~Beach Broughs~

bad mom or genius?

2012-01-12T22:23:00.002-05:00

Max is trouble! He recently figured out how to climb out of his crib. This morning he really found trouble. When I went downstairs I found all the kitchen lights on, the silverware drawer empty, its contents spread across the counter, thr heat off and the air conditioner on. I thought about a crib tent but they seem like a prison and i know he'd really hate it and I don't think I could bear to tie it closed. so after diliberation and prayer

I hope I found my solution....I reversed his door knob so the lock is on the outside. I will lock it before bed and my hubby will unlock it when he leaves for work at 6:20am. Also I placed a small plastic bowl of dry cereal along with a sippy cup of water for him. I think he was attempting to feed himself which is why the spoons (amongst other things) were out. His room is full of fun toys that I know he can amuse himself with. We'll see what the morning brings but I can't stop wondering am I a bad mom or a genius?

Dear Santa,

2011-12-10T18:07:00.003-05:00

Lilia's 1st letter to Santa~

Dear Santa,
We want toys! We love you so much. We love to eat chicken and we love to eat mashed potatoes. We want for Christmas is a doll house. Max wants candy, and I want candy in my stocking and Pocahontas and Jasmine. Daddy wants a 'tar (guitar). Max wants is a puppy, not a real puppy who not talks. And I want a dolly. Two dollies and dolly clothes. Grammy wants a Christmas is a hide. (she said it means- lions don't eat it.) Pop wants a little cat, not a real cat who doesn't scratch who doesn't do nothing ever. Max wants Little People and that's all. I love you so much.

Love, Lilia

-and we love to put the angel on the top.

(this is in her exact words)

Lilia and the "polka dots"

2011-12-01T16:17:00.005-05:00

Twas almost Thanksgiving when all through the house
germs were spreading to every mouth.
The cousins were coming, the turkey was bought
but sickness had spread and all were caught.
Lilia started amoxicillin.
So did the parents and a few of the children.
Turkey was had
The house was a sight,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
but a round red spot on her bright and clear.
So I sprang to my phone
to the doc gave a call
and away we went with high hopes one and all.
She came to the room and went straight to her work
made a few remarks then turned with a jerk.
I was left befuddled, bewildered and lost
she gave no solution to the wind we were tossed.
I grew angry and worried as Lily itched more,
so the very next day we went back out the door.
To Urgent Care we did go,
seeking help for my beau
for now she was covered with red head to toe.
Allergic reaction to the meds they think
they gave her some new meds for her to drink.
It took a few days for her to be well
But no longer does her face, feet and hands swell.
Grateful I am for the doctors and meds
that treated my girl and happily said,
"You are a beauty!" pink dots and all
and then my tears started to fall.
Lilia had polka dots, and oh what a sight
But now all is well, and to all a good night!

Ode to pink

2011-10-31T23:16:00.011-04:00

How does anyone not like pink? I guess we all have our favorites. This is a tribute to the fabulous color PINK. What pink means to me....
-happy
-pretty
-brings a smile to my face
-good in almost every shade
-femininity
-love
-sassy
-when paired with other colors can convey many emotions/feelings (ie- black and pink:sexy or sophisticated; pink and brown:warm and friendly; pink and yellow:cheerful and vibrant)
-my signature color ;)

Don't get me wrong I love many colors but pink draws me in and comforts me and brightens my day. Funny how something so common as a color can have such an effect on me. Heavenly Father created them all. Pink is a gift for me.

Create something that didn't exist before

2011-10-28T22:22:00.004-04:00

I get down, depressed and seem unable to appreciate the joy and beauty in my life. This is slowly cured through much prayer, much effort, a bit of shopping ;) and finally in an effort to create something.

I love to try new things within the comfort of my own home. Tonight I made homemade bread bowls. They turned out better than I initially thought( they were a little flat as opposed to bowls). Lilia and I put our hands to work with the dough.

We enjoyed Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli soup!

While it was rising we painted pictures. (Too close to my heart to share those pictures.)

And tonight I created these scripture bags out of placemats. I've had the idea for a while and finally put it to the test. I love it!
Still need some tweaking but overall my depression has passed.

Words of a holy man to inspire all to create:

" The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. You might say, I am not the creative type. If that is how you feel, think again. Creation is your opportunity in this life….. Start small. Creativity does not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you. You will make the World a better place. Improve, beautify, extend, smile, cultivate, develop, create."
~Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Halloween Party of Awesomeness

2011-10-23T17:16:00.007-04:00

That's right its the most wonderful time of the year! No silly, not Christmas, it is HALLOWEEN!

The Brough Cinemas

presents

"Characters in Costume"

Captain Jack Sparrow and Scarlett O'Hara

Agents Scully and Mulder from the X-Files
Mr. and Mrs. Edward CullenCaptain Jack Sparrow II and his lovely Wench

Robin Hood

The Captains battling it out for the title!

The Movie Stars

The concession stands

my popcorn cupcakes

And for a few other Halloween events here are the cute kiddos

Alice in Wonderful

tea party with the elusive white rabbit

My lil pup
trick or treating on the boardwalk
DQ gave out ice cream! AWESOME!

Max playing between begging for candy

Modest Mama by Melanie

2011-10-18T18:59:00.002-04:00

I've been sewing for almost 3 years and I LOVE IT! I make things from kid's aprons, bibs, nursing covers, baby slings, to burp cloths and quilts. These are a few of my latest projects.

I adore this custom order quilt!

I don't usually make bibs and I remembered why. They seem small and simple but cause me so much grief. But they did turn out pretty cute. (another custom order)

This is a recent gift I made for a college friend. I'm in love with it!

And here is a custom order set I just finished.
I love to sew and it is a true blessing. Thanks to all of you who have supported my efforts!

Stitches and their rewards

2011-10-14T10:40:00.002-04:00

On Saturday I dropped a large glass canister. It shattered and bruised and cut my Lilia's right hand. It was small but deep and bleed a bit. I took her to Urgent Care and they "sewed me up" as she likes to tell people. Its also bruised quite a bit since then too.

For those mamas out there who have injuried their children and felt horribly quilty they will understand that prizes are a special way to help everyone feel better. She got 4 wiggles movies at a yard sale on the drive home from the doctor. Then we went to OC block party and she got this....$5 face painting. normally I would never pay so much but she adored it (silly face was no extra charge.)
FREE pony rides were a treat for everyone!
Max didn't last long once they started walking away from me.

i make milk

2011-10-11T23:00:00.002-04:00

Lily loves being a mommy to her babies. She "feeds" them, loves them and does all a good mommy should. Yesterday she says looking down at her bare chest,
"mommy, I have "feedings" same as you."
me- "its called your chest."
Lily- " You have milk. I have orange juice."

Kid's say the darndest things

2011-09-23T00:38:00.002-04:00

Script of our most recent Family Home Evening:

Mommy: Okay Daddy what is our lesson about?
Daddy: Chicken nuggets.
Mommy gives Daddy dirty look.
Lilia: I like to eat them, and french fries.
(laughter by all)
Daddy: when we're angry and mad we should not yell, scream or slam doors. Jesus wants us to be happy.
Lilia (with hands on her heart): But we can't love Jesus. We have to love our bodies and hearts....and our head, shoulders, knees and toes. Our body is a temple.
LAUGHTER GALORE!

Jumpin' July

2011-07-23T20:32:00.005-04:00

Okay so I've kinda forgotten to post anything lately. Here's a peek into our lives this month.

Lots of pool time....120 heat index lately
*note: I have an amazing hubby. He works hard, plays hard and is a strong soul. He gets up with the kids each morning so I can sleep in. He never yells at me as I carry in all my yard saling treasures. and together we dream of our future. Thank heaven we're sealed for eternity, cause we have big plans!

Lilia and Max are starting to actually play together, they're buddies!

Max insists on feeding himself with a spoon and does an ok job of it.

Beach, beach and more beach.....we are the beach Broughs ya know!

