She is here!!!

Let me introduce the newest member of the Brand family. Emily Grace Brand entered our world on May 15, 2013 at 8:43am.  She weighed 8 lbs and was 20 inches long. She has a head of light brown hair and blue eyes.  It was love at first sight for Daddy, me and big sister Molly. (More on Molly's first visit later!)

Baby Girl #2

As I sit here typing, I am feeling the ever constant kicking in my belly of Baby Brand #2! I am 40 weeks pregnant and just one day away from meeting our newest addition.  She will arrive on Wednesday morning via C-section and we are beyond ready and excited. 

Molly has been preparing for her new job as Big Sister and can't wait for her baby sister to get here.  The nursery is ready and my bag is almost packed. The Brands are headed into town tomorrow to watch Molly while I am in the hospital. They will be a great distraction for Molly while Daddy and I are a little busy with the new little one. 

Can't wait to meet her! I wonder what she will be like???

Molly's Puppy Party

For those of you that asked, here are the details to Molly's 2nd Puppy Party! 

Welcome wreath on the front door!

The Pupcakes

Adopt a Puppy Station

Choose your puppy wisely!

They each got a carrie box to decorate and take their puppy home in!

The awesome doghouse Molly's daddy made!

Birthday Girl being shy!

Liam and Madison's first date!

Decorating their puppy carriers!

Liam wasn't quite sure what to think!

Drew loved his cupcake!

Yum, cupcake!

It was a wonderful day full of friends and family to celebrate our 2 year old!

Molly is 2!

 

My little girl has grown up so fast! It is really hard to believe that she was ever NOT a part of our lives! Here are some things I want to remember about Molly at this age:
-still a great sleeper, one long nap and sleeping about 11 hours at night
-picky eater. You love the foods you are used to but are not keen on trying new things
-your vocabulary is amazing! You are talking up a storm and your little sentences and the way you say things crack me up!
-you say "Thanks" instead of Thank you, "Yep" and "Nope" and "Bless you" whenever anyone sneezes or coughs
-you love to "cook" in your new kitchen, play with your babies, and of course your "woof woof" friends. You also love to go on walks outside with your doll stroller.
-you like to talk to your daddy on the phone at work
-you love to talk about school and all your friends, but are still crying when I drop you off
-your favorite show right now is Team Umizoomi
-your favorite song to sing is the ABC's
-you only use your paci in the car and in your crib (small steps ;)

You make me smile everyday and I can't believe what a little person you have become. I love watching your personality shine!

MDO

My little girl on her first day of MDO!



She is going Tuesday and Thursday mornings for about 4 hours. They eat lunch there but she will come home and take her nap! The first day went great, no tears and she said she had so much fun! I wish I could say it continued to go that well! She cries when I drop her off but her teachers say it is only for a few minutes and then she has a blast! Such a big girl!

St. Louis

In July, the original Gassiraro clan plus two toddlers embarked on an epic trip to St. Louis! My parents, sister, niece, Molly and I spent a week in the city of our birth and experienced all it had to offer. We had a great time with family and saw all that we could in the 100 degree heat! Here are a few of the highlights!

First stop was The Magic House!

Giant Lite Bright! She could have stayed here all day!

Water table!

Spent the day at Pop Pop's house. Swinging on the back porch, just like their mommies used to do!

Coloring with Pop Pop

At Grant's Farm feeding the goats!

St. Louis Zoo! Such an amazing zoo!

Couldn't believe Dylan sat still long enough to get her face painted!

Riding the zoo train!

Choo Choo! It was hot, but fun!

A Choo Choo train! (and animals too)

The Fort Worth Zoo has always been on my to do list for when Molly was a little older. With her love of animals and a better understanding of the different kinds, now was the time!
Daddy took the morning off and we headed to Funkytown to be there when it opened! We had a wonderful time. She loved the animals but seemed to be more enamored with the little things. Like the water features in the enclosures and the misting machines to keep the patrons cool. Go figure!



 By far, the biggest hit was the train! It was a 3 minute ride where you saw no animals at all, but she loved it! She didn't stop smiling the whole way!

 Checking out the penguins having lunch!

 "Giraffes are cool Mom but check out the fish in the pond!"

 Elephants!

"The view is so much better up here!"

We will visit again for sure and wait for the animals to trump the train!!!