IN THE KITCHEN...

Paxton loves to pull himself up and play in the kids 'kitchen'. I just love his little grin..and those cheeks!!!

OPEN FOR BUSINESS!...

TJ and his wonderful staff just opened our first retail location! The kids were helping dad unpack and stock shelves....or at least testing out all the new gear. Congratulations Honey!

BALBOA ISLAND...

A time honored tradition anytime we go to California to visit the Aunties. We stroll through the shops of main street, eat the famed Balboa Bar, and meander through the streets of ocean side cottages. We visited with this sweet little old lady sitting on her porch who exclaimed she was as close to heaven as she was going to get until she actually got there. It felt like heaven to me!

LACY JO

Poor Jaden....I think he feels a little left out when the girl cousins get together. He isn't used to sharing his sisters attention. Check out Lacy's pretty red hair and all her little faces. What a gal! arizona, march 2009

FRIENDSHIP...

loving, helping, lifting, listening, caring, sharing, laughing, playing, crying, hugging...friends do it all. Little do these two know this is only the beginning. Alex and Lexi....arizona, march 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY....a new found interest!


Soon To Be Wed..
Luke Cable & Reilly Pittman


*Disclaimer: Very amateur! Like just finished reading the manuel for my new camera, amateur. Luke is my cousin and so I did it as a favor and believe you me I was praying so hard that there would be some that they liked. God answers prayers because there were several that they liked. Phew!

With my baby turning six months I am resurfacing to the top to survey the damage of neglect. The New Years 'pull it together' bug and the 'six month post baby resurection' hit me at the same time. I now organized most of the closets in my house, created my 2009 budgets, labeled almost every cabinet and drawer in my home and have set some new goals. There are still many projects left to be done still but I still have 10 more months to complete them all...right?!

I will make an effort to keep up on my blog on a regular basis. So here goes....

The 2009 New Year found the Brown Family in Arizona visiting our extended families. The kids enjoyed every moment of it!

"The Girl Cousins" reading a book under the tent with Mimi.

We spent a few days up at Ryan & Krista's in Prescott, AZ. We had a wonderful time despite the flu bug. The kids paid a visit to the dentist to have Uncle Ryan check out there pearly whites. Jenny and her babies came up as well and so the cousins all had fun being together or terrorizing each other depending on the mood of the moment. The weather was nice and so the kids spent a lot of time playing outside.

New Years Eve we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner al fresco on the patio. I loved that it was January 1st and we were eating outside!
No snow for us!

The rest of the time was spent at the Liddell's. As usual, it was a houseful! With young aunt & uncles, friends and then my crew it was fun chaos. Not a moment to be bored. Jaden often went with Dad and Grandad to check out airplanes, guns or grab some ice cream. Alex was content to shop with her mom and aunties. Alex enjoyed entertaining the baby cousins...

The Love Birds Getaway....Puerta Vallarta, MEXICO

Thanks to wonderful grandparents, TJ and I were able to escape to the beach for some sleep, sunshine and tacos! Oh, the joy! We stayed at an all inclusive resort and gorged ourselves daily on chips, salsa, guacamole and pina coladas. We traveled there with three other couples that work with us at Pristine Pools. It was really a fun group. The guys chartered a boat to take us around the bay where we enjoyed snorkeling, beautiful views of the coast line, peaceful walks on the beach, friendly locals and yummy food.
Admittedly the ladies did spend quite a bit of time laying by the pool, chatting, eating, soaking up the sun and rockin 'name that tune' with the pool side disc jockey. And courtesy of Paramount we all enjoyed a massage at the spa.

Pebble Tech, Chris McDonald's, took us to a fantastic place called Vista Grill. The resteraunt was on top of a hill overlooking the bay. The view was amazing and the food was delicious.

I don't have any pictures to document this but the event planners for the Paramount trip booked a night at one of the night club's in Old Town. We had a lot of fun dancing the night away. More then once a bar tender laughed when we simpy ordered water. Jason and Lance at one point were dancing on the bar being goofy. Jason did this sky high toe touch and when he landed really hurt one of his feet. We got a kick out of trying to make up a story for him to tell the kids. Dad jumping off a bar in Mexico might send the wrong message you know.

Here is a picture of a street in Old Town. It is such a charming place. Of all the places we have been to in Mexico I think Puerta Vallarta is our new favorite. The terrain is so pretty with the ocean, the beach and mountains of rain forest surrounding it on all sides.

I miss Pepe's tacos! We ate there every day, or at least it seemed like it. They were so good! We became a well know party that week.
MMmmm....

The last day of our trip we decided to head deep into the jungle to zip line from one large tree to another. Despite the many butterflies in my tummy everytime I jumped off the platform to zing through the air, it was a lot of fun.

The boys have not turned over the pictures of their own exscursions to the bull fights and cock fights. Both events were apparently very interesting and obviously grousome. I guess that is the Mexican way though and are long standing traditions.