Saw Harry Potter on opening day. and again since. I wore my Gryffindor badge!

my goofy son puts the bucket on his head and yells cause he likes the vibrations it makes....so silly! (truth is, i showed him how;) )

playgrounds are a favorite place when the heat cooperates

isn't he just the handsomest boy ever!!!!

Lilia the Firefighter....we love the Margate Library and all the fun things they have going on. this was a display of the Firetrucks and all their stuff. Lilia and cousins even got to spray the fire hose.
right after I gave Max a haircut. I love his curls and many are still intact but his hair was becoming fluffy and needed a trim.

Happy Birthday Pop!

Happy Indepence Day! We love the parade. Isn't she darling?!

Mr. Max, another Firefighter!

Max and cousin Josh lovin' the rides on OC Boardwalk.

Cousins galore....we love 'em!

Puddle jumping is pretty great!
Lilia has grown up so much recently. She dresses herself (sometimes the outfits are very interesting). She goes potty herself, she helps Max, and she is just plain AWESOME! She can be a bit sassy but together we're working on being kinder and happier!

blue eyed boy
Max seems older each time he awakes. I can't believe how quickly he's grown. He does stairs in both directions, he feeds himself, he amuses himself in his room. He's a dancing machine!!!! He now says "mama" and "night night". He's such a snuggle bug and a truly happy guy! I love him to pieces.

We even had a special visit from Papa Larry and Uncle Brad!

July isn't over yet, and neither are our adventures. and in other news in the past 2.5 years I've taken over 10,000 pictures with my camera :)

Dance Dance Dance!

2011-06-27T08:06:00.007-04:00

Lilia has been bitten by the jitter bug! She's a dancer! This weekend was her 1st recital and she was amazing. Of course the 3yr old class is mostly known for their unpredictable steps and adorable smiles (or frowns). They all danced to the beat of their own drummer but the audience couldn't have loved them more. She said she didn't want to dance in the recital the morning of the dress rehearsal but once up there she had no problem. She was a little overwhelmed by it all so the audience didn't get much of her attention the first time but she danced on the stage 3x and got better with each. She also loved watching all the bigger girls dance (and the occasional boy). She wanted to sit and enjoy the show each time. The bigger kids were all so sweet with her and wanted to meet her.

I teach Modern Dance at the studio and these are some a few of my students before they enter the stage for "Bee Boy". They were amazing!

Lilia during her dance "Ain't She Sweet"

She called all the girls in her class, my friend.

Was very excited to receive her "1 year" award pin after the show.

Lilia loves her teachers Miss Leslie and Miss Sarah!

After my recitals as a kid we always went to the Main Event Ice Cream Shop by us to celebrate!
So of course we did it again!

Lilia wanted blue ice cream to match her dress.Way to go, Lilia Sue! You're my shining STAR!

Lilia's dance at the dress rehearsal. They got better each show!

Pageantry

2011-06-12T23:16:00.003-04:00

So I know I posted the video from the Star Ledger from the Ms. Senior NJ Pageant earlier. These are just a few photos from the day. I choreographed the pageant, which means I ran the rehearsal, taught the women each formation they walked every time they came out on stage minus their talents, and choreographed their production number. Rehearsal day was 9-5 and the pageant day I was there 8:30am-4:30pm. It was a marvelous experience. Its exhausting and can be frustrating but the women are kind, friendly and so appreciative. I also performed a modern dance while a former queen/pageant director sang.
I did a lot of sewing for the pageant. I took the title Modest Mama to heart. I helped make Mom's 3 gowns modest by adding sleeves, or adding a top, or even adding laces to one. I had a blast preparing with Mom. Its a great excuse to shop for shoes, jewelry and fancy things. and then I treated myself to a new dress. This is it. (ps- it was full length and strapless...I chopped the bottom off and built the top the night before the pageant!)
Mom won 2nd runner-up! She sang "poor unfortunate souls" from the Little Mermaid. and one judge confided in her after the pageant they awarded her full marks for her talent. She was fantastic!

Ms Senior NJ Pageant

2011-06-08T19:28:00.001-04:00

This is a video the Star Ledger of NJ made documenting the pageant this year. Mom and I are both in it!

Bug Birthday Party

2011-06-05T20:14:00.004-04:00

We held Max's birthday party as a picnic in the park. It was perfect! (Except that Max refused his morning nap and was cranky)
The park provided a great place for the kids of all ages to play and have fun. meaning I didn't have to provide amusement.

I brought bags and stickers. The kids decorated their goody bags and then I filled them.

We visited the ducks and turtles.

We made great friendships!

We had fun!

All the adults chatted and ate while most of the kids played

Our Caterpillar out of balloons. the wind didn't always keep it looking cool but that's ok.
another plus about the beautiful park is I didn't have to do much decorating :)

Before and after cup-o-dirt. I served this instead of cupcakes. Lesson learned- never add gummy worms to hot cooked pudding. wait until the next day after its been chilled in the fridge. if you don't wait your worms will melt and the pudding will taste like gummy worms. I found a way to ruin the easiest dessert ever :)we had to add fresh worms

Max fell asleep the instant we got in the car. It was killing Lily that he hadn't opened his gifts yet. So the moment he woke up she wanted to. I made her wait until he was ready. This is one of his many awesome gifts!

Thanks for all who came and celebrated our great guy's big day!

Happy Birthday Mr. Max!

2011-06-05T20:00:00.004-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday to my cute and cuddly MAX! This post is a little late but was still well documented :)He's such a big boy!

This reads "Happy 1st Birthday MAX!" We spent the afternoon at the beach playing and having fun!

He was very interested in the candle and adores the song "Happy Birthday" Hesitant with the cupcake. we tried again the next day and he loved it!

presents were fun, but he would've been happy with just one. Lily was a big "help" when opening the gifts. She forced him to continue unwrapping his gifts.

He loves sitting at the table with all of us.
He's enjoying his birthday breakfast of mickey mouse pancakes.

He's such a happy guy!He loved his birthday sign :)

I can hardly believe how quickly he's grown. He's a little person now, with likes, dislikes and an enthusiasm for independence and adventure!

Happy Birthday Max!

Mother's Day Reality Check

2011-05-08T21:48:00.004-04:00

Ok so I'm a mom. I love being a mom. I think this Mother's Day was meant to teach me a few lessons... or perhaps a test to see what lessons I've learned. Here are my results:

1- Disney is fun and lovable but teaches bad things to my daughter. These are not what you might be intitally thinking. Lilia's current favorites are Rapunzel and Mulan. The bad lessons learned: hair cutting and writing on your body.

1A- As we were prepared to leave the house Lilia informed me she cut her dolls hair like Rapunzel. Poor Barbie was left with a bad mohawk, no magical powers and no clothes (those were removed prior).
LESSON: Find the blessing amidst the disaster- she only cut a doll's hair and not her own.

1B- As we arrived at church and I go to unbuckle Lilia from her car seat I discovered she's used blue pen to draw all over her right leg(thigh to ankle, front and back), and her new white church sandals, and both hands. Her reason "Mulan do it and say 'Notes in case I forget'". My response, "well Mulan got in trouble too!"
LESSON Continued: Find the blessing amidst the disaster- she spared her dress and the ink was removed with vigorous rubbing of 2 wet wipes.

2- I'm asked to give the opening prayer while I'm holding one child and the other is wrapped around my knees. I agree. Babe in arms begs for milk during opening hymn, falls asleep, and wakes screaming when handed to off to another so I can publicly pray.
LESSON: Doesn't matter if no one in the congregation could hear me over my sons wailing, it brought me the spirit.

3- Sharing Time Prep for Mother's Day: 4 hours (making "My Mother" books for kids to fill out, dipping strawberries, making boxes for strawberries enough for 36 kids and 10 primary workers)
Actual Sharing Time: 20 mins (15 kids and 9 workers)
LESSON: It doesn't matter. They loved it and the extras were given to many more including a few who might have been overlooked today.

4-Terrible Twos have nothing on the Temper-mental Threes.
LESSON: I hold my ground, I put up a good fight. But in the end I must distract the child who is literally kicking me out of her bed so she can go get the purse full of chapsticks and hide them beside her, make her smile and show her my increase of love.

