Pointed Toes & Tu-tus

Two of our nieces, Adysen & Bayleigh, turned 5 this past month and are starting school this fall!! I can't believe it. They were just babies 5 minutes ago! They have such personalities and I know their teacher is in for a real treat :) They are smart little cookies and have the wildest imaginations. They continue to surprise me every time I talk to them and constantly make me smile.

My sis allowed them to pick 2 activities that they wanted to start in the fall with school. They chose soccer and ballet...and are THRILLED about both! Tiffany made them tu-tus for ballet and here are some pics she sent me of them trying on their special outfits and practicing!

Tricks! Miss AdysenStrikin' a pose! Check our their new ballet shoes they got for their birthday :)

Miss Bayleigh

"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's looking." -Unknown-

"We are the Champions"

Well, not me...but Ryan's co-ed PGE Softball Team is!!

This was their 1st year playing in the league and they went undefeated! Games were every Thursday night and it was always fun to watch them all play together. I'm actually sad it has come to an end!Celebrating after the big win! They were SO excited! It wasn't much of a nail biter (I think it ended up 17 to 9) but it started out as a close one!

Team Trophy Shot! Congrats PGE Hotsticks! I guess I should also share that Ry got a home run off of a pop fly to the catcher (hehe). He was embarrassed to take it, but hey...it was for the big trophy after all :) These are all guys he works with and they have become like family to him. I am thankful he LOVES his job and his co-workers!

"Are you Crying? Are you Crying??? There's no crying in baseball!" - A League of Their Own (might be one of the greatest movies of all time!)

Beach Weekend

We headed to Seaside, OR for the weekend and I couldn't wait to get on the road. I have to admit that on top of everything else I was looking forward to getting out of the super hot heat for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the summer...but this heat is ridiculous!

Ryan and his Dad, Jimmy, were playing in a golf tournament on Saturday bright and early and I had originally asked if I could tag along to get out of the city...add in my mother in law and brother in law and it made for a fun family getaway! I wish everyone could have came with us, but there is always next time. The weather was gorgeous. A little cloudy and cold in the mornings but high 70's and beautiful in the afternoons. We stayed right on the beach so I spent a lot of time staring at the ocean. We relaxed on Friday evening and then on Saturday the boys headed to golf and Kathy and I spent the day walking around and taking in the sunshine - and ALL of the people! There was a huge motorcycle weekend ("Bike Fest") going on so the town was packed! I have never seen so many people on the beach in Seaside as well as that many Harleys in the same place at the same time. I think I saw some of the most amazing bikes I've ever seen. We strolled and window shopped on the promenade for most of the morning, layed out on the beach and took in some sunshine for the afternoon (I got brave and let my baby bump show on the beach! Agghhhh!) and then met back up with the boys for some dinner and karaoke. A Brown tradition wherever it is available! We had a lazy day Sunday and got in some baby shopping at the outlet stores which was a fun bonus...after all it was their 1st trip to the beach :) It was my 1st clothing purchase for the babies believe it or not! All in all it was a nice, relaxing, great time. We needed that!
I couldn't stop staring at the ocean this weekend and Ryan and I both decided that we need to take advantage of living this close to it more often! From our house in traffic it only took us about an hour and 20 minutes. We made a trip to Seaside last summer with my Mom, Dad and brother and we had a blast also. Definitely something we plan to do more of!

"I have the world's largest collection of seashells. I keep it on all the beaches of the world...perhaps you have seen it." Stephen Wright

Week 16 Update...A few surprises!

We had our 1st doctor's appointment at the Perinatal Center last Wednesday which made for a very exciting week! It included an ultrasound with a new tech and was the most detailed ultrasound we have ever had...measuring every little bone in their bodies. I was so nervous of what they might find or say was wrong but so far so good. Everything appears to be going well and both babies are healthy and right on track. We got to stare at them for about an hour! The clinic was really nice and I think they are going to take really good care of us there - very thorough that's for sure!

The babies were very active as usual and the quality is much better on these machines than our last ones so every movement was amazing to see. I had just seen them 2 weeks ago, but they have grown SO much again...which I guess I shouldn't be surprised about each time :) These little ones are changing fast and the doctor actually moved my due date up a week and 2 days because of it. The babies have been measuring slightly ahead of what they thought my due date was from the beginning but they wanted to wait until I got to this clinic to change it if need be. So that was the 1st of a few surprises.

Next came the big one, or two I guess I should say. First of all, Baby B is 100% confirmed a boy! We did not plan on finding anything out last week and I really didn't think we would be able to see anything but let me tell you, this little man wanted us to know what he was! He showed us more than a few times that he was a boy if you know what I mean :) He is the one on the left that always stands on his head, hides and acts silly and for some reason I have called him a "he" the whole time. Guess it was for good reason! My mom said that is my mother's intuition coming through :)

So, after that news the tech did some more measurements on the little guy's sibling. At this point the tech is 85% sure Baby A is a girl! He said he couldn't get the perfect shot to prove it but based on his measurements and what she (at least he thinks so) is looking like...he thinks we have a little lady in there too! We have our next ultrasound on August 7th for some more testing and will confirm everything then, but for now it is SO fun to think about! There is still a slight chance that it could be 2 boys, which we would absolutely love also, but just knowing a little bit has made everything so much more real. I still can't believe it's all happening and am so appreciative to have healthy babies.

So, today I am 16 weeks. My new due date is December 28th, 2009, which means if I can carry them to 38 weeks which is the goal they are estimated to arrive sometime around December 14th. 36 weeks would be November 30th. I want them hanging in there as LONG as possible so I am going to be praying for December babies.

Sharing all of the news so far has been an incredible experience. We have been waiting for these moments. Telling our families about our surprise of a boy and possible girl was so much fun. This will be the 1st boy grandson on Ryan's side of the family out of 5 grandkids so everyone was over the moon to add a boy into the mix. See his 1st Football below :) On the Tripp side we have the twin girls and 1 little Mr. Parker so he will be happy to have a playmate! The girls had decided over 4th of July weekend that 1 boy and 1 girl would be best because it would be a girl for them to play with and a boy for Parker too so they just might have got their wish. Many people have predicted a boy and girl combo since the beginning (including my mom from day 1) and a few are rarely wrong...shout out to Trevor Rollinger for most likely his next correct prediction - I believe he is in the 20's now for picking right! We will find out for sure on August 7th so stay tuned!

I don't mean to be too sappy in this post but I have to say that I am overjoyed with being pregnant. Each day is new and exciting and I feel so fortunate for each experience as I didn't know if we would ever get to go through this. I look at life so much differently now and I love the way that I see things. I can't wait to share more as we go and to introduce you all to our new family. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for us and I am happy to report that all is going well!

There are two things in life for which we are never truly prepared: twins. ~Josh Billings :)

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles." - Audrey Hepburn