The Dague Family

24 weeks and counting

2012-02-15T19:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday marked...

24 weeks

A simple photo shoot for the belly turned into a little more.

These little ones make sure they are a part of it all!

Kisses from big brother & sister.

I hope Deacon is ready because he's going to get a lot of love when he's born!

A fun video of Gracie

2012-02-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun video of Gracie requesting to be tickled under the arm!

Baby #3's name

2012-01-30T19:21:00.002-05:00

We are so excited to announce Number 3's official name. We've had this name picked out for a boy since I was pregnant with Grace & we still love it. It's biblical yet unique, uncommon but not unheard of.

Deacon - to serve; messenger

The middle name is after Kyle's twin brother Nathan. We added the "iel" because it flows a bit better that way.

Nathaniel - God has given

His full name will mean:

Deacon Nathaniel - servant/messenger whom God has given

Meanings of our other children's names:

Noah Matthew - rest/comfort in the gift of God

Grace Christine - the grace of Christ

Here's a picture of the nursery all ready to go!!

The First Five Years

2012-01-26T14:54:00.000-05:00

Jauary 27, 2007

I looked forward to that date with great anticipation for several months.

Now it's hard to believe that was 5 years ago! And what a busy 5 years it's been.

Where should I start?

We graduated, got married, moved into an apartment in Devon, studied for and took our board exams, started our first jobs, got pregnant (what?!? only 3 months after getting married?!), went excitedly to our first OB appointment, all to find out we had lost the baby (it took them 4 weeks to confirm so we were on an emotional roller coaster for all of June 2007), finally said goodbye to our little sweetheart on June 29, 2007, spent the rest of the summer healing, got pregnant with Noah in September 2007, bought a house, had Noah in June 2008, quit my job to stay home, discovered Dave Ramsey in fall 2008, I went back to work and we worked harder than ever and paid off ALL our debts by August 2009, Kyle became a pharmacy manager, then I got pregnant with Grace, Grace was born in April 2010, and now we are expecting baby number three in just a few short months.

Whew! Are you tired yet? I am.

In our short 5 years of marriage we've faced it all. The biggest 'stressors' in life - marriage, buying a home, starting new careers, graduating college, loss of loved ones (our sweet baby in 2007, Kyle's grandmother Ree in 2008, and my grandfather last year), and of course having children.

Everything that we've done and that we've been through has only brought us closer together. Time may say we've only been married for 5 years, but to us 5 years just doesn't do it justice. The quality severely outweighs the quantity.

Over the last 5 years we have learned to

laugh together

cry together

lose sleep together

fight battles together

work together

and

sacrifice together

There is no one on this earth I would have rather been through it all with. We know how to be strong when the other is weak, to be open minded when the other is closed, to be serious when the other is going crazy.

During these first five years we've also been extremely blessed in so many ways. Our children are perfect and healthy. They are wonderful kids that love us and are learning to love Jesus as well. We are expecting a third healthy child and we are just so thankful for that! Our extended family has also grown with the addition of nephews (no nieces yet on either side!) and in-laws. We've enjoyed Chritmases, and birthdays, first steps, first words and first days of school. What more can you really ask for?

There is a song, and it's super cheesy, but so fitting for our lives together.

"He must've heard every prayer I've been praying,

He must've knew everything I would need

When God made you He must have been thinking about me"

Looking back out our innocent little wedding pictures I'm so happy I opened those doors and walked down that aisle. I may not have known exactly what I was walking towards, but I would do it all over again.

BEST. DECISION. I. EVER. MADE.

Looking forward to the years to come...

Gender Reveal Party!

2012-01-21T20:52:00.000-05:00

Is it a boy or a girl???

Tonight we had family over and had a low key party to reveal the baby's gender. The guests were supposed to come dressed in blue or pink - their vote as to what they thought the baby was going to be. Only my parents came dressed for the theme - one in pink, the other in blue.

The food at the party consisted of anything pink or blue that I could find. We had pink and blue jelly bellies, pink and blue m&m's, strawberries & blueberries, pink oreos (who knew they existed?!) and green oreos (unfortunately no blue, but green still works). It wasn't exactly the healthiest gathering, but it was fun.

Pretty much everything else we served were cravings that women in the family had while pregnant.