CONCLUSION
I'm a mom. I love being a mom. I love my husband and the beautiful red roses he gave me. I love that he still honors my birthday gift of sleep and gets up with the kids each morning so I can sleep. I love that he gave me a "day of shopping alone". I love that he kisses me 4 times each night before sleep. I love that Max wants me and only me 90% of the time. I love those wet kisses he bestows on me. I love that Lily still wants to be my baby. I love that she wants to climb in bed with me when she wakes up and will only lie on whichever side of the bed I'm facing. My life is unpredictable but this much I know for certain. I'm a mom. I love being a mom.

Beach Broughs

2011-05-02T22:32:00.006-04:00

We call ourselves the Beach Broughs for a reason.

WE LOVE IT!

Can't keep her away from the water, not even in April.

Max thought this was a new fun place. He doesn't remember last summer. He was particularly fascinated by the moving waves.

Trying to get a handful of sand without toppling over..... it started out fine but ended in the sand.
These rocks held some water and that was a perfect splashing pool. Thank goodness I thought ahead and brought extra clothes for the kids. Max is playing with Nina our best friend!

Cute Beach Bums!

His first water exploration!

This will show Max's enthusiasm, and Lily's so busy she doesn't have time to talk.

Glorious Easter

2011-04-25T19:58:00.003-04:00

We woke to the most beautiful Easter day. It was an amazing reminder of our Savior's love and His atoning sacrifice. We're trying to teach our children Easter is fun and you get candy but Christ gave us the most wonderful gift. He lived for us, He died for us and He lives again so that we might too!

Here are some photos of our lovely day.

these are fabric eggs I made from fabric scraps that we left out for the Easter bunny to hide. He also hid some eggs full of candy :)

Our Easter Tree

Lily in her Easter dress. She calls this her Belle dress cause its yellow.
Max in his Easter finest. I made him this vest and bow tie. the vest is reversible with another print on the inside. I'll show in the future :)

I also made David a matching tie. they look dapper!

sweet sibling kisses!

I've decided to start making and selling neck ties and bow ties soon.

Tiny Ties for Tiny Guys! Also I'll offer matching ties for Dad!

Max found one egg in the egg hunt and was very happy :) Lily wouldn't hold still long enough for a picture, she was too thrilled that the bunny finally came!

Lilia helped me make our annual bunny cake. She's such a big girl!

One more shot of the cute bow tie and cute boy. I couldn't decide which shot I liked best, so I included lots :)

Happy Easter!

Brrrrrough

2011-04-19T23:24:00.003-04:00

Someone recently described our weather as bi-polar....I certainly agree

This post is a variety of photos and you'll notice a wide range of apparel for the temper-mental weather.

This is Lilia ready to see her 1st play "Beauty and the Beast" at a local high school. more in a future post.

We spent Saturday in Ocean City on the boardwalk picking up ride tickets for half price. It was bitter cold and rainy but we were covered so it was alright.
The reason I do not pay to have my children beside any character or gift giver. They show no love.
Max's new jammies and I love them. They glow in the dark too!
loving the fire engines
Max's 1st real ride ever. We didn't know if he'd make it. Lily was ejected from this very ride a little older than Max is now because she kept standing up. He had a steering wheel and was very happy about it! Lily loved having him to ride alongside.
He also loved the motionless trucks :)
she hated this ride last year. Now its a huge hit!

Lilia recently found my old recital costumes and has performed much for us!
check these moves!
loving the coatless days at Birch Grove. Lily is getting very brave and tricky!
Yo! I'm a JerZ Boy!
I just love the faces he pulls :)
Max is so big now! He walks, he babbles, he plays and is into everything!
and I love this hat on him. My Rough Tough Brough Rider!

Snuggly Streets

2011-04-16T09:07:00.005-04:00

Coolest quilt on the block! This is my newest and coolest creation. SNUGGLY STREETS is a fun way to keep the games going all day and night.
hand stitched dotted yellow lines includes cute road sign print
measures 3 sq feet
let your imagination soar!
go on a high speed chase.......what's your dream car?

soft cozy flannel car print on the reverse side

Only $40 for Snuggly Streets Quilt (cars not included)

I told you get a cat

2011-04-03T20:06:00.002-04:00

Like I always said, if you want your kid to walk- get a cat!

He's really into it now!

First Steps

2011-03-29T09:48:00.004-04:00

Max is getting so big!

Attack Kisses

2011-03-21T11:12:00.002-04:00

These Irish Eyes are Smiling!

2011-03-17T11:15:00.002-04:00

We're very Irish in our house and we certainly know how to have fun and enjoy life!

We have our own band!

We laugh and giggle together.

No, I haven't not been drinking, just blinking.

Our Irish Princess

Our big and little leprechauns

Our Irish Prince

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
May the road rise up to meet you :)

Birthday Princess

2011-03-13T17:25:00.007-04:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to our Lilia Sue!

She received so many wonderful gifts, mostly princess, girly pink things. She had a great birthday celebrated over a few days. She can show you she's 3 but forgets to say it. She says now she's a big girl and today she asked to go to Primary instead of nursery. She's an amazing helper and loves to be a big sister to Max. She's smart, funny, and such a social butterfly!

She weighs 31 lbs.
she's 37" tall
wears a size 7 shoe
can barely hold up size 3T pants
adores pink and princesses
dances day and night
has stolen our hearts away!

loves her new butterfly Barbie from Grandma and Grandpa

too excited about her pink cake!

my favorite photo from her birthday!

loves Ursula and told Grammy she can be Ursula. (of course Grammy didn't like that idea) She insists her Ursula dolly is nice!

birthday apron I made her

(note: I also sell these $15)

Very Grouchy Ladybug doll and book from Grammy and Pop
They also spoiled her with Rapunzel and Prince Eric dolls!

Her new cupcake, butterfly, flower quilt I made her

playing on the quilt while introducing her new Snow White and Prince Eric
She told Ariel she had to share him.

loves and adores chapstick more than anything else I think!sporting her new duds from Grandma and Grandpa!

On Saturday we celebrated with a Princess Party. She had 5 little friends come and they decorate crowns, blew bubbles, played keep up with balloons, tossed bean bags, played toys and colored pictures. It was lots of fun!

decorating their crowns with stickers

Princess Lilia

Lilia giving instructions, telling stories, showing off...

Princesses Elsa, Lexi, Hailey, Lilia, Nina and Jadyn

While we were singing Happy Birthday at the party instead of saying her own name or saying "me", she inserting "stinky little kids" (something my dad often calls the grandkids while playing). It was so funny!

She loved her crown and her gifts!
She loved wearing her pretty pink outfit from Grammy and Pop!

I made the princess cake. using a barbie and covering the legs with plastic wrap and a tube of poster board. Then built a base out of cereal treats and covering it in pink marshmallow fondant.
It was fun to do but I didn't have the time to get all the flour off her skirt.
Lilia was upset and wanted her doll out of the cake. We had to assure her she would get it back right after we sang Happy Birthday and no one would eat her dolly. Then I asked her if the skirt looked pretty and she said "no it looks silly. no one likes silly cakes." She's a character! That was actually an improvement over her screaming "GET MY DOLLY OUT OF THERE!" By the time the party rolled around she didn't mind so much.

Happy Birthday Pretty Princess! We love and adore you! You make us smile and bring us joy each day. You learned a lot while you were 2 and will become even more amazing at 3!

34 is the new 29

2011-03-13T17:04:00.005-04:00

Happy 34th Birthday to my handsome hubby!

He got lots of BYU gifts, some games and toys, some money and gift cards and best of all permission to buy a video game ;) Cronkite is on the move!

The kids gave Daddy a big lego set.

David thought he only had two gifts because all his other gifts were wrapped hidden inside of one another...hehe I'm sneaky!
and i told him to go buy himself "something nice" with a photo of the game Dragon Age II
In his new Jimmer shirt from my parents with lovely cupcakes from Kristin

great shot

He had a great birthday! We had a fun day together and enjoyed dinner and games with friends!
We love you David! Happy Birthday!

