I know how much you love a good before and after

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

Aaaaannnd...1 hour later

"The Lake People" head to the beach

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??

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

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!"

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

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!!

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

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.