Cheddar sun chips & yorks (my cravings this pregnancy)

Pickle juice (Lauren's craving)

Cherry salad (Kyle's sister Jess's craving)

Pickles (Kyle's moms craving)

Hershey bars (my mom's craving)

This piggy bank was at my baby shower 4 years ago when I was pregnant with Noah, and all of the guests signed it. Now here it is 4 years later still in use and still relevant...how cool is that!

The BIG reveal

I made cupcakes with a 'surprise' inside. Everyone at the party received a cupcake that when they took a bite the gender of the baby was revealed either through blue or pink filling.

A video of the reveal - it's a little chaotic but you get the idea

My crazy dad!

So yes, we are having a little BOY!!!!!

I am so excited for Noah to be getting a little brother - he SO needs it! I hope this little guy is tough because he'll NEED to be. He's got a big brother and big sister that LOVE to wrestle and play. I will say that I'm a little sad for Grace that she won't have a sister (yet?), but it had to go one way or the other. The whole pregnancy we've been thinking boy since this pregnancy feels so much more like Noah's than Grace's. Strange how that works!

Note: I put the kids in pink to throw people off about whether it was a boy or girl, Kyle and I wore blue!

During the ultrasound I actually saw the evidence that it was a boy, and turned to the sonographer and asked "It's a boy isn't it?" and she brushed over it claiming she hadn't yet checked (we had told her not to tell us but to write it on a piece of paper). Later when we caved and found out it was a boy the sonographer said "He was a rockstar" because he kept showing off his stuff and she kept trying to hide it from us....oh boy!!

The name coming soon....

20 weeks: Ultrasound!

2012-01-17T22:04:00.001-05:00

20 weeks!

Today was one of my favorite days - the 20 week ultrasound! I love this day because it's such an amazing experience. I am so grateful to God for this precious child. Unfortunately, I know what it's like to stare at an ultrsound screen desperate for any sign of life only to leave the room in tears so any time I get to watch a living, moving, healthy creation, it's pure joy. All of those hours I've spent nauseated and hanging my head over a toilet just completely disappear.

The baby is healthy. Amazing. I was worried throughout the ultrasound because she kept going back to look at the baby's heart, and I didn't see the clear cut 4 chambers I'd seen with my 2 previous babies. In the end they said everything looked perfect. I'm obviously not a sonographer so I trust that she and the doctor know what they were looking at and that the baby's heart is perfectly fine.

Throughout the ultrasound Number 3 constantly had his/her hand next to his face. It seemed as if Number 3 was trying really hard to figure out how to get that thumb in the mouth. We even saw during the 4D part Number 3 opening his mouth - much like a newborn that is rooting. Finally at the end of the ultrasound when they were getting the final profile shots Number 3 finally got that thumb in his mouth and started sucking away. (Apparently sonogaphers can tell when they are sucking their thumb or not --who knew??) Watching the little one's success made me laugh, which shook the baby, and the poor thing lost his thumb and was back to square one! Poor baby!

who doesn't love a baby foot right?

Now the big question. Boy or Girl???

Last Christmas Video of 2011

2012-01-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

Forgot I had recorded this on my iphone on Christmas Eve!

The kids all dressed for the Christmas Eve service at church.

Don't the look great???

I'm not sure how the clarity will come out but I hope it's okay.

Christmas Aprons

2012-01-03T14:17:00.000-05:00

This year my mom decided she wanted to make Grace (her only granddaughter so far) a Christmas apron. This led her to think she should make one for me to match Grace, which led her to thinking she should make one for herself to match Grace and I. This then led her to want to make one for my sisters (and sister in law) to match us, which led her to want to make one for my grandmother to match all of us. Therefore one small little idea led her into making 7 different Christmas aprons!

My mom designed, sewed, and made them reversible and coordinating! Impressive, right??

My mom, Grace & I

Grace's apron had a little bit of everyone's patterns.

All of the aprons (minus Lauren and Grandmom)

Needless to say we wore the Christmas aprons all day on Christmas, and I think we will every year from now on!

Thanks mom for all your hard work! These aprons are a treasure!

Christmas videos

2011-12-30T21:07:00.000-05:00

Here are a few videos of the kids opening their gifts on Christmas morning.

This one is of Noah opening the very much anticipated Polar Express train. He was very specific on what he wanted and thankfully what we got was it! whew!

Gracie getting in on the action.

Opening presents from Grammy Val & Poppy!

