9 year celebrated.

dear brady,

a couple weeks ago we left you at home for the first time and took a trip just me & dad.  he planned the whole thing, which he's so dang good at.  my only requests were that we go somewhere with cooler weather & good local coffee.  the oregon coast was absolutely perfect!!  your aunt jane flew out to take care of you for the five days we were gone & i'm positive you had the BEST time!  she spoiled you rotten & had such a blast with you.  i'm so glad you were so happy, and dad & me had an amazing time on our vacation!

we started off at the salish lodge in washington state.  the wood burning fire place was PERFECTION to me!  i think we had a fire going pretty much constantly the 24 hours we were there.  we got massages upon check in to start the vacay out right :)

then we headed into oregon and down the coast to astoria.  where we found the most amazing fish & chips.  the bowpicker came highly recommended by our concierge at the hotel we stayed in as well as trip advisor.  it wasn't much to look at but the food was ridiculously good.  and i'm not even a huge fish-fan!

while all of our trip was incredible, cannon beach was the best part of our trip.  the little boutique hotel we stayed on had great views from the property of haystack rock.  and such great service.  and a coffee station in the lobby.  and we had a bonfire on the beach that night after dark, with the sounds of crackling fire & crashing waves.  it was just beyond amazing.  oh! and our little seagull friend visited us every morning.  i'm not sure, but it could have been because i fed him little snacks :)

the next morning the fog rolled in heavy on cannon beach and we took a walk along the water.  you'll find this out later, b, but your mama LOVES precipitation of any kind.  i consider fog a huge blessing.  along with rain & snow.  so staying at a place that gave us a foggy morning was heaven to me!

we pulled over to grab a picture of this little town of brady washington!  i love it.

we spent lots of time in the car, going from one little town to the next & i loved the roadtrip time with your dad.  the talking, laughing, and connecting was just what we needed.  these four months with you have been the best of our lives but have been so busy!  it was perfect to just be together.  and the highways were gorgeous, so that was just an added bonus to the roadtrip.

we loved the little coffee huts on the side of the roads. they're everywhere in the pacific northwest & we pulled over often to get a coffee fix :)

and oh we had the best drinks! :)

this was a self portrait on our anniversary day.  nine years in and he just keeps getting better, brady.  i'm the luckiest person in the world.  we both are.  i know you will learn so much from him, little guy...he's just such a good man!

 aunt jane kept us supplied with lots of texted & emailed photos of you!  you were loving your hands :)

 you took lots of walks around the neighborhood with her and it looks like you really enjoyed yourself!!  you love a good walk.

but you were so happy to see mama our first day home!  your smile made my heart so full.  i missed you!

before janey left we tried to take a self portrait on the porch out front - you wanted to steal the show by getting really close to my phone.  good thing you're cute!  those CHEEKS!!!

 finally a decent one :)  i love your aunt janey very much and was so, so glad she came out to hang with you while we were gone.  it made the leaving much easier, knowing you were with someone who would love on you as much as i do.  we're so lucky to have great family who will come stay with you!  we love you buddy, and we'll travel lots together as a family, but you should know that sometimes me & dad will sneak away just us.  it makes us better which in turn makes our family so much fuller & happier.  but don't worry, you will always have a blast at home hanging out with aunts & grandmas & friends :)

happy 9 year anniversary to my love - thanks for such a beautiful season together so far.  can't wait for the next chapter.

smize.

tyra banks would be so proud:  you've got the smize down pat, boy!

sophie love.

the joy of teething!  lots of drool, hands in the mouth constantly.  today i busted out sophie to see if B would like it.  he put it straight in his mouth and gnawed away.  i think she's a hit :)

really mom?

dear mom,

you seriously thought it was cool to leave me in my jammies til 2pm today?

love, brady

***

dear brady,

it was cool & rainy & we snuggled lots today.  i thought jammies were in order.

love, mom

you & mags.

maggie joined us for our walk yesterday morning (with me & aunt suz). you love her buddy, and don't mind when she sniffs all over you & even licks you occasionally.  i love having a puppy around. still missing our sargey pretty badly and so it's nice to have a mutt to love on and walk with.  when you're bigger brady, ask dad real nice for a puppy. i bet he'll give in :)

talking.

B is VERY talkative this week.  more so than usual.  i can't get enough of all he has to say!!

fall is here!

saw the first leaves changing on our morning walk yesterday!  SO excited for fall.  after a night of rain, this morning we welcomed cooler temps...footie jammies & hoodies...and hot coffee.  what a perfect time of year.

sleep...then a nap.

little man cracks me up in the mornings - he sleeps ten hours at night, wakes up & voraciously eats a six ounce bottle, and then about an hour later is ready for another nap :)

sleep, sleep, sleep, eat...and then nap.

sounds pretty good to me!

aunt jane.

dear brady,

your aunt jane came to visit last week - to take care of you while mama & dad took a trip to the west coast just us.  i think you were really happy about her being in town - especially when she gave you a WHOLE BAG of snickers!!  welcome to life with aunt candy :)  she loves you so much buddy, and i think you're pretty enthralled with her too.

i agree, she is pretty funny!!  you laughed lots with her.

more pics coming soon of our trip away, and your staycation with aunt jane :)

march march marching.

the feet that NEVER stop moving!!

footies.

you really haven't worn footie jammies much, except maybe once or twice as a new baby.  it's been hot this summer in colorado since you arrived and so onesies in the swaddle at night are the way to go.  however, this weekend in washington we've had some cooler weather and so i brought along your footies and OMG.  you are so ridiculously cute in them.  there's something so snuggly about a baby in footie pajamas.  i can't resist it.  i especially love this monster set.  and your sweet smiles in the morning...love those too.

first jeans.

you wore jeans for the first time today little man!!  you were not impressed, but DANG you were cute in them!  you look like less of a baby in them and that makes me both sad & excited.

to remember.

buster, i hope i'll always remember how sweet & funny your flat, no-lips smile is to me.

i never want to forget this little expression in case you stop doing it someday.  it's YOU.

perfect vacay.

snuggles on the couch and staying in jammies til after noon = perfect vacation in my book.