Culinary Creations

2011-03-04T23:04:00.005-05:00

If you know me well and/or lived with me in college you know I'm not an extravagant chef. My standard meals consisted of some kind of meat plus a side dish with instructions saying "just add water and butter". I'm still not amazing in the kitchen. I've always wanted the apron that said "I kiss better than I cook". But lately I've done some yummy things. I thought I'd share.

Stuffed Peppers
easy and built in portion control

chocolate dipped pretzels and strawberries for fun
*with chocolate sprinkles

Homemade pepperoni pizza

Homemade veggie delight pizza
spinach, fresh tomato, green pepper, & onion

Valentine's Pancake Breakfast

Lastly my specialty,

Stuffed Pork Chops
cut pocket in thick pork chop or
layer homemade stuffing on top
a great change of pace!

Cat catcher

2011-03-04T22:51:00.004-05:00

Pure Bliss!

There are 3 reasons my kiddos are on the move at such a young age, their names are Tink, Natasha, and Midnight. Max loves them! This is Tink, he's the only one that is always nice and will actually allow actions such as this to happen. The other two keep their distance at all times. More interestingly he's also our only male cat but he's a marshmallow and puts up with it. Thanks Tink!

Moments

2011-03-01T16:38:00.004-05:00

Moments, that is what all those photos capture, just a single moment in time. They tell such stories. Some help us remember. Others are just meant to bring a smile. Here are a few moments in our lives recently.

Lily captured these two shots of Max squirming off my lap trying to avoid a diaper change.

Franklin Institute Trip with my sister and her kids

Max's mohawk

Lily riding her scooter, she calls it her motorcycle :) And she always chooses to wear a helmet!

Max learns about computers very early in life.

Lily wants to be just like Grandma Joy.

She "washed" her hair in the sink.

Lily's changing her dolls diaper.
I don't know what the egg beater is for...

perfect form

don't you wear a tutu while you bake?

I cannot resist his smile!

snuggles with Pop

my shopping buddies. Lily loves it,

Max not so much...a typical male response.

Lilia's Cute Haircut

2011-02-25T10:30:00.006-05:00

Lilia's hair is a constant battle. She's a hair twirler and creates knots in it when she's tired. She doesn't like keeping bows in it, if she allows bows in it as soon as we're on our way home she rips them out with a handful of hair. This a before picture with her typical crazy flighty hair.

This is another before picture. If her hair would only stay this curly I would never cut it. When wet or with some product it curls beautifully but she rolls around and gets it too static-full to keep it curly.
I was cutting my sister and her kids' hair and Lilia jumped up in the chair and said it was her turn...so I took advantage of the opportunity.

Please forgive my appearance and that of the kitchen behind me. Notice how long it combs out to in the back.
Here is her profile afterward. She has a cute bob now!And here is our adorable pixie who requires no bows! She's always been beautiful and now her hair is not a concern for her or me.

He's my forever Valentine!

2011-02-13T22:12:00.005-05:00

"So I hear you're pretty good at cuddling?"
That's how it all began.
19 months later we were married.
7 years and 2 cute kiddos later find us here,

loving life and loving each other!

I couldn't wait to kiss him then,

and not much has changed since!

We love and adore our Lily Sue Bug!

We love and adore our Mr. Max!

WE TRULY ARE A HAPPY FAMILY!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas in a flash

2011-02-06T21:07:00.002-05:00

My camera had over 500 photos from Christmas vacation. So I decided to show 1% of that. Here it is....
We went to Enoch, Utah and spent lots of time with family. We all got sick but then we all got better and had fun! Lily became a puzzle master!

We had lots of family time and loved it! David's big gift was a Sony Walkman. My big gifts from him were a watch and a hand-held sewing machine.

Max loved his 1st Christmas! He only ripped paper on one gift but he drooled on the presents a lot! He pushed things all over the house to practice walking and he had 2 ear infections right in a row, poor baby. He and I spent an evening in the ER-his ears, I had strep.
Santa was good to the kids. Lily's big gifts were Sleeping Beauty, a duck game, and a princess cd player. Max got lots of fun toys but mostly just wanted to eat the wrapping paper and boxes.
NJ got pummeled with snow while we were gone. this was taken a few days before we left for Utah. Lily wanted to help. We had warm days in the 50s and played outside without coats while out there and then we had days of 2 degree weather with lots of snow and sledding.

It was a wonderful holiday visiting with lots of family! We met the two newest Brough babies and spent a few days up in Salt Lake visiting my family. And to end it all our flight home was canceled due to weather and we couldn't leave for another 3 days. thankfully we found out before we left for the airport and had lovely family to stay with. If we saw you on our travels it was wonderful! If we missed you, we're sorry, we still love you!

Santa came twice this year!

2011-01-10T22:19:00.006-05:00

We got to celebrate Christmas twice! Santa knew we were heading out to visit family in Utah so he agreed to stop by both places. We've been very nice in our house :)
Christmas Eve before opening our new pj's

brotherly/sisterly love is sometimes rough and painful...

New jammies

Mom and Dad gave me my big gift that night! My new friend, Violet!
Christmas morning brought lots of fun things!

Max thought his toys were tasty

Lily loves Mr. and Mrs Potato Head and her microphone cd player from Santa

her umbrella and new suitcase were big hits too!

CHRISTMAS AGAIN....

Lily loved her new game from Santa and Sleeping Beauty doll. But she immediately asked where the prince was. when I told her I didn't think she had one she raced downstairs and found a prince and played with the two of them for 30 mins before we had to call her back to open more gifts.
Dave opening his big gift from me. It was an MP3 player. He was really surprised!
Max finally interested in playing with some of his toys. He kept leaving his toys to check out what everyone else got.

Max and Daddy on his 1st ChristmasLily with Daddy on her 1st Christmas

All three are cuties!

Happy 1st Christmas Max!

We all had a wonderful Christmas! We are so blessed to have so many gifts and loved ones. We hope the Spirit of the Lord was with you while you celebrated.

getting ready for christmas

2010-12-05T16:40:00.002-05:00

Life has been crazy around here. a few things lately,

I pulled out the swing again to see if Max would be amused.

Yup! He thinks its great fun!

We tried to take a few christmas photos. it didn't go so well. And would you believe me when I say Lily was harder to control than Max?

This is Lily trying to pull Max back to her with her feet while he crawled towards the camera

She refused to smile on command so this is as good as it got...they were both looking and he's happy!

So he got a great solo photo shoot with the antlers!Lily loves to help in the kitchen. This is after licking the brownie bowl.
Cute story, while stirring the brownie batter I called to her "Lily, don't get brownie on your shirt." "ok mom." she replied. She then turns to my mom, "Mommy tell me no get brownie on my shirt." So my mom offered her an apron. she replied. "no I got my shirt."

Helping Grammy decorate the shelf! she felt so big, she's not allowed to touch the shelf normally.Proof our little one is trying to ascend the stairs.

He also loves the VCR! he's a stinker!

Coolest balloon creations

2010-11-27T14:11:00.003-05:00

Recently we went out to dinner to meet my brother, Tyler, and his colleague. It was great to see him while he passed through our area on business. And Lilia loved the restaurant and the fun lady creating balloon animals! She could have had anything...and I mean anything. This lady was awesome!

Lilia decided on Ariel and Tiana

seriously cool!

and Lilia recently got new glasses :)

and our new favorite activity is painting.

Lilia Lately

2010-11-19T21:42:00.006-05:00

My gorgeous girl is 2 and a half going on 18. She told me today, "Mommy I'm a big tiny little girl." She thought that qualified her for using scissors ;)

She makes me laugh so much. Her vocabulary is larger than I could have imagined at this age. She understands and remembers things I couldn't have expected her to and she is such a performer. She pretends to be sad and searches for a mirror to watch herself "cry", she tells me silly things to make me laugh. Yesterday she came in the room with 2 skinny pretzels stuck up her nose while smiling. Of course I told her we don't put things in her nose and as she walked away I quietly laughed.She begs me to take her to dance school.

She asks everyone "where's your baby?" (single people find that very odd) Lily loves Max and frequently hugs him while saying "Hi baby sister." She keeps confusing who's the brother and sister in that relationship.