Playing with presents

(sorry about the loud hammering in the background - I was putting Grace's cozy coupe together)

Needless to say this year was a very fun Christmas morning.

Not only were we home but the kids really understood what was going on.

They both eagerly opened gifts after the Christmas story was read and best of all they understood why - that Jesus was born on Christmas and was such a gift to us, that we give gifts to others.

Mission accomplished.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

A preview of several Christmas pictures to come.

Gracie all dressed up on Christmas Eve!!!

My handsome little man on Christmas Eve!

The Dague Family 2011

Merry Christmas! We hope you had a wonderful day celebrating Jesus' birthday!

Reindeer munch

2011-12-18T19:46:00.001-05:00

Today we made the easiest Christmas snack ever! And it's so cute too!

Reindeer munch:
Thin pretzels
Rice chex cereal
Craisins
M&m's
Salted peanuts

Vanilla candy melts (bought at AC Moore)
I also used green for fun!

Mix all ingredients in big bowl (except candy melts)

Melt vanilla candy melts & mix
Spread flat on wax paper until dries then break apart

It makes a TON I was surprised!!

Makes a tasty and fun gift for family & friends!

Pregnancy Update...

2011-12-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

15 weeks

(Note: picture taken Wednesday December 14th)

Here I am, 15 weeks 4 days today.

This is only the 2nd pregnancy picture I've taken so far (and I can't seem to find the first one). Sorry Number 3.

It really does get less and less with each pregnancy but come on I've got 2 kids to take care of now!

Way back when I was pregnant with Noah life was MUCH different.

I took naps, I watched tv, I actually read my "your pregnancy this week" emails, I got massages and sympathy.

Pregnancy number 3 rolls around and motherhood has already set in.

Life keeps marching on morning sickness or not.

No naps for me!

Although I am thrilled to NOT be working this pregnancy.

It has truly been a blessing in so many ways!

Last week I started to feel really good, almost normal.

And then, Sunday came and I went right back to my usual routine of sick in the morning, ok mid day, very sick at night.

Ah! I thought I was in the clear!!!

This pregnancy is so similar to Noah's that I will be SHOCKED if we find out it's not a boy!

Speaking of Noah, pregnancy #3 comes with some fun surprises.

With the first two I didn't have a little guy doing this:

Noah at 15 weeks

He MADE me take a picture of him holding the sign too!

He's such a proud big brother.

He really seems to be understanding the concept of a baby in Mommy's belly.

In fact this morning as I was throwing up he said

"Mommy what's gotten into you?"

To which I replied "A baby."

And he said "Oh, ok." and walked away.

I love that kid.

I know he'll be such a great big brother to this little one, because he's already so good with Grace.

He's got such a heart of gold.

Christmas Tree Traditions

2011-11-27T20:23:00.000-05:00

Today we made our 3rd annual trip to Yeager's Christmas Tree Farm. Every year it gets more and more fun with the kids.

We take a hayride down to the Christmas tree 'forest'.

Then we walk around looking for the 'perfect' tree.

I like to take a picture with the kids and a similarly sized tree.

Aren't these baby trees cute?

This year Noah had very strong opinions.

In years past we would stumble upon a tree and Noah would like it just because.

However this year we had criteria. It had to be a) TALL and b) BIG.

Here's the tree he wanted to get.

However since we don't live in the White House we had to convince him we needed one a bit shorter.

"Noah the tree can't be too big or there won't be any room for the presents to go underneath"

It took him a second to process this information, but it worked!

Here's the tree we chose! The perfect size for a Polar Express train to go underneath. Deal.

It's a wonder we parents got anything done before we had such great helpers :)

One of the best things about Yeager's is all of the photo ops they have set up.

That and the FREE hot chocolate and cookies they have after you cut your tree down.

Yup that's right we pay double for our tree...but we get free cookies and cocoa!! Hehe.

Don't they look so cute in Santa's massive chair? I couldn't get them to both look so this will have to do.

New this year: GIANT SNOWMAN.

Decorating the tree...

The finished product. What do you think?

Kind of a hodge-podge, but I like it. It's got character.

Gotta love all of the "handmade" kid ornaments.

Noah's Thankful Feast

2011-11-22T13:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Today was Noah's Thankful Feast at school. He and his classmates performed a few songs for everyone and then we ate a nice big feast which was prepared by the kids. Going into it, I knew Noah would either be the star of the show or he'd clam up and not sing at all. Here's what happened.