LOVING our getaway weekend to washington.

cheering on the tigers.

we cheered on mizzou today in our best tiger gear, for their first game in the SEC.  we were so excited that it was a good game (for the first 3.5 quarters anyway) - and even though they lost, it was better than we expected and we had a great time yelling and cheering for them.

in life you will have lots of choices buster, but one thing you should know is that you must be a missouri tigers fan.  it's not an option.

aunt julie.

you love your aunt julie already & i suspect you will have LOTS of good times with her just like mommy.  she's such a good mama to her little ruby and i love seeing her take right to loving on you.  earlier today she was busy doing stuff around the house and had you under one arm and i was washing bottles - and said to her, "you can set him down if you want to!" and she just smiled really big and said, "i know i can." and kept on holding you.  nothing could make me happier than seeing the ones i love, love you as much as i do.  it makes my heart so full.

also, julie read you your first BOOK!  sad to say, mama hasn't started reading books to you yet but we will start when we get home. you loved it and sat quietly on julie's lap, and watched the book with all its bright colors while she read to you.  so sweet!

and then you and her had a good conversation with lots of talking, smiles and almost-laughs.  gotta work on laughing buster - we do that a lot around here.  it's my favorite emotion in life.  and we don't spend more than thirty seconds with our hampostles before we are doubled over from laughter.  you'll see that as you grow up!

we love you aunt julie.

puzzlemania.

mike sent me with a CLUE about where we're going for our anniversary get-away.

a PUZZLE clue if you will.

so last night we hopped right in, fueled by popcorn & chips & wine.

noa hung out with brady til he went to bed.

and julie and i worked late into the night.  this is after a couple hours and little progress.  but we're getting there!

brady, when you're bigger dad will teach you how to surprise a girl with fun trips in creative ways.  he's the best.  now, i know you know where we're going son - so just TELL MAMA ALREADY. use your words.

fixated.

"hey mom, newsflash.  ruby's toys are WAY cooler than mine."

transport with two!

julie just got an attachment to their britax b-ready stroller so that we didn't have to bring ours out to washington this weekend.  it fits two babies & it's awesome!  they picked brady & me up at the airport with it and it was a breeze to snap ruby into the lower seat & attach brady's carseat to the top.  i think they both liked it, evidenced by ruby's sweet grin.  look at all those teeth!!  she is getting so big, and prettier by the day.

best present EVER!!!

seriously.  BEST PRESENT EVER.

noa & julie gave brady a jersey from tom brady.  and can you believe he's number 12?!

meant to be.  i cannot wait for little man to sport this jersey all fall.  it was made for him!!

meeting uncle noa.

this was brady's first time meeting his uncle noa.

he LOVES him already!!!  look how big he's smiling at him.

we're so glad that all hampostles know each other now...but definitely missing our mike!

can't wait for all six of us to be together in december.

flying round three.

we hopped on a plane again yesterday buster.  this was your third flight!  way to go getting in so much travel already.  you do awesome so far on planes & i hope you get used to it lots now so that you travel easier when you're bigger.  i'm not sure that's how it works, but mama is praying ;)

on the flight to seattle you ate as we waited for take-off, played happily and charmed our seat neighbor as we took off, and then fell asleep for TWO HOURS.  thank you little man!!!  my arm almost broke off holding you but you needed the nap & mama needed time to read people magazine and eat lunch.  and even though you fussed a little while you fought sleep (i don't know why you always fight naps...it's not a very price-like thing to do), you were basically in a good mood the whole time.

way.to.go.

i love the way your hair stands straight up on top of your head now as it gets longer.  it's really light colored, so it's usually hard to see but the light was coming in the window just right and i could capture it on my phone while you slept.  just for memories sake.

we caught an AMAZING view of mount rainier as we passed by nearing seattle.  i've only seen it a couple of times from the ground when we've been out to visit, and we've probably spent thirty or more days in the area over the last few years (i.e. it's not "out" of the clouds very often!!).  i've never seen it from the plane.  it was ridiculously beautiful!!

getting around.

here we are on our way through the airport again little mister.  you love your ergo baby carrier with infant insert (you're still too small to go without the insert - i checked!).  the only time you've hung out in it with me is through airports, as it's still too hot in colorado to tool around town in it.  but i have a feeling we're going to use it a lot together this fall when snuggling against mama in the cooler weather is in order.  i can't wait (for snuggles AND cooler weather).

playmat fun.

brady has really taken to looking at his playmat toys recently.  he has never minded laying under it looking around but now he "talks" to the toys, and hits at them, and kicks his legs a million times.  it's adorable!  i love watching him discover his little world.

brady burrito.

i love a brady burrito first thing in the morning.  he wakes up so happy!  smiles abound and he looks like a little peapod with no arms or legs.  so adorable & the best part about waking up in the morning!