US Open

We headed down to Huntington Beach to get a glimpse of the US Open surf competition. It was insanely crowded! We met our friends down there and briefly walked around. Between the hassle of pushing the stroller around and the guys all being hungry we probably didn't last more than an hour! But we got some pictures at least...

Farewell Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, passed away yesterday from a massive heart attack. He was only 50 years old. Such a successful career, yet he seemed to be such a sad and troubled person in the last decade. I appreciate all the music he made during my lifetime as it has created wonderful memories since I was a child. Thriller, Beat It, Billy Jean, PYT, Bad...so many songs! I can't say for sure if he was or wasn't what the public portrayed him as, but thank God for his music...it was and will always be amazing! So long Michael.

Jo Koy

Mitchell and I got an evening without the kids and got tickets to the comedy show at the Improv! Jo Koy was the headliner and he is also a friend of Mitchell's from when he was growing up in Vegas! We invited a bunch of our friends and it was a blast! The show was great and it was fun to be out without constantly tending to the kids. If you haven't heard of Jo Koy...look him up...funny stuff!

It's Our Anniversary!

Mitchell and I celebrated our very FIRST wedding anniversary today!! Yay for us! It has been an eventful first year in that we welcomed our second daughter, Taylor, into the family in November. New family dynamics and even more challenges that we are constantly learning and growing from. I pray that we will continue to love, honor, and respect each other with each passing year. I also hope that we will always display for our children the kind of marriage they too will want someday. Well, that is if Mitchell ever allows them to even date!! :)

Spring Fling

We went to the Spring Fling at Aubrey's preschool! So fun! It's kind of their kick off for summer. All the parents and families of the kids all attend and they have food, drinks, games, and activities for the kids. It's a great event and Aubrey had a really fun time dancing, hula hooping, drawing, and seeing all her classmates! Fun fun!!

My Loves

I love them...

Stuffed Animal Fun

Mitchell is the KING of messing with people when they are innocently sleeping. Most everyone has or will be a victim eventually. This does not limit him to messing with his own children. This is not the first time he has done this to Aubrey, nor the last. Aubrey is a pretty sound sleeper (now that she is older) so occasionally Mitchell will set up all her toys around her in bed so she will be surprised when she wakes up. Needless to say it would probably freak me out, but so far Aubrey thinks it's pretty funny AND she is completely aware of who she has to blame...DADDY! :) I would not be amused if it were done to me, but I do have to admit it's pretty fun to watch him do it!

Taylor ~ 6 Months Old

A half a year has gone by already...wow! Little Miss Taylor Cozy Bryant is now 6 months old. She is an all around sweet-sweetheart and has the greatest personality so far! She went for her 6 Month check up and she is doing wonderful. She is 14 pounds (13%) and 25 inches (25%)...my little peanut! Still so much smaller than Aubrey was at the same age, but the doctor said she is just fine. She has started eating rice cereal and has also tried peas. She's not totally excited about any of it and I have a feeling she is going to be a bit of a picky eater. Maybe once we get to some sweet stuff (fruit) she'll cater the idea of anything other than my boobs! :) She is just about sitting on her own and she is starting to get her knees under her in preparation to crawl but she's not quite strong enough to hold herself up on her hands and knees at the same time. That's going to happen soon though! Time to get the house ready for a crawler!!

The Roly Poly's Come to Visit

Aubrey collected about 13 roly poly bugs in the garden at school yesterday to take home. Poor little roly poly's must have been terrified in the little dixie cup! As much as I would have liked to just set them free, I knew Aubrey wanted to take care of her new little friends so I delighted in her discovery. Not knowing how to care for the little creatures, I immediately went online when we got home and learned a little bit about the infamous Pill Bug aka Roly Poly. They are not insects, they are isopods, related to shrimp, crab, and lobster so they need moisture. Interesting huh? Anyway, so there's more to it than that but I thought that fact was surprising. We put the roly poly's into a plastic dish and put in a few pieces of lettuce for them to eat and/or hide under. We also put a little drop of water in the corner which we later learned was too much because a few of them seemed to have gotten stuck in the water and died...oops. We let them stay overnight in the kitchen. Today we told Aubrey she would have to set her little friends free because we could not provide them the home that they really needed. She understood. So we took a walk and she let each of them go one at a time as we walked along...gently placing them on the ground, naming them, and then saying good-bye. It was very cute to watch.