Noah is in the back in the navy blue shirt with the teacher.

Noah is the one with his back turned to the crowd, and when he does turn around he's making faces!

I guess if I can't get a video of Noah singing, a cute picture will have to do!!

a picture with Grancy and Pop who came to see Noah on his big day!!!

Thanksgiving 2011: "Noah is thankful for apples and sandwiches"

Haircuts

2011-11-11T18:28:00.001-05:00

I am a barber. Not the best, but not half bad either. Yes thats right On top of all of the other mom things I do, I also cut Kyle and Noah's hair. Over the summer I got tired of spending $40 every 4 weeks on their haircuts and decided to spend a whopping $24 on a set of clippers. I've been meaning to capture my handiwork in pictures do here it is... (oh and yes I cut Noah's hair for picture day at school!)

Here are the before and afters.

(this is my first time using my phone to post)

Some exciting news

2011-11-08T06:47:00.000-05:00

Grace is going to be a big sister!

Yup that's right, baby #3 is in the oven and we are so excited!

Grace actually has no idea what's going on, but Noah seems to really be grasping the fact that there's a baby in Mommy's belly.

He even tells me he's got a baby in his belly!

Noah has told me several times that there's 2 babies in there, but so far we've only seen one! whew!

He also likes to talk to the baby.....and jump on the baby. That's what big brothers are for, right?

Number 3 is due June 5, one week exactly before Noah's 4th birthday! WOW!

Happy Hallo-Christmas!!

2011-10-31T20:07:00.000-04:00

Halloween 2011

Noah - cow

Grace - cupcake

a pre-trick or treating photo...notice the sad faces, no sugar yet!

Grace got right in there and caught on quickly! She devoured as much sugar as a.....cupcake!!

Our first door - always our awesome next door neighbors! They always give the kids extra candy because they are special!! :)

Noah's quote of the night: As kids walked away from the house after getting their candy Noah yelled out

"Happy Hallo-Christmas!!!!!!"

Reminiscent of Noah's other little quirk: "See you next to later!"

Love that kid.

Snowy October?

2011-10-31T07:48:00.000-04:00

Leaves on the trees + snow = lots of fun for little boys!

Kyle and Noah made a pumpkin snow man - here's the before

making the snowman/pumpkin

And here's the finished product! They did a great job and had a lot of fun!

I dont know how it happened...

2011-10-27T14:19:00.000-04:00

but I have the BEST kids in the world!!

Annual Pumpkin Patch Trip

2011-10-15T14:41:00.000-04:00

Today we enjoyed our 2nd annual trip to Milky Way Farm in Chester Springs. This year was fun because both Noah and Grace were able to walk through the pumpkin patch and pick pumpkins.

We took a hayride to the pumpkin patch and it was the highlight of the day. Noah and Grace really enjoyed the tractor, pointing out different parts of the farm, and of course the animals.

Noah practicing his punting skills....

Searching for the perfect pumpkin.

.....And she found it!!!

She was determined to carry that pumpkin the entire time!

Perfect Thanksgiving greeting card photo...if we sent them out.

Possibly a new tradition...

2011-10-14T19:08:00.000-04:00

Tonight while we waited for Daddy to come home late from work we decorated our Haunted House.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

As you can see the kids had a blast. Fortunately for me since it was a haunted house the worse it looked...the better! Noah even made me put a garage on the side with a car in it!

I sound like my mom!

2011-10-09T12:56:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been saying "Ugh I sound like my mom!" a whole lot more than I used to. Here are some of the latest culprits.

"Because I said so."

"I didn't ask if you wanted to."

"Don't worry about what your sister is doing just worry about yourself"

"Go to the bathroom before we leave" OR "Did you go to the bathroom before we left?"

and last but not lease the verse that makes me shutter b/c when she'd say it you KNEW you were in trouble...

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

(and yes now I say it for the same reasons she used to)

Love you Mom!

naptime

2011-10-08T13:14:00.000-04:00

How Noah and I spend napime (Grace's naptime). I looked up and he had a crayon behind each ear.

No idea where he got that from!

Look at that face! Doesn't your heart just melt? I know mine does!!

It's almost bedtime....

2011-10-07T19:15:00.000-04:00

Literally minutes before bedtime....these kids go all day until the minute they hit the pillow!!

funny things kids do

2011-10-07T15:46:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to get a picture of this for a while before Noah stops doing it.