She is amazing at folding clothes and wants to help do everything! I will not squelch that, I want her to help me!
She likes trying to teach me how to do things and give instructions. She even tries to tell us when we've done something wrong "mommy, that is so bad! you in trouble!"(that doesn't fly)
She's amazing at potty and I'm saving a fortune not buying diapers for her :)

Lilia Sue

She's our love bug and here is a tribute to her!

she loves to help in the yard clean up

no this is not lily, but she took this photo of her best friend Nina! She steals my camera and goes up to people saying, "Mommy say 'Happy Halloween'." and then takes your picture. she's actually pretty great!
Proof she's a born performer. These are her dollies set up as her audience. she even tells them to clap and at the end she bows and says, Thank you very much!
Her newest fascination is with the cd player. she has her own copies of all her favorite Disney cds and plays them and changes between them often (too often). She's learning all the words to all the songs!
She's been asking to go to the jungle, meaning the zoo. we went and her favorite animals are the snakes, lizards, and crocodiles. Is that normal?
new favorite activity- storyhour at the Margate Library! The lady is amazing and the timing is perfect, just before dance school! They played with ribbons, sang songs, bubbles, marched, puppets, and stories. So fun!
She insisted on dressing up while watching a luau mickey mouse club house.
Brother and Sister loving each other! It melts my heart!

Max Moments

2010-11-13T16:43:00.004-05:00

After Lilia I wasn't sure if I could love another child as much as I love and adore her. This fear I carried around with me throughout my pregnancy and even at the beginning of his life here on earth. I soon discovered how love isn't divided but multiplied. I didn't believe other mothers when they told me this. I had to experience it for myself. Now I understand. Here is a tribute to my baby boy!

MISTER MAX!

one favorite toy is spagetti

starting to sit up on his own, this is at story hour in the library

not too enthusiastic about driving.

actually his coat was so bulky he couldn't move his arms ;)

He started saying "da da" last night. David's heart just melted!

Max loves being outside.
The backpack is a new favorite place.
He loves to pull mommy's hair too!

Pop is trying to turn him to the dark side
(aka U of U) ;)

Go Cougars!

This is the car he wants to drive.

Our little sneak thief...check it out,
Lilia's purse and necklace in his hands.

at the giraffe enclosure, Cape May Zoo

crawling at the mall playground.

He also learned the joys of the slide.

Looking snazzy for church

Our little man!

Lily's got a new toy box

2010-11-06T23:16:00.002-04:00

I was tired of the eye sore of piled babies and toys at the foot of her toddler bed. I emptied this wooden chest of my winter clothes that has been hidden in a corner of our room.
I did a little sanding, and a few coats of paint later it was ready for her room!

Hooray! She loves it and so do I!

Couples Costume Party

2010-10-31T22:45:00.005-04:00

Last week we hosted our 4th Annual Halloween Party. Its for our friends and each year we play different games and have yummy food. This year we themed it Couples Costume Party and asked people to come in pairs. It was tons of fun! We were Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boy. Max fell asleep before the party even started. And Lily refused to ever go to bed that night.

Lily kept telling people she was a bad pirate or she was Wendy.
My cousins Amanda and Jaime had great costumes! Groucho and Harpo Marx
Janelle and John were the cover of a bad romance novel.

Kristin was "Krew" - Kristin and Drew

Mom and Dad were the ghost of Christmas past and the ghost of Christmas Present, Father Christmas

This is a great shot of our Captain Hook!

I found the cool bottle labels again this year and made people guess what they were.

Janelle's back-up costume

The party was a hit!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2010-10-31T22:02:00.007-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We have had a lot going on this past week. Including OC boardwalk trick or treating, Trunk-or-treat church party, our very own party, Birch Grove Halloween day, and trick-or treating at home. I've enjoyed it but I'm ready for November.

We spent last Saturday celebrating in OC!

My pirate pumpkin

Lily helping clean it out.

We have the most beautiful autumns!

Lily painting her first pumpkin!

she loved it!!! she used every color and it became an interesting shade of green.

She was a variety of things for Halloween. If you asked her "what are you going to be for Halloween?" she usually said something random. but in actuality she was a princess (perhaps Sleeping Beauty), Tinkerbell and Alice in wonderland.

Nina and Lily at the church party

and apparently my kids have been influenced by Pop's love of the Uof U. Don't worry they will learn the BYU fight song soon!
She gave out the candy to the kids. We thought since it was on Sunday the best way to keep the sabbath was to give rather than receive. even though we did have to take her to visit a few neighbors per their request. She begged kids to come to our house. it was her favorite! and best of all at the first house she visited. He asked if she was trick-or-treating and so she took candy out of her bag and tried to give it to him! Reverse trick or treating...too sweet!

Mr. Scarecrow helped her out.

she would hit the two lollipops together and Max would giggle! It was so funny. He loves her!

Max taking a few candies for himself!

Candy overload!

Max and Lily showing off their new duds from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dave!

My "mask" for dance class this week.

New....

2010-10-26T23:02:00.004-04:00

New tricks. He's able to sit upright for a very short span of time. He prefers rolling around on the floor and jumping!
New room. He's had a room painted, re-carpeted, and re-furnished for him. Its an airplane theme with clouds on the walls. He loves his own space and we're all sleeping a little better this way.

New feats! Max is so close to crawling. He can shimmy his way across the floor. He just turned 5 months. He wants to be everywhere and see everything!New friend. Lily adores our homemade scarecrow.
New rash. Eczema has hit Max hard.
New food. This is while trying rice cereal for the first time. so far he's tried rice cereal, banana and potatoes. He isn't too thrilled with any of it. He's interested but nothing is as good as mama's milk.

New moves. Lily is suddenly all about dress-ups. You add dance lessons + dress-ups + music= Lilia's Star Performance. Her favorite song to dance to is "Honey, Honey" by Abba.New acting skillz. She totally loves watching herself in the mirror and making faces then trying them out on us. She loves to play a part. What a drama queen!

Trick or treating on the boardwalk

2010-10-24T22:34:00.003-04:00

This Saturday we went to OC to enjoy their fall fest on the boardwalk.
Stores gave away candy and toys, and the city gave pumpkins.

Trick-or-Treating on the OC Boardwalk!

She used the new bags I made them.

They gave away free pumpkins!

my adorable kiddos
I've heard of the Princess and the Pea
but this is the Princess and the pumpkin ;)

my lil' punkin

Virginia is for lovers

2010-10-18T22:29:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we ran away for a mini holiday to Virginia. We are blessed to have some of David's family back East. We were invited to spend the weekend with his cousin Johne, Rochelle and their adorable boys!

We played...

check out Lily's Frisbee skillsshe learned from the best!
We played some more...

"You lookin' at me?"
We left our lovely Sunday clothes hanging up in our bedroom in NJ. Johne was kind enough to share his clothes and matching ties with Dave. And baby Asher shared his clothes with Max. Told you they're great family!
Lily adored playing with her new cousins. Jack and Nate are lots of fun and *bonus* have lots of toys. She cried the first hour on our drive home begging to go back to cousins house. She loved it! They had a blast playing together and being silly together too!

Max thought he was pretty big sitting up!

Our drive home was fun too. Don't worry I snapped this shot while stopped in traffic. No David did not want his picture taken while driving.
but Lily sure did!
Max chillin!
Stylin'!We made a quick stop at a farmer's market in NJ. Lily picked her pumpkin!
This was a rare moment in time when David said, " Mel get the camera! That's the car I want" Its an Aston Martin Vantage. David believes its the first he's ever seen up close. and we were stopped behind him in slow moving traffic for about 10 glorious minutes (well, glorious for David).

All in all it was an awesome trip! the only hitch was forgetting our Sunday clothes but even that turned out great. The boys borrowed clothes and I got to SHOP!!! found a great dress for me and a cute one for Lily. Thanks Johne and Rochelle for a fun time!

A day at the park

2010-10-08T09:46:00.002-04:00

Max's 1st time in a big swing!

