First Airplane Ride & Other Adventures

This past weekend we took Morgan on her first plane ride on our trip to Chicago for Mommy's friend Amy P's wedding. She loved the excitement of the airport and seeing all the planes.

Unfortunately she didn't love the plane ride quite as much. The plane ride itself went OK (once we got in the air after sitting for 1/2 hr) ...but it wasn't easy and by the end Mommy and Daddy were definitely sweating...pick this up, put that away, grab the snacks. What a workout! At least it was only 1 hr 40 min.

Before the wedding we had time to fit in a fun playdate with the FL7 Points (7.1, 7.2, and 7.3 that is). Suppose that needs to be explained. Mommy's group of best friends (seven crazy girls) from high school ended up going to FL after graduation and hence the nickname got started...which later had to get changed to FL7+Brace when our good friend Erin joined the clan. Well it wasn't too long before the points were on the way...Morgan being 7.1, Fred 7.2 and Noah 7.3. We all still keep in touch and see each other whenever we can; when we are in town for holidays, breaks, vacation, and especially weddings. Speaking of weddings, the weekend's big event was fabulous...Amy was gorgeous and we all had a great time (rowdy as usual...we just bring the best out of each other, what can we say). Thanks Abby for the reception pix!

We finished up the weekend with a wonderful 90th birthday party with our dear Poppy. Happy Birthday!!!! What a milestone! We were so glad to be in-town to be a part of the celebration.

It was a wonderful trip! But as always went way too fast; before we knew it we were back at O'Hare boarding a plane to come home. This time at least we had the entire back row. :)

Month 19 in Review

This month Morgan's independence grew even more, but she is also shy at times. She will want to explore but then cling to you the next minute...she will be outgoing with new people but then hide her head in our shoulders at other times. All the while, just as cute as ever (and we are sure she knows it).

We started out the month with a fun day of blackberry picking with Morgan's friend Maya. They were sooooo good! Morgan wasn't sure at first, but within a few minutes we were glad she was wearing a white onsie that could be bleached.

This month was all about family time too. Grandma/Grandpa Brown came over with Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Matt for a fun day at the pool early this month. The next weekend we met up with everyone again for Cousin Sophia's dedication at church. Then Grandma/Grandpa Reineke drove from Chicago later this month with Uncle Tyler for a nice long weekend…we had the usual enjoyable time at Peddler's Village/Rice's Market but we also had a great day at Winterthur (a nearby DuPont estate).

We were also very busy with a couple end of summer picnics, working on some big house projects (including upgrading the roof, replacing the siding and working on the basement) and relaxing when we could (yes, Alia is laying right next to Morgan on the couch in the picture below...they are doing better.)

We also went to the Philadelphia Zoo for a great benefit event sponsored by Merck…sorry, no pictures to share (Mommy is trying to be better and not live behind her lens). But the short summary is…It was a disaster! Poor Morgan was terrified of all the animals and not really understanding that there was a glass or fence between them and her. It all started in the large exhibit for the monkeys; they took one swing towards her and that was it for the evening. Hopefully this is just a phase.

Another big milestone for this month...Morgan's first plane ride, coming up this weekend, more on that to come! :)

Potty Time

If you can believe it...Morgan used the potty for the first time today!!!!

Now don't get too excited, this is a process and we are sure we will be in diapers for months to come.

But it is a first step, and we are really excited and really proud!

She is growing up!