I Got My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back...and I'm not talking about Chili's!

Taylor has been a happy baby for as long as she has been in our lives. That was until she got REALLY sick for the first time on Easter Sunday. Our baby girl apparently caught a stomach virus. She threw up, had diarrhea, wanted to sleep all the time, cried whenever she was awake, and was completely miserable. It was the roughest 5 DAYS of my life! I kept taking her to the doctor and they kept sending me away, saying she was fine, just recovering from whatever she had. I was worn out, frustrated, and upset that my baby was suffering and I couldn't seem to fix it. THANK GOD, on the 6th day she woke up cooing and was the same happy baby I had been missing. I could hardly do anything that day except watch her, smile at her, and see her smile back at me! Who knows where she caught her sickness from but we are now even more careful than ever about touching her and hand washing before handling her. I do not want to go through that again anytime soon.

I Love My Aubrey

Sometimes I look into Aubrey's big blue eyes and I'm just overtaken with love. She's got these eyes that can break anyone, especially her daddy. :) Even when she's showcasing a major attitude and I'm beside myself, I can't help but want to smile at how smart she is for even knowing what she's doing! She is growing up so fast and sometimes the things that come out of her mouth just blow me away. When did my little baby girl lose the baby part? I guess since Taylor has been born it automatically made Aubrey seem more grown up. She's an amazing little person and as much as she can drive me up and down the wall, she's still as much of a miracle to me as the day she was born.

Riding Belle

Today Aubrey, Taylor, and I made a visit to see my aunt and uncle's horses at the stables. My aunt and uncle own 3 gorgeous horses...Hurley, Rio, and Austin. Aubrey wanted to go for a little ride on a horse so we gave her the three options. Turned out she wanted to ride none of them...she had her eye on another horse that was already out and walking around. She was white with brown markings, her name was Belle, and she belonged to my aunt's friend who was there. What little girl wouldn't want to ride the white horse?? Her wish was granted and she got to ride Belle. She had zero fear of the large horse and comfortably sat on her and went for a walk as my aunt guided them. She loved every minute of it and now wants a horse, of course! :) Next time she said she wants to ride Rio.

Taylor ~ 4 Months Old

Our little angel, baby Taylor, is 4 months old! Wow, does the time fly! She is growing and developing perfectly. Her cradle cap is gone (hallelujah!) and the eczema that she's had on her cheeks is almost under control. She is 12lb 4oz (20%) and 24 inches long (40%). She's on the lighter side, both in weight and skin color!! Aubrey was 2 pounds heavier when she was 4 months old...wow! Taylor has captured our hearts for good with her little laugh and endless smiles. She's rolling over and can hold a toy or stuffed animal in her hands. She is a very curious little thing, always watching intently to what is going on around her which is usually Aubrey bouncing off the walls. Aubrey has endless love for Taylor and Taylor seems to stare at Aubrey like they already have a deep bond...it's very sweet. I wish the time would slow down a little bit, she grows everyday and soon she won't be so helpless. My baby girl...you are so loved.

Happy 5th Birthday Aubrey!

We went to the happiest place on earth for Aubrey's birthday, DISNEYLAND...it only made sense!! We were joined by our friends Damian, Kristen, Kaylin, Taryn, and Holly! We started our day at California Adventure and went on all the Bug's Life Rides. Even Taylor rode on Heimlich's Chew Chew Train! Aubrey loved watching the High School Musical 3 performance! She watched so intently I don't think she blinked once! After that we headed over to Disneyland. There's just nothing like Disneyland. We saw Goofy and Cruela Devile! We got to meet Tinkerbell and another one of her fairy friends in Pixie Hollow...after a long 45 minute wait. :) She went on Snow White's Scary Adventure (freaked her out a little), It's a Small World, Buzz Lightyear, and Pirates of the Caribbean. There were so many rides she still wanted to go on, but the day got away so fast! We ended the day at the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor with a hot fudge chocolate cookie sundae and sang "Happy Birthday" to the birthday girl! What a fun day we had and Aubrey can't wait to go back! Hopefully next time we'll go during the week when the entire world isn't there as well! Happy Birthday baby girl...mommy and daddy love you so much!