Just hangin' around

Tubby Time

2010-10-05T14:28:00.006-04:00

Max has finally graduated to the ring. I stopped using the baby tub a while ago cause it was just easier to bathe both in the same water but it was killing my back and arms to fully support him. Now we're both free and happier about it!

loving the tubby!

Lily was helping wash his hair and I think this is his revenge.

His new thing is sticking out his tongue, silly boy!
I wonder where he learned to be silly from? Perhaps Silly Lily Piccadilly herself!

he thinks she is so funny!

Perhaps this will be embarrassing to them in later years but for now it couldn't be cuter!

Our Cute Kids

2010-09-29T21:46:00.004-04:00

I document our year as a family through photographs. My kiddos are so cute its easy to take lots!

Max's 1st Star Wars Shirt. a gift from Daddy

this silly hat I made for both kids in an attempt at making a furry bear hat. the ears are lost somewhere on there. but somehow she's so cute she makes it work.
I think Daddy's heart just melted when Lily asked to play games with Daddy.

Ready for church to begin

"I hope they call me on a mission, when I have a grown a foot or two!"

Just the sweetest thing ever!

this almost brings a tear to my eye,
my pretty princess ballerina!

showing off her moves...

she loves it!

Our family motto is "We are a happy family." and I must tell you we aren't rich, we aren't famous, and we aren't entirely independent yet. but one thing we are is happy!

September in Jersey brought...

2010-09-21T22:47:00.003-04:00

Halo:Reach,

would this be considered Daddy Daughter bonding?

Ocean City family fun with free pony rides

more mimicking mama. she carries her baby in her sling and even gave it some "milk" the other day.

beautiful private beach days

storytime at Hamilton Mall. Lily was the only child to sing along. She also correctly identified all her colors and can count from 1-11. (but 5 is frequently eliminated and replaced with 9)

Hawaii trip for Grammy and Pop. (no this is not in Hawaii)

Lily's stylish looks.

Max learning to jump with the best!

Max Moments:
he can roll over both directions and does so frequently.
He kicks and squirms so much you can tell he just wants to get moving.
He does a funny inch worm type crawl.
He talks, coos, laughs, smiles, and melts the hearts of us all.
He grabs toys, hugs his stuffed monkey and pinches mama.

Here is a little video of Max jumping and then Lily starts singing her version of different lullabies.

Lily starts dance!

2010-09-10T14:55:00.002-04:00

Leslie's Dance Studio is where I teach dance. I took dance from Leslie as a child and she's a close family friend. I'm so happy Lily is starting dance class!

She is happy too! She was unsure at first and a little frightened but by the end she was hugging Miss Sarah!

She played around the room after class a little when I came to pick her up. She'll be learning ballet and tap.

All that dancing wore her out. I wonder is she dreaming of Broadway and the Nutcracker?? I know its silly, but I'm so proud of her dancing like me!

Brough Kids Got Talent!

2010-09-05T22:32:00.006-04:00

Our cute kids make us so happy!

I wake up to this every morning!

A few cute smiles from Max

Our Max has started laughing. We love it!

Lily counting (its close to correct) and a typical song from her. She is so much fun!

Max kisses!

2010-08-30T23:21:00.002-04:00

I guess with a name like Max he won't do anything half way. It will be full force with all his might. He wrapped his arms around my neck so tight and latched on to my chin. I loved it! It was my first hug from him and it was a very serious kiss! I couldn't resist getting a photo of it.

But by the time I pulled him off the damage was done. He left his mark on me. I'm his mama and no one can doubt it :)

In other news, Lily adores her cousins and here is a shot of Lily and Ellie riding motorcycles on the boardwalk.

and who can resist a smiley boy!

Modest Mama & Kangaroo Carrier

2010-08-24T07:57:00.004-04:00

I have started a little business. Recently I had a few people approach me about purchasing some of my creations. So I've begun to sell them and take orders for more.

I make nursing covers:
Modest Mama $20

and baby pouch slings:
Kangaroo Carrier $30

*These photos are a sampling of ones I have previously made
If you are interested in any please contact me. I'd love to sew it and get it out to you ASAP!

Below are a variety of fabrics I have as possible Modest Mama nursing covers.
There is an even wider selection for slings.

Three months old

2010-08-21T20:34:00.006-04:00

My Mr. Max is almost 3 months old! I can hardly believe its been that long. It feels like I was just leaving the hospital with my new little man. He is amazingly strong! The pediatrician said at his 2 month check-up he's incredibly strong and physically capable for his age. He rolls over, pushes his chest and belly off the floor has amazing head control and loves to stand.

He smiles and has started to laugh when tickled. He can make his toys sing while on his mat that lays on the floor. I even caught him trying to turn toys on his jungle jumper. Honestly he's too young to sit in his jumper but he loves it!

He loves a very warm bath and his favorite time of day is just waking up or right before bed. He grins ear to ear right after sleeping. Then when I lay him on the changing table to dress him for bed he knows he has mama's full attention and soaks it all in. He has the most infectious smile and dimples. My Max loves me to kiss him and tickle his neck with my chin while kissing.

I've found myself wonder how much I really love my children and in those precious moments my heart is filled to bursting with the love I hold for them. Bed time is my favorite part of the day. Together we pray, we hug, kiss and snuggle. No matter what happened that day good or bad it all ends in love and affection for each other and for the Lord. I adore my family and am so blessed to be sealed for eternity with them.

With no further ado here are a few photos of my Max this past month. Enjoy!

Mr. Max Baby Power!

love this face! so silly

playing with his toys and making them sing

check out those dimples

just relaxin' at the zoo

not happy to be touching the water for the first time

more dimples

101st Baby Parade

2010-08-12T20:32:00.002-04:00

We were "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle
The Caterpillar played by Max
The Butterfly played by Lilia Sue

and the popular role of the tree by Mommy

the butterfly landed on Daddy

Little known fact: caterpillars prefer plastic

flight test

I made these wings for my little girl and she loves them. She tried to help make some with fabric scraps and told me she was making a "peanut butterfly" :)

trying to survive the rainy parade. she laid down in the wagon after a few blocks and refused to wave anymore. It was actually quite cute.

Family Vacation

2010-08-08T22:23:00.008-04:00

We had an amazing vacation in Utah. We spent a whole month there moving around between different places for my family reunion and then settling back at David's parent's home in Enoch. It was wonderful and this is a sampling of our trip. I know its a lot of photos. I'm a visual person and this is my favorite way to capture memories. Believe me when I say this is a small portion of the photos I took :)

Lily enjoying her ice cream

i caught her napping with her baby on her chest. she sees me with max like this quite often.

my bundle o' baby
David helping Grandpa fix a leaky pipe
he turned 2 months while we were there and look how strong he is!!
Max loves his Grandma Joy and Grandpa Larry!

she stole my nursing cover and was wearing it like a toga. a greek princess maybe?

I put him down here...
a few minutes later I found him here. Max turned 90 degrees and moved 2 feet! Less than 2 months old too!
crazy hair!
swatting flies. she was hysterically funny!
put up your dukes!

my parents came down for a visit to Enoch. This is at Three Peaks Park.
one favorite activity is visiting the cows with Grandpa Great

another favorite activity picking fresh peas from the garden with Grandma

she's fishing in the puddle
4 generations of Broughs!
swimming at Lagoon

she stole my sling for her baby. She's just mad I was taking her picture.

Vigue Family Reunion

2010-07-15T15:12:00.009-04:00

The Vigue Family Reunion was held in Utah for a few days. Here is a highlight of our fun!
*For more photos of the entire Vigue family check facebook. I'll be featuring my family.

Day 1 Family Swim Party

Vigue Family Flag I made.Lily preferred the stairs in the pool.

Max slept through most of it.

Princess Lilia on the car drive up to northern Utah.

Day 2 Heber Valley Camp-Challenge Course, Talent Show/Camp Fire

Flag Raising at Camp VigueLilia with her Uncle AndyShark Island - David on rope swingDavid and Andy on the steel ropes.

I'm ready to defy gravity on the zipline!AHHHHHHHHHHH I screamed most of the way!David has no fear...He's ready to rip it up.He has no fear...He's smiling!

