Last Bit of Summer FUN!

We were excited to have Jessica (Brandt's birth mom) come and visit us at the end of the summer. We tried to fit in as much as we could and had a great time. Andrew was around too, but most of the pictures were during the day while he was at work. We went ice skating, to the zoo, the science center, the splash pad, and the little lake near our house. We all love to cook, and we had several new recipes that we tried, and lots of yummy treats! SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Jessica, Brandt, and cousin Rachel getting ready for an adventure...can you tell we are from Alabama with all those layers. Jessica is from Michigan and was not cold even in just a t-shirt.

At the science center, Brandt and Jessica's faces and hands.

It is Jessica's Birthday at the end of the month, so we got her and Brandt matching t-shirts...they both love Dr. Seuss.

Andrew smoked some tasty ribs, he is becoming an expert!

Jessica teaching Rheanna how to make chimichangas.Reading bedtime stories

Zoo sand dig...this boy loves sand!

Ice cream stop, yummy!

Visit to the lake to feed the duck and turtles.

My other favorite of Brandt and his Jessi.

Camping in Michigan!

This summer ended with an awesome camping trip in Michigan. We have an open adoption, and this means that we maintain contact with Brandt's birth family. We love them and love the relationship we have with each of them. Brandt's birth mom, Jessica, invited us to join her family for their annual camping trip. We were so excited to go and had so many neat experiences! We take tons of pictures, and it is really hard to decide which ones to put up....but here are some of my favorites!

There were some awesome water falls we all got to play in.

Christine, Me, and Jessica

Brandt thought those deer looked nice...

Nose to nose with a baby deer.

Learning to cook bread with his Jessi.

Reading a book with Grandma Christine.

Getting a ride from Grandpa Patrick while we were shopping.


Jessi and me...I really can't tell you how much I love this girl! Best friends....not just birthmom and adoptive mom.

We went on little adventure and did some rock climbing, and a zip line.

My all time favorite picture!!! Brandt and his Jessi!

Summer Trip...Coming Soon

Pictures to come!!!!! We had an awesome camping trip and visit with Brandt's birth mom, Jessica. SOOO much fun, many great memories, and LOTS of pictures! Here are a few to get you started.

Jessica and Brandt were spinning around in circles and the picture turned out really neat!

Jessica, Brandt, and me at the Zoo, riding the train.

Blueberry Picking!

We went blueberry picking as a family a few weeks ago. After 2 hours we came home with 3 gallons of blueberries. We will freeze them to use in pies, pancakes, muffins, blueberry-o cream cheese pie topping, adding to cereal, yogurt, and to enjoy eating!

The best part about picking blueberries, is the eating them as you pick. They taste so good right off the bush! Brandt ate blueberries for about an hour, and as we were walking to the car to take one bucket back, he said his "belly-belly" hurt. Luckily it was just a tummy ache for a little while, and he didn't get sick. It was a good day!

Beach Bash!

We recently had a family reunion with my (Rheanna's) family. There were 31 of us, 2 big condos, and one wonderful beach! We love spending time at the beach, and it was extra special having all of the family there too. We spent most days hanging out at the beach, running in the ocean, jumping the waves, and playing with the sand. We also got to go on a boat ride and watch dolphins jump in the waves next to the boat.

Our Garden

We have enjoyed a little gardening throughout our marriage. We have always had a few tomatoes and peppers in small pots. Last year was our first year in our house and we tried a very small garden, and it went pretty good. This year we decided to try a bigger garden.

We cleared an area and planted at the beginning of May.

Last week we got our first veggies from our garden, and they just keep on coming!

We have enjoyed cooking our squash, zucchini, and green beans for our dinners each night.

Last night I made zucchini bread, and it is so tasty! Brandt had 3 slices, with a little butter.

Look at our garden grow!