Santa Land and Pumpkin Pie

Last night we headed out to Santa Land for Brynn to finally meet Santa. She absolutely loves Santa this year. She has 3 Santa stuffed toys she constantly carries around and anytime she sees one around the house she immediately says, "ho ho ho!" We weren't quite sure how she would react to the real deal!

We got there around 5:45, to get in line. Santa started seeing people at 6:00. An hour and a half later......we met Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Thank goodness for iphones, Brynn was perfectly content snuggled in her stroller watching the Mickey Mouse Club House.

Not sure what to think about these two...... 

 "Dad, how about you pick me up again?!!"

 "Oh ya, I'll take a candy cane!"

 It was really a fun atmosphere. Even with the long wait, we enjoyed it. The weather was perfect. All the kids and families were so excited to be out there. They had all sorts of neat character displays, Christmas lights, Bonn fires and entertainment. The best part about it all was it was free! We will definitely be back next year!

 Daddy's favorite holiday treat is pumpkin pie. This year he decided he would make learn how to make one himself......but not without a little help from Brynn!

Yummy!!

20 week Baby Bump

I am 20 weeks along in my pregnancy and feeling great! I started feeling good again around week 14. I had forgotten what it felt like to not be nausous, have energy and not sleep all the time!

We had a sonogram Tues. My mom was able to drive down for the appointment which was really special.  It was a 3D and so neat to see all the details of the baby, the heart, brain, limbs......and get an official word on the gender. It's a GIRL!! Brynn will have a little sister. Molly Mae Hart. "Mae" after my Mamaw that passed away this year. Everything looked great and we are very excited for this addition to our little family.

Long Beach, California

One of the perks of BJ traveling so much for work is that Brynn and I get to travel with him at little to no cost fairly often. Last week he had a training class out in Long Beach, California so we decided to fly out and make a vacation out of his work trip.

We had such a great time.

I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked but here are a few.

They had an awesome aquarium. Brynn absolutely loved all the "ish" We couldn't get her to pose for a picture because she was so enamored with them.

We also saw sharks and sea otters. One of the sea otters really put on a show for Brynn but I could not get a good picture w/out a glare. It was right up next to the glass. 

This picture certainly does not do our hotel view any justice but it was just beautiful. We were right on the pier. One night we watched a boat Christmas parade from our balcony. All the boats were lit up and decorated for Christmas. 

 We drove down Highway 1 along the beach to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and on to Balboa Island Sat. It was fun to see all the outdoor activity going on around us. People surfing, playing Frisbee with their dogs, playing volleyball, running and biking all in Dec on a Sat morning. What a fun place to live.

You know anytime the Hart's are near the water we are happy!! :)

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving this year with BJ's family. Lots of good food and fun at Gaga's!

Brynn was LOVING the pumpkin pie! Just like her daddy! She was making the rounds to everyone saying, more (in sign language) please (psss)!

Our failed attempt at a group kid picture! We should have done this first instead of at the end of the afternoon when the little one's were well past their nap times! Oh well, maybe next year.

We have SO much to be thankful for this year!

16 wk Baby Bump

Halloween Fun!

Weekend  before last, Mamaw and Papaw drove to Lubbock just in time for Brynn's school carnival and a trip to the Pumpkin patch. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of Mamaw and Papaw or of the carnival but it was lots of fun. Brynn dressed up, a black cat, and a very cute one I might add! She just jumped out of my arms at the festival and walked around like she owned the place. She could have cared less if we were there! It was fun. There were also ponies to ride but Daddy insisted her first ride would be at PawPaw and Gammy's!

 Then we headed to the pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect carving pumpkins.

 I like this one.....

 Oh, but look at all these cute little ones.......

 Look, my cupcake friend, Gracelynn, came too!

 One of BJ and my favorite traditions is carving pumpkins. This year was especially fun because Brynn could help! She wasn't sure what to think of all that gooey stuff! :)

The finished products...I like the pink pumpkin in the middle the best.

Just for fun.....Last year's pumpkins and a cute little witch! She's grown so much!!



Happy 5th Anniversary!

So August was a very eventful month! BJ and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary on Aug, 26th!

Well, we got an extra special anniversary present on that day! I took a positive pregnancy test!!!

Baby Hart #2 is due to arrive May 2, 2012. We are very excited!

I am now 13 weeks along. This pic is from our 8wk sono. It is a blessing to see and hear a strong heartbeat!

So stay tuned for baby bump pics....

Happy 1st Birthday, Brynn!!

We got home from Florida on Friday and on Sat, Aug 27th, and celebrated Brynn's 1st Birthday with all our favorite people!

The first year flew by so fast. We just love this little girl so much! She is such a joy!

Brynn, just a few minutes old!

The party was so much fun. We set up a baby pool and had our big pool for the kids to play. It was really neat to have ALL the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and best friends there to celebrate.

Brynn was not sure what to think of the cake...

 Maybe it is yummy!

 Happy Birthday, Sweet Brynn, I can't imagine life with out you!

