Sunday wake up

For some reason Brinley sleeps in late on Sunday mornings so we always have to wake her up for church. As much as I hate waking her up I love seeing her asleep and peaceful. Holding her as she wiggles and rubs her eyes and nuzzles her head into my neck is one feeling I hope I never forget.

Summer Vacation Part 4: Colorado

Our trip to Colorado was a blast, but way too short. We were lucky to celebrate the Fourth while we were there.  We spent the day swimming, eating popsicles,  playing corn hole, lighting sparklers, and watching fireworks with Brent's parents and his sister and her cute family. My ideal way to spend the fourth.

  

Brinley had her first pony ride while we were waiting for fireworks to start. Well, sort of.  It was a little scary for her so it only lasted a second.  As much as she loves animals, she does NOT enjoy riding them.  I love how unpredictable kids can be.

We were sad to finally go home because we don't know the next time we'll be able to be back to Colorado. We really hope it will be sooner rather than later!

Summer Vacation Part 3: Newport Beach California

Hey look at that, I am actually writing the post that I said I would!  Following through. I am working on it. 

The third leg of our summer trip consisted of us driving back to California (I know, more driving).  Brent's grandpa who recently passed away had a beach house there that we were able to stay at.  The beach was AMAZING.  It was one of the most relaxing weeks we have had in a while.  

Brinley loved loved loved the beach. Playing in the sand could keep her entertained for hours.  She even liked eating crackers covered in sand.  Not my snack of choice, but she didn't seem to mind.  When it comes to water, this girl has no fear.  She would just run straight toward the waves, not even knowing what was about to hit her.  

We spent the week with Brent's sister and her husband, Kristen and Jake.  We had a blast with them.  They were even kind enough to watch Brinley one night so we could go out for our anniversary.  Brent, the romantic that he is (haha), proposed while we were in Newport beach three years ago.  It was fun to have a night to ourselves.  

Frozen bananas and a round...or two, or three...of canasta filled each evening, despite my horrible losing streak. Thanks for putting up with us and our crazy kid for a whole week Kristen and Jake!

This 100+ degree weather is making me wish I was there right now...

Growing up

I decided to try to put Brinley's hair in a ponytail today and I think she is the cutest little thing.

Summer Vacation Part 2: Utah

After our trip to California we drove to Utah to visit for a few days.  We had a blast going to the zoo with cousins.  Brinley's favorite thing right now is animals.  It doesn't matter what it is, she is fascinated by anything that moves and semi resembles a dog (or cat, or bug, or bird or whatever).  Her favorite things from the zoo were the monkeys.  I now hear monkeys at all times of day, coming from Brinley of course.

I was able to take some pictures of Brinley for Fathers Day while in Utah.  I put these three in a frame, but for some reason the formatting is a little weird in a collage, and I gave up. You can get the idea though.

Brent is the best father and husband anyone could ask for. We sure lucked out. We love you Brent!

After spending a few days in Utah we actually went back to California to spend a week at the beach.  Pictures from that to come shortly (in my time that generally means anywhere between 1 day and never).  We then went back to Utah.  Are you confused/bored/sick of driving yet?  Yes, we did a lot of driving back and forth, but it was well worth it.  On our second round to Utah I spent a lot of time with my two awesome sisters making baby blankets and other things.  This is one of the things I miss the most about living in Utah.  I wish I could just hang out with them all the time.  They are great.  Here are the things that I made while there:

A cuddly receiving blanket

A cover for our changing pad.  The top part is super soft fabric.  Brinley loves it.

A new nursing cover.  My old one shrunk when I washed it so it wasn't long enough.  Hopefully this one will work better! Plus I think it's kind of cute.

I sure miss spending time with our families and can't wait for everyone to come out to Mississippi and visit - hint, hint.

Laid back

Brinley doesn't need to be at home or in the house to kick her feet up and relax. A shopping cart will do just fine thank you.

Summer Vacation Part 1: California

We started off our summer vacation driving for two full days to make it to California in time for Brent's Grandpa's funeral. We were expecting to drive to Colorado to see him before he passed away but we were just a few days too late. Brent was pretty bummed that we didn't get to see him, but we are so glad we were able to make it in time for the funeral. It was a wonderful weekend spent with Brent's family reminiscing and telling stories about Grandpa Gill. The service was beautiful. Grandpa Gill will be missed down here for a while, but one day I know we will get to see him again.

Grandpa Gill chose to be cremated. His ashes were sent off into the Ocean by his children. Very fitting as he will always be associated with the beach in our minds. All of the Grandchildren and great grandchildren were able to watch from the jetty just outside his beach home and throw flowers into the water. It was a beautiful moment.

Brent and Brinley waving goodbye to Grandpa from the jetty

Brinley with her cousin Clark

Although we didn't get in the water while we were there, Brinley Absolutely loved playing in the sand. She even tried tasting it a few times.

Here are some pictures from the trip!

Finally home

After almost a month of travels we are finally home. The only problem is we left for vacation after moving into our new apartment the day before. So instead of coming home to a nice clean place to live, we came home to a house full of boxes. Awesome.

Our trip consisted of driving all the way to California, to Utah, back to California, back to Utah, to Colorado, and then finally home. Bored yet? 7 full days of driving, crossing 15 states, while between 30 and 34 weeks pregnant. So fun.

Okay so the driving part was rather miserable. However we really enjoyed spending time with family in Utah and Colorado, and our time at the beach. It was hard to come back home after all that.

I am going to try to do a few posts in the next few days about our trip, but it's just too much to do all at once. So keep your eye out!

Mug shot

This is my little criminal. She is usually guilty of snuggling, running away from Mom and Dad, not eating dinner, and jumping into the pool where no one can catch her.