Sunday, July 6, 2014

Carnival Fun!

It's always so special when I get to spend time with my precious Brady.  He's my 3 year-old nephew and such a spunky and smart little boy.  On this day, I took him to the little carnival that appeared in the parking lot of our local grocery store.  When we were little, I remember getting so excited when I'd spot a ferris wheel in the distance.  My mom and dad always took us at night and we absolutely loved it.  It was one of those rare occasions that were extra special.  

When I spotted the ticket booth and shiny corn dog stand that morning, I knew I wanted to take Brady. I called my sister and she told Brady that I was going to pick him up for a special day.  He was ecstatic.  

When we arrived at the carnival....I instantly saw that it was the perfect setting for old time, rustic and vintage style pictures.  Brady is so little and only 3 years old...so our ride choices were very limited.  We got in line at the ticket booth and got our strip of tickets.  First, we headed for some of the classic carnival games.  At our first stop, the carny lady handed Brady an old rusty bucket of plastic rings and he proceeded to toss them at a pile of up-right, glass bottles.  After 15 attempts...he made some good throws, but never made it to a bottle neck.  He sure had fun though!  Next, we headed to another game station where the wacky looking gypsy lady talked to Brady with a strange accent.  She only had a couple teeth...but was certainly harmless and smiled warmly at little Brady.  She was in charge of the rubber ducky/every body's a winner station, which also ended up being Brady's favorite game of the day.  

After fishing for many rubber duckies and accumulating an armful of floppy stuffed animals, we decided to try our first ride.  There was only 1 acceptable ride for little kids that I was also able to ride with him, so there we found ourselves on the spinning strawberries!!!  Brady loved it!  He was a bit skeptical at first, but after the ride was over....he couldn't stop talking about it!  It was so much fun.  

After riding the strawberries, there was nothing else to do except try out some yummy carnival food!  We opted for a big corn dog with plenty of ketchup and mustard.  Brady and I split it and then it was time for the real treat....COTTON CANDY!  I got Brady his very own bag and he absolutely loved it.  It was such a special day and I can't wait for my next adventure with my Brady boy. 
















Brysen's 1st Birthday!

 It was a super windy and rainy Saturday....but it was filled with laughter, happiness and excitement as our favorite blond-haired, blue-eyed boy turned 1!!  Brysen's 1st birthday was an absolutely success!  He was so happy!!  His favorite birthday present was definitely the fact that mommy and daddy took down the baby gate in the living room and he was free to crawl around the house!  When his little knees hit the tile, I had never seen him so happy and excited!!  He even had his first taste of cake, which of course was Tootsie Tillie's pineapple with plenty of bright yellow frosting! 

His birthday theme was Baby Einstein.  My sister and brother-in-law did an amazing job with the party, especially given the fact that Baby Einstein party supplies are very hard to come by.  All of Brysen's friends came to celebrate, too.  He had a special pinata and lots of fun cupcakes to share with all of his guests.  His favorite guest and big brother, Brady, was so excited for his baby brother.  Grandma made both boys special party shirts and I must say, they both looked extra adorable.  Lunch was provided by Uncle Robby...yummy pizzas!  

Brysen is such a sweet baby boy and I love him so much.  He's getting so big and starting to keep up with his brother.  His birthday was so special and when we sang happy birthday....I could see the happiness on his face.  His mommy and daddy (and Brady, of course) helped him open all his presents, he played hard and had a very special 1st birthday.  We love our little Brysen bug and love watching him grow up.  Happy Birthday, Brysen James! 





























































































A few days before the party...it was Brysen's actual birthday and we celebrated at Texas Roadhouse!