Fourth of July

So this is a little late, but....

We had a wonderful day for the 4th of July! Another great day in Port Austin.  

We all got dressed in our red, white and blue!

 It was quite warm as we headed to the parade. 

But had a great location thanks to my friend Becky!

 Cole Cubitt and Bryn sat so nicely waiting and watching the parade.

 Gotta love Huron County parades!  Several tractors go by!

 Bryn enjoyed taking the bean bags back and forth and putting them

 in the hole.  Once she even fell in herself!

 Chocolate covered pretzel sparklers were a HUGE hit, especially with Bryn!

Bryn and Mumma on their way to the beach

 Blowing bubbles!

 Love this pic of Bryn and Marley - both experiencing pure joy!

 Norah Brining and Bryn on the beach together.  Planning a sandcastle?

 RUNNING!

 The girls laid in the grass together and were giggling and playing with their toes - so cute!

 We got out some sparklers while we waited for the fireworks to start.

Mumma got brave and let Bryn hold it by herself...only for a hot second!

 All the adults ready for the show

 Bryn and her dad watching the fireworks.  She enjoyed them and was not 
afraid of the noise.  Although I think she would have preferred them to be a 
little shorter, but she was great for being so far past her bedtime!

A few shots of the finale!


Thanks everyone for coming and for such a great day!

Catching up with our busy June!

So with a new kitchen to move into, an 18 month old, two online courses, and all of the other projects and adventures that Port Austin, Michigan have brought to us, my blogging has taken a back seat.  So, here is an update on a few of the things that we have been up to since arriving in MI!

 Bryn got her first golf lesson from her dad.

Not a bad shot, baby girl!

 Playing with her "new" toys in the backyard.  Drive the boat like dad!

 Yes, we are in Huron County, so everyone should have a tractor!

She loves running around in the grass.

 We went to the Bad Axe City Park with Luke and Torri.

 Bryn and Luke loved the slides!

 My college roommate, Tammy, came to visit with her kids.  This was Bryn with Kennah.

 All the kids together on the floor - Carter, Kennah, Bryn, and Marley

 We went to the Detroit area to visit the Cubitts.  Cole and Bryn got to snuggle on a bike ride.

And after dinner was bath time!

 Bryn walking around in Mumma's life jacket and water shoes.

 Brian and I got new toys - paddleboards.  Bryn likes to go out with us. 

 Here is Bryn on her way out with her dad.

 Such a nice Daddy-daughter moment

 Marley on his way to welcome them back.

 All done for today

Brian has been taking flight lessons.  Just the other day he flew around the Thumb and was able to fly over our house.  He is the small plane at the end of the branch!

Road Trip - 1st Stop NC!

We set off on our yearly drive to Michigan on Friday.  Our first stop is to see Brian's parents in North Carolina.  We were lucky to be able to see Brian's friend and Bryn's godfather, Casey, and his wife Ashli too.  The weather was colder than we had hoped and my camera was packed away in the back of the car (along with everything else we might just need in the next 3 months), so the only pictures I have are courtesy of Brian's cousin, Sean.

We had a great time in North Carolina.  We are lucky to be able to break up the drive with such great people and activities, Bryn loved the boat rides!    We wish all the love and safety to Casey as he heads to Afghanistan in the upcoming week.  And thanks again to the Flanagans!

And now, off to Michigan!!!!

Animal Kingdom

A few weeks ago my friend Becky came into town and we decided to go to Animal Kingdom.  

 Becky giving Bryn a ride when we first got there.

 Looking for gorillas 

 She loved all the fish!

 On the Safari Tour, which was the best part of the day.  

We even did it twice thanks to fast passes!

 The giraffes got even closer than this to us!

 Banging on the drums in Africa

 We cooled down with some water and waited for the parade.

Pooh, Eyeore, and Tigger were at the character station.  Bryn liked them from afar but was not excited about seeing them close up!  Maybe next year...

Baking with Bryn

Bryn and I decided to make muffins on Sunday.  We made 

blueberry zucchini muffins, glazed doughnut muffins, a BIG mess,

 and a great memory!

 Bryn enjoyed scooping and dumping

 As you can see, my blueberry muffins didn't get too many blueberries...

Bryn ate them!  At least I used blueberry flavored yogurt.

 Cleaning up the mess

Watching and waiting

Bryn's First Orlando Magic Game

Brian has been waiting to take Bryn to her first Magic game probably since she was born. 

We finally had the best one to take her to - a Saturday playoff game at 2:00pm!

Outside the Amway Center

Bryn sat on my lap and didn't move for the entire first quarter.  

There was just so much to look at and to hear!

A friend of ours, Matt, got us into the Legends Suite for some free food and drinks!  

Bryn warmed up here and started learning to use the noisemaker

Back to our regular seats for a bit where she enjoyed the railing.

Go Magic!

It was a great game.  And even though they lost, Bryn got a balloon out of the deal :)

She was great, but very tired.  Maybe next year she will go again....now that she knows where Mumma and Dad go all the time on date nights!