At bedtime when saying prayers Noah makes Kyle or I pray on his back.

Yes that's right - Noah lays on his stomach and we HAVE TO pray with our head on his back.

I have no idea why or where he got this idea, but he does it quite consistently.

Look at that face, he thinks he's so funny!!

Coloring...

2011-10-06T19:40:00.000-04:00

...because it's fall!

2011-09-24T10:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday officially marked the beginning of fall!

Not much has changed outside yet - it's still rain, rain, rain! However the kids are enjoying the adjustments that fall brings. Noah is loving preschool, and Grace is wishing she could go too!

Noah has already broken in his halloween costume.

This morning we decided to welcome fall with these fun Rice Krispie Treats! They were so easy, even Noah was able to make them.

Grace helped by taste-testing and Noah did a great job making the pumpkins and applying their stems. :) This is the first time we've made these, but I definitely think it will be a fun tradition

Grace Loves Shoes!

2011-09-15T19:35:00.000-04:00

I LOVE SHOES!

One of the most random but funniest things that emerged over the summer as Grace learned to talk was her obsession over shoes. I say this is random because shoes are definitely not something I encouraged. I'm one of those few women who have 4 or 5 pairs of shoes and that's it!

Anyway, shoes was one of Grace's first words (after mommy and daddy) and to make it even more hilarious is that she pronounces it like a valley girl saying 'shuhs'. We cannot even cross the threshold of the door without her having her 'shuhs' on already.

We recently got her winter boots in the mail, a pink and brown pair of ugg knock-offs that are so stinkin' cute!

Grace insisted that mommy wear her boots!

Yes her shoe obsession even transfers to Thomas the train boots! AH!

Grace modeling her tan pair of uggs (knock offs)

Here you can see Grace saying 'shuhs'

Grace has also learned a great deal. She is such a sponge, she just absorbs everything!! Here are 2 videos that I finally was able to capture of her showing some of her skills :).

I am such a proud mommy. She is so smart!!!

Noah's First Day of Preschool 2011

2011-09-08T15:27:00.000-04:00

This year we are so excited to be sending Noah to Windsor Christian Preschool! We have heard so many wonderful things about it and are so excited that he will be learning about numbers, shapes, colors, and most importantly Jesus! It is such a sweet little school, we couldn't be more thrilled!

First day of Preschool 2011

Noah showing off his new backpack that the school gives the children.

Grace is very excited for Noah too!

Off we go!

Noah had a great day, met some new friends and enjoyed being line leader and snack helper! This year is going to be great!

My beautiful family

2011-09-03T13:35:00.001-04:00

This summer we got professional photos taken of us by Shannn Marie Photography and they turned out to be amazing. We just got them all in and we ae so happy with the results. Here are all the pictures that were took. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Can you guess which ones are my favorite?

Pig-tails!!!!

2011-08-12T09:06:00.000-04:00

Ever since I foud out that I was having a girl when I was pregnant with Grace I have been so excited to put her hair in pigtails!! Here's a look at Grace in her first set of pigtails!

Uh-oh!!

2011-08-08T09:17:00.000-04:00

When disciplining our children we give them the count to 3 to do what we are asking. This mainly applies to Noah but yesterday Kyle said it to Grace and this is what happened...

So how do we discipline her when she thinks it's a joke! She already has us wrapped around her finger - and she's not even a teenager. Uh-oh! We're in trouble!

On the positive side she can count to three!!?

The Power of Band-Aids!

2011-08-07T19:54:00.000-04:00

Noah is at such a fun age right now. Over the past few months his speech has really taken off and he says some of the most hilarious things. His comprehension has also skyrocketed and I can now have conversations with him. Along with his advancing communication come some wonderful, beautifully innocent childhood moments that I want to grab ahold of and hold onto as long as possible. One such moment came this past weekend in the car ride home from Ocean City, MD. We had just reached the stretch of highway when Noah announced "I have to poop!!!!". Kyle and I look at each other trying to figure out what to do with this situation. With no kid-potty and no safe place to pull over we hoped he could hold it until we could find the next exit with a bathroom. Kyle turned to Noah and said you have to hold it buddy we'll find you a potty soon. Then Kyle said "Squeeze your cheeks!!" I glance over at Kyle in the passenger seat who is now laughing saying look at Noah. I look in the rear-view mirror and see Noah hands on (face) cheeks squeezing them together. Noah squeezed those cheeks all the way until we could find him a potty and I am happy to say he did succesffuly hold it!