Lilia wants to do the zip line too!

Outside our campsite after a rousing game of horseshoes.

Max was awake sometimes ;)

Dave and his buddy SamAt the campfire Talent Show

Day 3 Heber Valley Camp- Hiking, Canoeing

Max sporting his Vigue Family reunion t-shirt. He didn't wear it for too long before pooping on it!

A one hour tour...

Lilia loved touching the water in the lake.

We loved boating!

David carried Lily up the mountain and I carried Max.We made it to the top of the mountain!

Cute Cousins Sheridan, Josh and Lily

Our house was attacked by a tree

2010-06-24T23:03:00.003-04:00

We've had ridiculously hot weather this week. Today hit over 92 and with this comes severe thunderstorm warnings. Tonight we had one. It hit suddenly causing flash floods, hurricane force winds, golf ball sized hail and major damage everywhere. We lost many limbs, some huge, but Heavenly Father kept us safe and all damage here is minor. The largest limb smashed into the roof near the front porch door and is now resting on our power lines leading into the house. The scariest part is that David and I were on the porch closing windows and watching some of the hail when it hit the house. The wind was so strong and the rain so heavy you couldn't see the cars parked out front. I just saw something coming at us (the tree limb) and it sounded like people shooting at the house with guns (hail). It all cleared up in about 20 mins and the sun was shining but damage is severe in the area.

Our house after the storm. We're lucky that limb missed the car, and there is an even larger one stuck in the tree above.

The base of the huge limb.

If you look closely you'll see two black power lines coming towards the house and the very large limb laying on top of them. The limb is the size of a tree itself.

A better view of the massive limb.

the damage to the house

Life lately

2010-06-23T22:51:00.006-04:00

Its hot hot hot! And Lilia adores playing in the "waterfall" -she means the ocean. And Max finds the sound of the ocean very relaxing and sleeps the entire time.

My handsome boy, he's now 1 month

Pop's retired! This is his last day in the office.

Lily put her baby down the front of her leotard. She sees me with Max in the front pack. I think she'll be a wonderful mother :)

This weekend was the dance recital. I teach Modern Dance at Leslie's Dance Studio. They danced to Firefly and had glow bracelets and glow earrings in the dark for part of the dance. It was amazing!

My best friend Kristin got married. This is the three of us BFF! Janelle, Kristin, and Me.

Max wore his sailor suit and slept most of the time. We had to cover his ears while the band played, it was so loud!

He's getting so big!

This is the newborn outfit he came home from in the hospital. It doesn't fit him anymore.

Max wore a suit to Pop's retirement dinner.

My handsome men

Congrats on your retirement Pop!

Pop dancing with Lily at his party.

Pop teaching Lily the joy of roasting marshmallows. She didn't have the patience to roast them.

I chopped my hair off myself. It feels so great to not have the long hair on my neck in this heat.

practicing before church with Grammy. Both still need to get dressed.

3...2...1...

2010-06-22T21:21:00.002-04:00

It's the final countdown until David is finished his first year of teaching! Tomorrow is his last day. Today was the last day for students. It has been a difficult year for him. Quick recap of the year-
Sept- School began for David at the Y.A.L.E. School, an alternative school. He taught middle school and high school age students. No more than 10 students in a room. His was self contained, meaning he taught all subjects except PE, Health and computers. He had lunch with his students and no prep periods. He had to learn lots about Spec. Ed. and all the paperwork that goes along with it.

He had good days and bad, some really bad. The students could be violent or threatening, making for a stressful environment.

He began his masters degree in Special Ed this fall also.

By spring David decided he needed to look for another school to teach in. NJ isn't in the greatest economic shape at the moment. Teachers are losing jobs or taking cut backs throughout the entire state. He has applied to many schools in and out of NJ. It is a giant step of faith to walk into the future without a plan but we know Heavenly Father will guide us.

I have shed more than one tear this year knowing my husband is unhappy at his job. Some days I asked him if he would be able to get up the next morning and do it all over again. I know he did it for me and our children.

We've been blessed to have medical insurance, a good steady income, and new friends. David has many years experience after this year. And he's been able to share the gospel with those he's met. He was able to show those around him who an mormon is and what they're like. He's had spiritual discussions with co-workers on the worth of souls is great in the sight of God and that we don't have to earn His love. He's shown them Mormons are Christians.

My husband is incredible and I love him to pieces. He works so hard to provide for us. I once asked him what I could do to make it all easier for him. He said "you're already doing it. When I come home you don't yell at me, you're nice to me and you and Lily love me." Well, my job is a lot easier than his has been. Thank you for being so amazing David!

Mr. Max

2010-06-11T13:45:00.004-04:00

we are all in love with him!

He has big blue eyes that are staying open longer and longer now.

he'll be tall like his daddy someday.

sweet dreams

Monkeying around-socks, shirt and monkey pal

chillin' with daddy

you lookin' at me?

kisses, mwah!

Max is getting big fast!

2010-06-02T21:41:00.004-04:00

Max is growing faster than we realize. He had a yellow discharge in his eyes all weekend. I took him to the doctor today and its just clogged tear ducts. She removed his umbilical cord, causing him some discomfort. But in bigger news he's gained 11oz in 4 days! The doctor said "most newborns gain 0.5 oz a day, not 3 oz a day", they said Max is very healthy. He certainly likes his mommy's milk!

Also he rolled over twice today! How crazy is that?! Lilia rolled over on the table right after she was born, but didn't do it again for a few months. I don't really expect this to last but the first time was tummy to back this afternoon and late this evening was back to tummy. CRAZY!

They love each other!

We're the beach Broughs!nap time with DaddyOur big boy!

We're home from the hospital

2010-05-28T16:38:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday morning we were discharged from the hospital. Max has been such a mellow baby, its been a very calm transition to having two children. Poor baby was circumsized only 2 hours before we left the hospital. He's been a little on edge ever since. But I think with a little time and healing that will pass. Because I delivered so late at night our stay was very brief. I'm happy to be home with my family. Lilia was very sad each time she had to leave me. She would also cry because we'd promised her baby Max was going to our home just not yet. She wanted us home with her.
She's been a great help. As soon as we arrived home he pooped. She heard me say he was poopy and she walks away from me towards the bathroom saying "yucky poopy, Mommy" very seriously. Next thing I know she brings me one of her diapers, the box of wipes and a disposal bag for the diaper. She then expected me to hand over the baby and let her get to work. Thankfully during the diaper change she was more interested in his "yucky belly" (belly button) than his special parts. She calls anything special on any of us our "body". We're gonna stick with that label for a quite a while i think. I don't want to be walking around in the grocery store and have her start telling people about his "body" with any other words. "Body" is good!

I'm a very visual person so to me pictures are my favorite. Here are a bunch more, hope you enjoy!

Mommy and Max ready to go home!

He's our cool dude!I received 3 beautiful floral bouquets and a dozen roses. Thank you for all the kindness and love!
(We also came home on Mom's birthday so some flowers were hers.)

Max with his eyes open. It doesn't seem like it happens too much. He loves his rest, and mommy's enjoying a lot of rest too.

Grammy and Pop visited us in the hospital! We were able to skype with Grandma Joy and Grandpa Larry in Utah from the hospital too!

Max in his bouncey seat. He has some room to grow :)
One of my favorite photos of him! He's so beautiful, and makes many cute faces in his sleep.

First family photo of Four after we came home.

My angel, Lilia wanting attention! She makes sure we don't ever forget how cute she is. I don't think I could forget :)

The two men in my life!

Our angels from heaven!

Max had a dr. check-up today, 4 days old. He left the hospital weighing 7 lbs 8oz. (its normal to lose some weight for up to 2 weeks.) He weighed in today at 8 lbs. 1 oz. He loves his mama's milk! He's super healthy and doing great! I'm feeling pretty good and have lots of energy. He sleeps 2-3 hours at a time at night and doesn't keep me up for more than a few minutes at a time. We're all adjusting well. Yesterday was his first trip to the park and we visited City Hall, my dad's office. He'll certainly be kept on the move cause I don't like to just sit home for very long. Thanks for all the love and well wishes. Come and visit us if you can. We'll also be heading to Utah in less than a month, so maybe we'll see you then!

