Take me out to the ball game

This past weekend, Adam came out with his girlfriend Brittany out for a quick MD tour session.

that's Adam & Brittany

On Saturday evening, we went out to dinner with them and my dad and then off to an Orioles game. Nick and I were a little worried about how the little dude would do for an all day outing in the sun basically, but he did awesome and we had a really great time!!! We went to the harbor to go to the Cheesecake Factory and, boy, did we pick the worst day of the year to do that. First of all, it was the hottest day of the year so far so people were EVERYWHERE!! Also, Carnival Cruise lines were there doing one of there "BIGGEST BEACHBALL" promotions to get people to sign up for cruises so it was also stirring up a ton of activity. We had to wait two hours to get a table and we had to wait outside. We stripped Brady down immediately and he was fine. So, after dinner we headed over to the game and it was really fun! We had a great time getting to know Brittany and watching our son enjoy his first ever baseball game. Pretty great weekend all around!

Trying to get Brady psyched for the game! Decked out in O's gear!

My dad wearing Brady's hat while we wait for dinner! Bradster taking in all the sights - mostly he just loves all the lights! The whole family - I don't know what Brady is doing - and yes we are all sweaty messes! It was H-O-T! Guest services gave this to Brady because it was his first game - I thought it was pretty cute!

First Tractor Ride

After Nick got home from work on Friday, he decided to take Brady for a spin on the tractor. I was a little worried that it would be too noisy for him, but he didn't seem to mind. Nick loves being a Dad and it's so much fun for me to see him grow into this amazing father. They are really good buddies!!

Future Cadet

On Thursday last week, we headed down to Annapolis for the day-home of the United States Naval Academy. I hadn't been down since I was a kid and just loved it! There is such a nice, relaxed vibe down there! Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE the water so Annapolis is my kind of town. We got kind of a late start so we didn't get to do as much as we'd liked so we'll just have to go down again. We did a bit of exploring and here are a few pics.

Brady and me in front of the State Capital building

Let it be told, I'm three months old!!

On the 15th, Brady turned 3 months old. It is unbelievable how fast he is growing and how fun he is getting. He loves to talk to us and laugh. He greets me with smiles and some very wet kisses! He is pretty much a dream come true!! Lately, he has been trying to roll over and gets up on one side but just can't make it over. Poor kid - he's really trying!! New things he has done are laugh - I mean really laugh, like a little baby laugh. It is darling!! We also got him a bumbo chair and he is liking sitting in it - for short periods of time. He also loves his new tummy time mat but spends more time on his back staring at his new best friend - a stuffed octopus!! He loves this thing - as soon as we lay him down, he starts smiling and laughing!! It's pretty funny! Pretty much, he's the best boy! He even sleeps for about 6 hours straight - SO WONDERFUL!!!

Easter Sunday

It's taken me a while to post because - SHOCKER - our computer bit the dust AGAIN and was in the shop - by shop I mean this somewhat weird guy we found who lives in his mom's basement! Anyway, I digress! Easter was really great. Nick and I loved our first big holiday as parents. Even though Brady has no idea what is going on, we still felt like we needed to be the easter bunny. So Easter eve, we stayed up late and made a bunny house out of candy and icing and got Brady's basket together! It felt so magical and I am so glad we did it! Easter morning I woke up, got Brady ready, and was completely aloof to what was going on downstairs. It seems the Easter bunny left a present for me too!!! I do LOVE that easter bunny!!! Our church service was wonderful. What better way to spend the morning than talking about our Savior. Church is a bit harder these days with an infant but Brady was so quiet and I got to sit through all of sacrament meeting which is rare! After church, we went over to my mom's for dinner. Dinner was delicious and my parents are always pretty fun to hang out with. Shortly after dinner though, Brady lost it! I mean, completely lost it. This may have had something to do with it!!! I love the progression of these pictures. If you'll notice, Brady's arms are starting to flail in the first one, and it was downhill from there!! Anyway, we tried calming him but were unsuccesfull. We ended up leaving my parents early and spent the rest of the evening at home. But Easter was wonderful and I loved spending it with my family!

Happy Easter

I hope that this holiday is one filled with lots of family and friends. But mostly, I hope we remember the true reason we celebrate this day. One of my favorite talks this past conference weekend was by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. He spoke about the Savior's solitary journey on earth. This video was put out by my church with an exert from his talk. "One of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so." Please click on the link to watch this most powerful video about our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pics with Mom & Dad

We realized we haven't taken any pics of us with Brady so yesterday we took a couple! These are mainly for Lori and Pete (Nick's parent's) in Bosnia! We love and miss you guys!!

We've got a genius on our hands!!

The other night we were getting ready for bed. I had a nice bottle of milk ready for Brady and as soon as I put it in his mouth, he grasped the sides of it. It looked like he was holding it all on his own! Then I moved my hands and he WAS holding it all on his own! The boys a genius!!! At one point, he took it out of his mouth and put it back in all on his own. But don't get too excited, he hasn't done it since!

Conjuncti....what?!?