Noah is at the age where Mommy's kisses heal all wounds. I am loving this part of his childhood! He has become convinced of the cure-all power of band-aids too. I have to admit I'm a little jealous because it seems that band-aids might be replacing Mommy's kisses, but moments like the following make it all okay.

Noah has recently been complaining of tooth pain - I think a molar might be coming in. He was crying and screaming so Kyle offered to put a band-aid on it and Noah immediately said yes, and the crying miraculously stopped!

For two days now Noah has had a band-aid attached to the left side of his mouth where it hurts and he is convinced the band-aid makes it all better - no more screaming and crying from this kid!

If only we could all view the world as innocently and as purely as a child!

Vacation: Naps on the beach!

2011-08-06T17:10:00.000-04:00

Thursday was the last full day of our vacation in OC, MD so we wanted to make the most of it. We spent the entire day on the beach, from 10 am until 5pm. For some this might be a common occurrence but for me this was an extreme oddity. Don't get me wrong I love the beach, but only for about 3 hours at a time (especially with little ones). One of the reasons we were able to spend the day at the beach was the kids miraculously took naps on the beach. Here's my proof!

It was so weird and nice for Kyle and I to sit on the beach and relax with no little ones to watch...a perfect last day at the beach.

Vacation!!

2011-08-01T15:43:00.000-04:00

We are currently in the beautiful Ocean City, MD enjoying a wonderful and much needed vacation! Here are a few of the pictures I have so far of all of the fun we've been having!!

Noah and Grace love the beach!!! Grace loves to climb around in the sand.

Noah has really enjoyed the water this year!

Josh & Noah playing in the waves!

Grace & Aunt Jen (the same-birthday girls)

Daddy & Uncle Matt swinging Grace in the water.

Gracie & Daddy

watch out for the waves!

Noah & Aunt Amy

Family Beach Photo 2011

Cleaning up the mess...

2011-07-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

Noah dumped out a box of corn muffin mix on our couch so we decided to make him clean it up himself!

He was confused at first why we were making him clean up the mess he made and thought after a few minutes we would take over and clean it up for him.

Nope! We had him clean the entire mess start to finish.

Grace pointing out the empty box.

Maybe next time he thinks about making a mess he'll think twice? We'll see!

Meanwhile Grace has become obsessed with shoes, it's hilarious!!! She specifically loves her pink sandals with sequins.

Cause Baby You're a Firework!

2011-07-10T07:44:00.000-04:00

We've lived in the Lionville area for over 3 years now, but have never been to the Uwchlan Community Day. Last year my sister Jen was getting married the day of the festival (Happy Anniversary Jen & Andy) so we couldn't go, but this year we were excited to have nothing planned that day. The day ends in the self proclaimed best fireworks in Chester County. Noah has only been to fireworks once and Grace had never so we were excited for the kids to experience a great American tradition. The day was a blast and we spent 5 plus hours there! Here are some pictures from the day.

Noah enjoyed several rides - which he rode by himself!!! It freaked me out because he's becoming so independent. He's a kid, not a baby anymore!

Grace & Daddy

Noah vs. another kid named Noah....our Noah won! :)

wearing the firefigher hat

Noah took this part very seriously. He wore his firefigher hat and had this look on his face the entire time he sat in the fire truck. He would not smile at all...very very serious business.

Another shot of how seriously Noah took being a firefighter. Look at the concentration on his face!

We asked Noah to make a firefighter's face and this is the face he made over and over again, it was hilarious!!.

Gracie enjoying Daddy's water ice.

fireworks!!!!

Grace was very good with her first fireworks. She didnt cry or fuss at all. She just quietly watched them. Meanwhile Noah is freaking out so I had to hold my hands over his ears the entire time because he didn't like how loud they were.

A few minutes in to the fireworks Grace FELL ASLEEP!!!! And she stayed asleep, it was unbelievable!

I have to say they were the longest, and best fireworks I've ever seen. They were even better than the fireworks after the Phillies games down in the city. I was very impressed and thrilled that the best fireworks were basically in our backyard! All in all it was a great family day that we've been needing for quite some time!

Happy 4th

2011-07-08T07:11:00.000-04:00

Took this pictur of Kyle for a gag Christmas gift which was a calendar with Kyle's picture every month. I think it's hilarious so I didn't want to forget to share it now that it's finally seasonally appropriate.

