family vacation

at the end of may we took our first family vacation! our good friends, david and julie were getting married in athens, georgia, so we decided to drive to that, then drive to charleston, south carolina for a few days. jamie and i went to charleston a few years ago and really liked it. we didn't bring sophia that time, but we wished we had because it's really dog friendly. so this year, she had to come!
we had such a great time at the wedding and got to see a lot of our old friends from columbus, including our dear dear friends cass and maggie. the entire trip went really well, except for all the driving. oliver was NOT a fan of the car. he also cut 2 molars on the first leg of the trip. we were hoping that was a lot of the problem, but it didn't seem to be the case. poor ollie.

oklahoma - part 2

while we had all the babies together we wanted to get some pictures. this is easier said than done. it is sooo hard to get 3 babies on the same schedule! not to mention all smiling. oliver decided not to nap the day we did it, so he was fairly grumpy. i think one of the girls was sleeping when we got there. but, it all worked out and we got a few decent shots. it's amazing how much they have changed since the last time they were together!


























i even managed to get a shot of everybody using the timer on my camera! (just pretend the babies are looking)

oklahoma - part 1

my brother got married last september. it was a private ceremony in lake tahoe (where they live) so they decided to throw a reception/party in oklahoma so we could all help them celebrate! it was in may, and it was pretty special because it was the first time matt and andrea got to meet oliver and my nieces, and also for my grandparents to meet them. matt has never really talked about wanting kids, so it was a big surprise to see how awesome he was with them! seriously, he's a natural! if only he lived closer, he'd be a great babysitter ;)
oliver and i came a week before the reception, so we got a couple days with just my mom, matt and andrea. it was really nice. matt and andrea even took oliver to the zoo for the very first time! (i got to come too) it was a lot of fun, there was even a baby elephant.









when the girls got there oliver had a good time with them too. i think he's already a bit of a lady's man!














aren't they so cute? they are so dainty compared to oliver!

9 months

O bear is 9 months old!!! i can't believe he is getting so close to a year. each month is more fun than the last. sometimes i do miss my cuddly newborn though : )








he just learned to fake smile. i don't know where he learned it but it's funny.

easter!

easter was a little different this year, since we were dependent on oliver's nap schedule. we had a leisurely morning as a family and gave oliver his first easter basket. he seemed to enjoy it! then, after his nap we went to our friends' house for brunch. it was really nice, but the best part was that the sun came out! we all went to the park after eating and it was wonderful!


here he is with his easter basket. i think he's the first boy to get a rat in his easter basket!








besides the rat, we put several of these large plastic eggs in the basket.




they were filled with treats!


he didn't want to share with the rat : )

8 months

this year is flying by! it feels like oliver should be maybe 5 months old, not 8!
here are a few photos of his 8 month birthday, and also some from the past few months to remind you of how much he's changed!




look how much he's thinned out! he barely has any rolls anymore : (

trip to baltimore

last month oliver and i went to baltimore for a weekend to attend my good friend heather's baby shower. heather was one of my bridesmaids. we have been friends since our freshman year of college. i'm so excited that we are now starting our families together! the only bad thing is that we don't live anywhere near each other! (she's in detroit now)
it was such an easy trip because we were able to take the train. oliver LOVES traveling via train! it's so nice to have all that room, the stroller right there, and most of all to not need a car seat!
anyway, we had a nice trip and heather and randal got to meet ollie (finally!!!) and i got to meet the baby bump. can't wait to meet the baby!


on the train


sitting in the sun after brunch


hanging with randal


ollie, randal, heather, baby brown


during the shower oliver and i slipped outside and enjoyed the baby swing. here's a little video.