Last week Brady woke up with his eyes completely crusted over. I took him to the doctors and they said he had a cold and it went to his eyes. The doctor told me he had conjunctivitis and that she would give me a prescription for an antibiotic ointment that I would need to apply twice a day for 7 days. Now, if you haven't met Brady, then this may seem like a relatively easy task. He's little - just pry his eye open and squirt it in. NOT SO EASY. The day after Brady was born the nurse brought him into us and said that during the night Brady got into a boxing match with the doctor and Brady won! We thought it was cute, we laughed and lovingly looked at our baby! But age has only increased the strength and speed of his fists of furry. He certainly loves his hands but when he is mad, he gets them going at quite a shocking speed for such a little man. Everytime I got the ointment near him, the little fists starting going. Needless to say, last week was not our finest! Here's how he and mom spent most of it:

Conference Weekend

Conference was so great last weekend. I always walk away from that weekend feeling uplifted and ready to start anew. I always need to hear from our church leaders and to feel the peace and hope that they speak about. This year was a bit harder to concentrate because Brady is a crazy boy! When he wasn't sleeping, he wanted to be entertained!!! He even found time to fit in a little note taking! Having Brady with us this year has made these talks even more important because now we have to teach him the gospel. I am so grateful for inspired men and for their wonderful talks. You can read or listen to them all at www. lds.org.

Tender Mercies

I got laid off last week. In the moment, I was sad, confused, and felt a little lost. I had worked at that job since my college graduation in 2004. It had become a part of who I was. I felt I was good at it and that I really worked hard to make my contribution to the company. But, no one can foresee hard times and it's hard to gracefully deal with this when you are an owner of a small business. Except my boss' did deal with me gracefully and as soon as the shock left me, I felt this sense of relief. When I got pregnant with Brady, Nick and I both felt like me staying home couldn't possibly be an option. Because of all my medical problems, I NEED to have good insurance to pay for my ever consuming medical costs. I had come to terms with that decision and even had a sweet feeling in my heart telling me that everything would be fine - the Lord would provide a way for me to be a great mom and a great employee. Well, my employers were very honest with me about the condition of the company and they, at first, cut my hours - allowing me to keep my insurance. Then about two weeks later I get the call that they need me to come in. Brady was sick so I told my boss that I wouldn't be able to do so. I could tell in his voice that this was the call I thought I was dreading. I was being laid off. After hanging up, I had a good cry. I called my husband and my mom and they both reassured me that all would be well. Nick came home with roses and a card and told me that when I told him, he just felt relieved. It seems the big decision, letting me be a stay at home mom, was made for us. It was one we felt we couldn't make on our own - that we would be financially irresponsible to quit a good job with benefits knowing we were heading into a master's program. So the next day I woke up feeling so happy and also relieved. It seems that the Lord provided again for my family. Nick and I did our part by being frugal and saving, saving, saving for years and now the Lord had filled in where we couldn't by bringing us both peace of mind. How can I deny my Savior? How could I ever deny that He is with me and loves me. Being home with Brady is just one of the MANY tender mercies bestowed upon me - and I am grateful.

Hanging out with Great Grandma

On Tuesday, Brady and I went up to see my Grandma for the day. Brady is at a really fun age. He coo's and smiles all the time. I was able to get a little conversation he had with his great grandma on film.

Streets of Philadelphia

Last weekend Nick and I went to Philadelphia on a whim. We LOVE Philadelphia. It has always been one of our favorite places to go so we decided that we would head up there for an overnighter. Nick found us this great hotel called Sofitel, a french hotel chain, that was absolutely fabulous. We got a great deal on the room on hotels.com and were nervous at first because we had never heard of it before but it was gorgeous and the people who worked there were actually french! This is how the drive up started: Brady only likes the car when he is really tired and about to doze off - other than that, he is too active to be strapped in like that. As soon as we saw little arms furiously shaking, we were sure the drive would be horrible. He ended up falling asleep about ten minutes later and the rest of the drive was peaceful. Peaceful and LONG!! There was some roadwork and a two hour drive turned into a five hour drive. We didn't get to our hotel until about 8pm. We got up to our room and we just thought it was so beautiful and the bed was so comfortable - even Brady loved it! By then, we were all starving including Brady so we fed him and then decided to go to the hotel restaurant that had french food - surprise surprise. The menu had lots of food we didn't recognize. We were going to be daring until we saw filet mignon on the menu and we decided to splurge. The filet was the most amazing thing I have ever eaten in my life. It was so tender you could honestly cut it with a spoon! It was served on a rudabega puree which was really really delicious as well! After dinner we headed back to the room so Nick could watch the UNC game of course! Brady and I fell asleep in seconds! The next day we decided to hit up all the best cheesesteak places around town. Nick managed to eat a whole sandwhich from all three places - better to compare that way!! For those of you wanting to go to Philly and want a good recomendation for a famous cheesesteaks, you can't lose with either one of these. First we went to Pat's. This one is my favorite. Literally, right across the street is Geno's. Nick was feeling very full at this point so we decided to stroll down South Street and look at the pier. South street is a cool place - lots of shops and people around. At the end of it is the pier, or Penn's Landing, where the ships used to come in. There is a musuem there and other cool sites. You know what else is on South Street? Jim's Famous Cheesesteaks. This is where Nick consumed his third and final cheesesteak and wrapped up the Philly Cheesesteak tour! So if you ever go to Philly - you definitely want to stop at one of these places for an authentic cheesesteak! Anyway, we had a great little trip and it was great to know we could still do spontaneous trips like this with an infant.