Catching up

So to get everyone caught up a little more we enjoyed summer, with lots of trike rides on our street and playing with friends. Cassie got a new big girl room, and Anthony and I just tried to stay on top of everything! I have the big news in the family, a new job! I started in September and immediately got to do a little travel. Week one on the job I went to Las Vegas for a team meeting and managed to sneak in a bit of time with two of my favorite girls who are lucky enough to live so close to one another! Of course on my first trip away Cassie got the stomach flu and gave daddy quite an experience!

Here I am with Steph and Jamie!
The next two weeks included trips as well, Albuquerque where I got a great dinner out with my mom and Larry and finally get a taste of green chili again! The following week I hit up Phoenix for a Ruth Clark Certification training with my whole team. Three weeks of straight travel was crazy, but also nice to meet my team, as we are virtual and no one else lives in Iowa.







Cassie has been practicing her new role of BIG SISTER by singing to my ever growing stomach and naming the baby, "Baby Huffington" ( From the Max & Ruby show) That's right if you really haven't heard from me in a long time We are expecting baby # 2. Due on April 8th. I am 17 weeks and things were pretty uneventful in this pregnancy until yesterday. Of course in true fashion I cannot just have an easy pregnancy right? Well yesterday morning I thought I had started to go into pre term labor and knowing that I am not near far enough along for that I immediately hit the dr. Turns out I am not in Labor THANK GOD, but I do have a conditional called Placental Previa. For me that means no lifting over 25 lbs, so I cannot pick up Cassie at all... and if it doesn't migrate I will need a C-section at about 37 weeks. We are just keeping out fingers crossed the placenta migrates and I am being very careful not to do anything I shouldn't and we'll see what happens! We tried to get a sneak peek at what we are having yesterday but baby brown was sitting on his/her legs and hiding all the goods, We'll look again in 3 weeks and hopefully know how to decorate the nursery!

Birthday Girl - Long Overdue

My great intentions never seem to follow through but I will say in my defense I have been busy since June. Cassie turned 3 June 19th! She had a PINK party, everything was pink and in her eyes perfect! Here are a few of her Third Birthday Photos,

And here she is on the tilt a whirl during her birthday trip to Adventure land!

June Birthday's

Can you believe it my baby is going to be THREE in 11 days. Cassie isn't the only one with a June birthday either, yesterday we took off for Iowa City for my nephew Michael's 9th birthday. We had a great time, notice the cuteness of cousins cudding below. The cousins are moving in less than a month to Virginia, so snuggle time is very important right now.

Summer has begun!

Anthony is out on the 4-wheeler, Cassie is protesting her nap and I am finally getting a update written! It is official the summer has begun... In true Brown Family fashion we have some projects to complete.

Anthony and our neighbor Jim built a new deck on your house last weekend, notice we know have built in entertainment for hours of toddler fun!

We added a new vanity to the bathroom in the spring and in the process ripped up some of the flooring. Come to find out instead of getting a few replacement tiles we have to re-do the whole floor(our tiles were discontinued a year ago) so we decided to re-paint and re-decorate the bathroom to go with the new vanity and new flooring.

Cassie is almost three and I am amazed at where the time has gone, seems like we just had her first birthday

She is enjoying the summer as you can see below!

Headed to her second cousin Sophia's First Birthday party or in Cassie' s language "My Presen Sophia" which sounds very similar to my present so we always think she is asking for a present when talking about her cousins.

Enjoying a popsicle on the first warm day...

Trying out the pool!

SUMMARY

To quickly summarize the last two months we'll say busy!

Life has been fun, we have been on the run all the time and we are all doing well! I'll do a summary with photos to fill you in. First off we went to Chicago in August to see the IOWA HAWKEYES! play at Soldier Field. It was a fantastic weekend away and a ton of good food, friends and of course football! Here are Anthony and I with Tiffany and Josh @ the Hawkeye Huddle!

We got to meet up with my great friends Annie and Ross !

and hang out with our buddies Craig and Jenny from Denver!

I finally got a much needed Mom's weekend away so Megan and I headed up to Minneapolis to visit Katie!

Since then Cassie has begun potty training and talking like there is no tomorrow. She is so good on the phone she even answered the call waiting today and went from Anthony's mom to mine. Imagine my surprise when I took the phone back and instead of Kathy it was my mom!

Here are some good shots of Cassie's fun this fall, don't want anyone to get the impression only the parents in this house are having a good time!!!

At the Zoo!

Playing in her Bounce House!

Cheering on the Chariton Chargers @ Homecoming!

Little Farmer

We took Cassie back out to the Iowa State Fair for the last day and went through the Little Hands on the Farm Display. It is the greatest thing I have seen for little ones. Here's How it goes...

You go into the first building and get an apron, basket and a hat...

You pick a "seed" to plant ( a poker type chip with a picture of a vegetable on it) You go dig in the dirt and plant your seed,

then you go harvest your crop and pick up the same veggie you planted.

You get to pick and apple from a tree in the orchard

Then you go through to the grain bin, get some Corn and Soy Beans in baggies to go in your basket, walk through the chicken coup and gather an egg,

head to the fuel barn and turn in your soy beans for a gas can to fill up you tractor,

ride that around a course,

head on to the sheep barn and get a bag of wool, go into the dairy barn and drop off you corn for food for the cow, milk the cow and get a container of milk,

head to the market and sell your items and get a fake dollar to spend in the grocery store.

Cassie bought some juice with her dollar. Isn't this just the cutest thing you have ever seen :-)

Crazy Storm

This morning we awoke to a crazy thunder and lightening storm. About 6:35 I thought the lightening must have hit a nearby house it was so loud, I opened the blinds and looked out and saw nothing. Then about 6:45 I noticed we had a car pointing at our house and waving. I sent Anthony out having completly forgotten about the storm. That loud lightening had struck our tree. Here are some pictures!