Max David Brough has arrived!

2010-05-25T15:13:00.000-04:00

Our little man arrived last night at 11:25pm!

May 24, 2010

weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz, 21 inches long

We're doing great! Labor and delivery took 7 hours total. Max is perfect, calm and our newest love affair. Lilia adores him and applauded when we told her we get to take him home. Daddy gets his splint removed today and the best rehabilitation Mommy can think of is changing poopy diapers :) We head home on Wednesday and would love visitors or friends to Skype with anytime!

Superman has surgery

2010-05-19T22:03:00.000-04:00

There is good news and bad news

Good news: he'll be out of work for 5 days! I've never seen someone look forward to surgery so much. But we are happy to have him here!

Bad news: he can barely grasp his XBOX controller. (well, he considers it bad news)

David had surgery this morning. He had a ganglion disc removed from his right wrist. He's all bandaged and in a splint but he's doing great! Its now been 10 hours since surgery and he's felt no pain. My Superman has yet to take any pain medication! The doctor will remove the dressings on Tuesday afternoon. The doctor is anticipating a quick recovery because David is so awesome! I'll show pics after the dressings are taken off so you can see his incision. I don't anticipate a bad scar because his doctor is a hand/cosmetic surgeon.

We love you, David, our Superman!

For time and for all eternity

2010-05-14T08:25:00.000-04:00

Our 6 years together...

our engagement
our wedding, May 14, 2004
our honeymoon in Mexico
2005

20062007 Taiwan together
2007 Disneyland

2008 1st Family Photo

2009 Disneyland

2010

To my beloved husband, David,

Today we've been sealed together for 6 years. I remember that morning being so happy and giddy at breakfast before our trip to the temple. My hair and makeup was finished and I was wearing random comfy clothes as I ate my food. Both families were mingled together chatting and preparing for the warm day predicted. Another guest at our hotel asked a family member why we were all gathered together. When they answered a wedding the guest was confused as to who the bride could be, no one was anxious, no one was in a state of panic. When I was identified the guest in surprise said, "But she's so calm, so happy." They wished us congratulations and were off to their own morning meal. I had no reason to be anything but joyous with our eternal union being within hours.

I remember sitting by your side in an empty sealing room while our family filled the room next door. You held my hand so tenderly, so lovingly, the way you still hold it today. Our sealer than gave us some words of advice and told you to never let go of my hand, to hold it each and everyday. He also told us something I'll never forget while in the presence of our family. "In 20 years you should not love each other as much as you love each other today. You must love each other 20 years more than today." Well, 6 years have passed and I can say I love you much more than on our wedding day, which at the time I didn't know was truly possible.

We've lived in 4 homes, 2 countries, 2 US states. You've had 7 different jobs, attended 2 universities, we have 2 children and have kissed a billion times. We've laughed, cried, rejoiced, encouraged, talked, listened, worked, slept, served and loved together. Heavenly Father blessed me with your company and I thank him each day for you!

Happy 6th Anniversary, Hopper! I love and adore you!

Love, Your Melly

Guess the birthdate!

2010-05-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

My due date is rapidly approaching, May 30th! I would love to hear all your guesses as to when our little man will arrive. Please include date, height and weight. I'll be recording them in his journal.

Just some info that might be helpful, Lilia was a week late. Her due date was March 3rd and she came on March 9th. She weighed 7lbs. 8 oz. and was 20 inches long. My original due date for him was June 5th but they moved it up to May 30th because he consistently measured big.

Good luck guessing!

8 months pregnant, almost there

2010-05-03T14:50:00.001-04:00

8 MONTHS and we're down to the final count down! I feel great. He's started to drop which means my indigestion is finally starting to stop. Also his bum is no longer stuck in my ribs! My midwife told me not to wait at home at all once labor begins. She's very concerned I will go quick quick quick, and boy I hope she's right!

My lovely friend Heather threw me a baby shower on Saturday. Our little man will be so well dressed! I'm trying on his new sunglasses, they'll be much cuter on him than me.
Here is a onesie from my dad, Pop. He gives each grandchild a nickname. He's always called me Melly Boop. Lilia is now Lil' Boop. and he's decided our little man will be Lil' Buddy. This onesie is an elephant and underneath it says Lil' Buddy! Super cute!
Lilia and Daddy! She was trying to put her arm around him but instead made some pretty awesome bunny ears :)
Lilia loves to take pics and then look at them on the camera. She's such a ham! I wonder where she gets that from?

In other news, my sister and her kids came down for a visit. Lilia adores her cousins!

We played at the beach one day, but it was a little chilly.

After a walk on the OC boardwalk, Lily loved snuggling with Cousin Ellie and Cousin Stephen!
And in other news I've been sewing this quilt for my best bud Kristin for her wedding. Its a queen size quilt with their names embroidered in the center panel. I hand quilted it and learned a lot about sewing. love ya Kristin and Drew!

My new baby sling

2010-04-29T18:54:00.001-04:00

I'm at it again! The sewing bug crawls up and bites me sometimes and I can't resist. I whipped this baby sling up in a few hours time. I already had all the fabric I needed and hadn't even bought it, (all passed down from other sewers). The top 10 inches of the shoulder strap are padded with quilt batting. The interior is all brushed cotton to be soft on my baby's skin. The sides of the sling are elastic to hold him in and its very comfortable even holding a 25lbs. two year old. It should fit my little man well. I'm so ready to have him here in my arms!

She loves to pretend she's a baby!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T14:55:00.001-04:00

We're spending Easter in Utah with our fantastic Brough family! Here are some photos since we've been here and a few from before we left. Happy Easter!

Our beautiful Easter Lily in her new Easter Dress from Grandma Joy. She borrowed the giant flower from Grandma. Its as big as her easter bonnet would be if she had one :)

After hunting eggs around the house this morning she was eating as much candy as she could get her hands on.

Hanging out with Ronald McDonald the day before we flew out.

Telling him her favorite things to eat at his place.

Hunting for eggs outside on Saturday afternoon.

discovering the candy inside "WHOA! Mommy, nummy nummy!" meaning yummy candy.

The bunny cake I made for David's school before we left.

Getting ready for church last week. She was looking super cool with her shades!

Happy Easter! May you feel the love of Jesus Christ our Savior on this special day. He lived for us and He died for us. We will be resurrected someday like Him and live with Him for eternity.

Our pretty princess!

2010-03-24T13:45:00.000-04:00

Lilia's 2 year photo shoot today at Sears. She was an angel. The girl was alright who took them but missed a lot of really big smiles that Lilia gave her. We got a few good ones. Here is a sampling. These are taken from Sears website.

These are the only two I ordered.

Doesn't she look prayerful? She's actually staring at the giant flash light.

Peek-a-boo

We took her shopping in this outfit the other day and as we walked through the doors a woman at check out said "She needs an agent!" She's our pretty girl! Thanks for the cute outfit Aunt Rebecca!

Happy Birthday my handsomest hubby!

2010-03-14T17:21:00.000-04:00

We had a party on his birthday for both David and Lily.

very excited to open his presents from us

I hope every wife has the blessing to say "I have a fantastic man beside me each day, I call him my husband." I certainly can! My David turned 33 on Friday. He works a job he doesn't love for me, he serves the Lord faithfully, he shows his love and affection for me and our little one, he laughs with me, cries with me and holds my hand. He works hard at his job, he works hard at "conquering the universe", he has mad skillz! He's an amazing Daddy and a caring husband. We pray for him when he leaves and we rejoice in his return. He's a smartie pants and doesn't act like it. His life long goals are to take our family to the celestial kingdom, to learn, to teach, to serve and to become a "jedi".

David,
We love and adore you! You're my favorite person to laugh with, the person I turn to cry to. You never insult us or put us down. You're the man of our dreams that Heavenly Father blessed us with. As our temple sealer once told us, I love you more each day than I did before. Happy Birthday!
Love, Your Pretty Princesses