Jumpin' July

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!

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

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

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

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!

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!