Flordia

The last week of August we headed to Marco Island, Florida for a family vacation/ 5yr anniversary/ Brynn's 1st Birthday trip! It was awesome! We flew in to Miami. Ate on South Beach then drove across the Everglades to Marco Island. The drive was beautiful and we saw many alligators along the way.

This was our view from the hotel room.

The trip was very relaxing. We spent a lot of time on the beach, at the pool, eating, and napping.

Brynn had a blast playing in the sand under the umbrella while Mom and Dad caught some rays!

And floating in the ocean. 

We even enjoyed some afternoon showers. Brynn was ready for a nap!

 Our only family picture!

Not quite walking yet, but loving my toes in the sand!

Good thing Brynn is a beach lover like Mom and Dad!!

Mommy and Daddy Mini Vacation

Brynn is now almost 11 months old and Mom and Dad were in need of a kid-free vacation. So, we planned a weekend get away to Las Vegas a few months ago. Mamaw and Papaw agreed to come keep Brynn. We were all excited.

Well, Thursday morning I sent Brynn to school with a low grade fever. By 11:30 they called, her fever had spiked and we had to go pick her up! She continued to run fever Thursday night so we headed to the doctor Friday morning in hopes that it was nothing serious. Turns out she had a form of hand, foot and mouth! Again! AWESOME! (note sarcasm!) Not only did she feel yucky, she wanted to eat but couldn't because her little throat was covered in blisters. Needless to say, Mommy was a little stressed on Friday deciding if we should leave town or not. Mamaw and Papaw assured us she would be fine and we knew she was in good hands! So.....we went!

It was a really nice trip. Our flight was delayed going there so we didn't get in until 11:30 Vegas time, 1:30 our time. I know we're crazy but we were so tired we went straight to bed!

Sat was an event filled day and we were glad we had our rest the night before. We headed out for some sight seeing in the morning then back to the hotel to lay out at the pool all afternoon! It was so nice to relax by the pool. We went to a nice dinner. See pics below. YUMMY! I had lobster tail and BJ had lamb. Then we went to the O show. It was great!

We slept in again, Ahhhhh, Sunday morning and then headed home!

We came home to a happy baby who had lots of fun even tho she was sick! She had her first art lesson with Mamaw and made me this beautiful picture for my birthday! It was so special!

And this is her new favorite pose to do in the middle of the living room floor! HEAD STAND! Can you tell her grandparents own a gymnastics center!?! It's so funny. She does it all the time now! She will be playing or crawling across the floor and just stop put her head down like this! 

My dad had also taken care of all sorts of odds and ends around the house for us. Baby proofing, cleaning our outside mister, fixing tile in the bathroom, changing air filters.....And my mom left me a clean house with laundry done!

So nice!

I think we'll have to do it again sometime soon!

Quick Get-Away to Amarillo

We decided to make a quick weekend trip to Amarillo for many reasons! There was lots of fun stuff going on. We had a busy weekend and loved every minute!

Friday night we celebrated my good friend Becca's recent marriage to Nic Barton. They had a destination wedding a couple months ago that we could not attend. :( Thankfully, they had a beautiful reception allowing us to come wish them well! It was lots of fun! I was able to catch up with some of my best friends from high school. My mom came with us and Papaw had baby duty! I think Brynn and Papaw had a great time too! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures.

Sat. BJ did a sprint triathlon. Brynn and I went for a jog with my friend Melissa (I really miss our weekly runs together!) while BJ was setting up, and then watched him race.

Brynn cheering Dad on! GO DADDY!

After the tri, we had lunch with one of BJ's old co-workers, some great friends, Barry, Judy and their sweet little boy, Thomas! Thomas has been an inspiration to both of us and the main reason we began to do triathlons.  It was so good to visit them!

After a long afternoon nap, Brynn had a fun swim with Mamaw and Papaw! She loves the water!

Next weekend Mamaw and Papaw will come stay with Brynn while Mom and Dad take a much needed vacation to Las Vegas! I bet they do lots of swimming!

Sat evening, we went to eat with Justin, Melissa and Ava to celebrate Ava's 4th Birthday! She is such a sweet little girl! We love her like our own! No pics again :(

Mamaw and Papaw have been dying to get Brynn down to their Gym. This Gym has been such a huge part of our lives! My parents have been running it since I was 3 years old! They are so good at what they do!

 Brynn had a ball! We played hard! 

Sliding with Papaw! 

She was pushing the barrell trying to get to the monkey! You can see, concentrating very hard! :)

 I really miss this place! I love my job but  miss the kiddos and getting to work with my parents! I love that my little girl gets to play here now! Just wished we lived closer so she could actually take classes. I guess we will settle for some private classes every now and then!

 A trip to the gym is not complete without stamps on your hands!

 Whew! What a great fun filled weekend!!!!!

Happy July 4th!!

We had such a great 4th of July! We started the day with a trip downtown to 4th on Broadway. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the parade, food and people watching!

We were glad Gracelyn brought her wagon! Brynn loved it! Somebody might need one for her birthday coming up soon!

Great Dads!

After a good afternoon nap, we headed out to the pool!

BJ and Shawn did all the cooking and cleaning for dinner!  

What a great day!!!!!