Happy Birthday America!

2011-07-04T19:54:00.000-04:00

4th of July 2010

I found this picture of Grace last year on the 4th of July at only 10 weeks old and I just couldn't believe how different she looks so I had to add it!!

4th of July 2011

and now look how big she is!!! eating her candy all by herself!

As you can see we continued the 27 year tradition of going to the 4th of July parade in Newtown Square. This year was Kyle's first year being able to go and we were so happy to enjoy the parade together as a family. I should have known having Kyle there would change things because as a float of young kids with water guns drove by Kyle (behind my back) pointed for them to squirt me with the water!!! Six kids with supersoakers got me pretty good! Needless to say I paid him back later and poured a bucket of water on him when he least expected :).

Noah caught on really quick about the floats throwing candy. We even got some 4th of July tattoos!

At one point the Philly pretzel factory walked by and we got a little pretzel which Noah promptly ate. Aunt Amy asked Noah for a piece and this is the TINY piece that he gave her!!!! He's a total man - unwilling to share his food!

Another great year at the Marple-Newtown 4th of July parade! Can't wait until next year!

Surprise Beach Day

2011-07-03T22:14:00.000-04:00

My parents were heading to OC NJ today to pick up my grandmother who was staying with my aunt and asked if I wanted to tag along with the kids since Kyle was working. Who says no to a beach day?? (Well I actually almost did, but I'm glad I didn't!) Noah and Grace loved the beach. They didn't nap all day and you couldn't even tell. They were so happy to be covered in sand from head to toe.

Grace enjoyed the little hole we dug and splashed in the water most of the day. Any time a wave came close she would run away though. I guess she didn't like the cold water.

Grandmom Videon, Grace & Mommy

Grancy & Noah

Noah enjoyed pretending the sand was different foods that he was serving. He made chocolate, pizza, and even bananas out of sand. Yum!!!!

Farm Therapy

2011-07-02T15:41:00.000-04:00

What do you do when you're having one of those bad mom days? Well you take the kids to the farm of course!

The kids had a great time looking at all of the animals. The cows were their favorite!

Baking with Mom

2011-06-30T19:07:00.000-04:00

Growing up and even still today one of my favorite activities is baking with my mom. It used to be that we'd bake cookies together and by the end of it I had run off to play leaving my mom with the mess. Now that I think of it the last few time we've baked together she's been the one to run off and "play" leaving me with the mess! Either way I think baking is one of the best things to do with my mom, and now I love baking with my kids.
Noah and I have baked several things together and he's actually getting quite good at "helping". Over the weekend we went to the Bissett family reunion (Kyle's mom's extended family) and we got a family cookbook filled with family recipes. Today we tried our first recipe called Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies. This recipe was from Kyle's great uncle - how cool!! Not only that but it was Grace's first time "helping" to bake with Noah and I. As soon as Noah saw me get out the Kitchenaid mixer he grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the counter to help. Seeing Noah Grace followed and tried to pull a chair up but Mommy had to help a little. Grace felt like such a big girl and was so proud to be standing up at the counter helping. I gave them each a stick of butter (the recipe called for 2) with the wrapper on, so their sweaty little hands could soften them. They were also very good at taste-testing the chocolate chips to ensure quality :).

taste-testing is the best part!!

so proud of themselves!!!

The cookies were delicious!!!

Summer is officially here!

2011-06-23T21:42:00.000-04:00

Now that summer is "officially" here we have been enjoying several summer activities. The backyard baby pool has been very popular, as has the neighborhood swimming pool.

I bought 2 little fishing nets that come with plastic toy fish and they have LOVED playing with them in the pools. Grace is quickly learning "fishy!" which sounds more like shee shee but we know what she means.

Grace has also learned several words even though they don't exactly sound the same. Here are her newest words.

baaa = bye (waves)
dah-dee = daddy
dAH-dee = doggie (gets higher pitched than with Daddy)
mah-mah = mom
oeh aaah = Noah
ah eeee = so big! (raises arms up)

Gotta love these cute little attempts at speaking.

Coming soon: video of Noah singing a song from Tangled

Philly Mud Run...we did it!!

