced their kids to babysit while we had some adult time. It was the best 36 hours we've spent in a long time.
Harper is definitely a girl after her mom and dad. She enjoyed the beach a lot more from the balcony. She didn't like the dry sand, the wet sand, or that eerie water that attacks without personal consent. There were times of enjoyment during dads distractions and nap time, but the overall conclusion was....Harper is a lake girl. Nice, clean, friendly lakes, with boats, and docks, and water that you come to instead of it coming to you.
Along with finding one of Harper's dislikes, we happened upon one of her likes no...loves. We went to the aquarium on a whim, questioning whether Harper would have any interest at all, and she absolutely loved it. She was attempting this adventure with a bad nights sleep, teething, and barely a 30 minute nap, there was question in the air on the sanity of our decision. She was immediately cured of her funk the second we walked in and she saw a water fountain, the fish in the next room were just icing on the cake. She plastered herself to every window she could reach, face on the glass, even knocked over a couple of kids chasing a sea bass.

The Barones don't do anything small. Jim drove down in his truck, towing his flatbed which was carrying his jeep, his new Camaro golf cart, and their new scooter.

Adam getting a handle on the scooter.

We all had the best time on our adult night out. We bar hopped to some really interesting places (hiding the fact that we were all in our 30's with kids at home). This bar was a hole in the wall. You walk in the front door, to the back of the bar where they have a walk in refrigerator, and pick your beer of choice. You then proceed to seat yourself on one of the many lawn, rocking, upholstered, or dining chairs they have as furniture. It looked like a bad garage sale but was the coolest place.

Bye Bye ocean. You are so much prettier from here.

I'm debuting in a wagon...lovely.

2010-07-07T14:42:00.008-04:00

Story of our lives...stuck in Raleigh on a holiday weekend. That's the price you pay for working real estate. Of course, this price seemed a lot cheaper back when it was raking in the bucks, now with this market I feel like it's stealing our souls.
Blah Blah Blah, enough with the pore pitiful me, we actually had an outstanding weekend. We are very lucky to have fantastic friends that also seem to be stuck in Raleigh every 4th of July. Last year we spent the holiday with Lauren, Bryan, and their new addition, Katie. Harper was almost 4 months old, but little ol' Katie was just at the tail end of a week, so we celebrated our independence at their house.
This year, though the basic recipe was the same, we added a few more ingredients. First thing Saturday morning we packed up the wagon and brought it over to Lauren's house, decorated it, and stuck the girls in it like it was their inauguration. We then marched through the neighborhood in style and ended the morning a the pool with a popsicle in hand. Lauren, and I spent the afternoon in the pool with the girls, then we all went out to Brier Creek for the holiday festivities. Sunday night we went back over to Lauren and Bryan's for some of Bryan's famous grilled pizza and a surprisingly extravagant fireworks display in her neighborhood.
I guess as long as we have friends that are willing to stay in town with us, holiday weekends can still be salvaged.

Praising her people.

That' right...we did it. I say we have a good 4 or 5 years before they start to hate us for dressing them alike.

One year ago...

Last weekend...

32 and still holding

2010-07-06T20:55:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM!!!

Sorry sweetie, this was all that was in the pantry. The baby had a fever so I didn't get out today. I know you love my sweet thought more than a big gooey chocolate cake any day. Here's hoping you have a great day and a fantastic 33rd year.

Love you :)

Fast rides & slow days

2010-07-01T10:06:00.006-04:00

With Adam's hectic (to say the least) schedule this summer, we have not had too much time to head up to the lake. This in fact, was only our second day on the boat this year. Sad, I know, especially considering how much Harper has taken to the water. We are hoping, however, that with his schedule this semester it might allow us a day here or there to get out.
Each time we have taken Harper to the lake she has enjoyed herself a little more. The only part she seams to have "issues" with is the wearing of the life jacket. I can't say I blame her, they are not fun. However, this time she brought along with her a new attitude and, though still looking uncomfortable at times, had a GREAT time. This was her first time in the lake water and it was definitely the highlight of the day, hers and ours. She just loves the water, is totally comfortable in and around it, and Adam and I could not be more thrilled. Be it a pool, a lake, or the dogs bowl, water is her friend and she can't get enough.
After going to the lake, we spent part of the next day at the pool with Whitley, and Tully. Tully is a little fish in the water and being around him has definitely improved Harper's aquatic skills. We all had a fun day despite a few clouds. After the past couple weeks it was actually a little refreshing.

You can say you knew me BEFORE I was famous.

2010-06-22T13:17:00.003-04:00

Well...maybe not famous, but very successful at the least. Ok Ok, I'll settle for talented enough that random people want to buy some things and I keep myself busy in the mean time.
This is a project that has been in the works for a long time, and if it weren't for the unconditional support and push by my family, friends and especially Adam, I would never have gotten even this far (and yes, by "this far" I mean one piece).
I am hoping to get to a point of selling some pieces, but as for right now I am focusing on perfecting the technique with several things around the house. Once I get really going I'll be starting a blog specifically for the biz, but as for now, everyone will have to put up with the progress posts.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped me and will continue helping me.

I forgot to take a picture of the table before we started, but I remembered as we started to prime. In this picture you can also see part of the 12'x7' paint booth my dad put up in our garage, and the rolling table that has proved to be a crucial tool.

This table would never have been possible without the keen eye of my friend Lauren. It was a Craigslist find and was perfect for my first project. Thanks so much.

Fashion Friday

2010-06-18T22:39:00.002-04:00

Today I pulled out a skirt Harper hasn't worn since last fall. I got it at a craft fair and couldn't wait to put her in it, even though it was HUGE on her. She hasn't worn it again until now. This was because I didn't really think she had anything to go with it, plus, I sort of forgot about it. Well, I'm so glad I broke it out again because...I LOVE IT!!! In fact, I love it so much, it may make another appearance in an up and coming Fashion Friday with a different top.
The hair piece Harper is displaying is a handmade garment using the left over fabric from her crib bedding. The idea was brought to me by my friend Meredith who had made a couple for her little girl Savannah. Some days it's just fun to be crafty, but it's always important to complete an outfit.