2011-06-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

Today I accomplished something I'm actually very proud of, I completed the mud run!! Yes that means I ran 6.21 miles soaking wet, covered in mud, and tackling 10 or so obstacles. Check out some of the pictures my dad took throughout the course.

waving to Noah and Grace who were a little confused why we were doing this

jumping from right above the Videon sign! Plug? Yes indeed!!

all 'clean' from the plunge into the water

the LAST obstacle before the finish line

and it wasn't easy!!

but we did it!!

Team Brown & Sticky at the finish line!

Definitely the best way ever to support those suffering with MS. Interested in joining us next year? Here's the website for it: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/pae/fundraising-events/mud-run-ms/index.aspx

A Dutch Wonderful Day!

2011-06-09T22:22:00.000-04:00

Before Monday the only thing I remembered about Dutch Wonderland was riding the 'big scary' slide with my Dad. I have a picture of me with my dad on this slide and I was determined to get one of me with Noah. It was so surreal to be riding with Noah because it feels like just yesterday I was the kid!
The day was a blast. We spent four hours there and didn't even get to do everything they had. First we road the train around the park and Noah asked to sit next to me!!! Noah is a major daddy's boy. Kyle is everything to that kid so for him to want to sit next to me instead of Kyle was HUGE! After we road the big train we of course had to ride the little train next.

*isn't this Noah in a nutshell?*

He enjoyed a few other really cute kid rides on his own before Gracie-cakes joined in the fun. We don't have any pictures of it but we really enjoyed the litte boats. Noah rode 3 times in a row with one parent and the other would have Grace in a different boat and we waved to each other. It was really fun to see the kids look for each other and get excited to see each other's passing boats.

Grace also rode few on he own and just smiled the entire time it was so cute! She felt like such a big girl riding with her big brother! They also each had a pony ride - Grace's first. Noah loved the pony ride however Grace was not so sure about it. Speaking of not so sure, Kyle insisted on taking Noah on this...

Seeing the 2 most important boys in your life hanging 50 feet in the air was extremely unsettling and I was very happy when they were back on the ground :). The kids did great all day and the weather was perfect. I felt so blessed to be able to enjoy a wonderful day with my family. Noah's been talking about 'dutch wonderland' ever since!

Let's Try this Again....

2011-06-09T13:55:00.000-04:00

So I set up this blog almost 3 years ago and have since posted twice. I really have had a hard time learning the whole blog se up and how to use it - and frankly I still don't reallyknow what I'm doing - however I'd like to start this up again for two reasons.
First I want to have an easy way of documenting my kids life and growth. They change and develop so quickly that I want to remember each and every little moment. I think blogging is probably the fastest/easiest/most permanent way to do this. Now that Noah is talking he's saying so many hilarious and adorable things that I want to be able to remember them. I may be 3 years late with Noah but hey its never too late to start!
Second, I want to keep in touch with friends and family. With my sisters Jen in Louisiana and Amy in State College, and several friends around the country - Shannon in DC, Amie in GA, Kelly in TX...etc, I want to be able to keep in touch and stay connected. Frankly trying to have a convo on the phone with 2 kids screaming in my ear just doesn't work :).

I hope you will join me in this effort of staying connected and sharing the wonderful moments of childhood by reading my blog. I can't promise that I'll update every day, or that it will always be interesting, but it will be about us and our life.

Also if you have any blogging info or tips they are very much welcome!

Summer 2011

2011-06-09T09:45:00.000-04:00

How Gracie Grows

2010-12-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

Being a Mom

2008-11-11T20:28:00.005-05:00

I can't believe that it has already been 5 months ago that a little hairless wonder changed my life forever. Tonight at 1:39 am marks my 5 month anniversary of being a mom. At the age of 24 when so many of my peers are out partying, and enjoying their youth, my life has called me in a different direction. I do not envy my peers, and I don't wish them to envy me. We each have our own paths that we must walk, and motherhood is where mine has led me thus far. Yes there are days when I am utterly exhausted and long for the simple times, but then he smiles at me, a mouth full of gums, a dimple on his left cheek, and a little chuckle that melts your heart and I realize I am the lucky one! I'm honored and privileged that the Lord would trust me to care for and raise this little man, to build him into a strong and courageous fighter for Christ. What I've learned about motherhood thus far is that it's a selfless job, it's a dirty job (spit-up is my daily perfume and accessory) and it's a job that doesn't always get the appreciation it deserves but we mothers understand the truth - it isn't glamorous but it's very rewarding!