Summer Rewind - Part One

The start of school marks the end of summer. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to fall. This summer hasn't been my favorite. Mostly because of the scorching heat that kept us from enjoying the usual summer activities.

However, this summer did have it's bright spots and I thought I would use this end of summer mark to review our summer in pictures.

The highlight of the summer was most definitely our trip to Denver in June. It was wonderful to spend two weeks with friends and family and showing Mia the town. It was a jammed packed two weeks. One of Mia's favorites was the Denver Aquarium...

Note: if you would like to see a bigger version of these pictures, just click on the image.



Check out the piranhas in this picture. They have red eyes and look ready to eat...


I think this is the sign of success...




















Since moving to Missouri, we have not had a good chance to get back to the mountains. Which is tragic. So we were thrilled to be able to join our friends on a family vacation to Breckenridge for a long weekend and a gorgeous rented house (totally the way to go!). Not only were we able to spend some quality time with our favorite people, the mountain air truly rejuvenates the soul. I was sad to leave.



Here is Mia with her first cup of hot cocoa saying "This is the best!"


Bike ride with Daddy...

Three couples + 5 toddlers = crazy fun!


Back in Denver, Mommy and Grams scored big points when we took her to the train museum in Golden. This girl LOVES trains, and she loved this place.



This is one happy girl!


But the best pictures of the trip come from the simple, most meaningful moments....


And my personal favorite....

The Transition Begins

With the new baby coming in November, the time has come to transition Mia to her new Big Girl Room. The plan is to move her into what is now our guest room. We hope to have the move completed by the end of August so she has plenty of time to fall in love with the new room and not feel as if she has been kicked out of her current room for a new baby.

Here is the inspiration for her new room...
We are going with lavender/butterfly theme a la Pottery Barn.

So this weekend we started working on the elements to her new room. First up, the big girl bed.

We scored this fabulous antique bed from Gabe's mom. It was Gabe's Aunt Alice's bed. Aunt Alice was a beloved part of their family so we were really happy to be able to use it for Mia's new bed. Aunt Alice would be so happy.


Anyway, I have taken on the task to prep and paint this bed white to match her other furniture in the room. After some research and blog surfing, I came up with a plan that I hope works out. I will be sure to show you how it all turns out. Wish me luck!

Blog Block

So, yes. I realize it has been over a month since my last post. I am so behind in blogging. It isn't really for a lack of material. We have had a busy summer with lots of news and photos to share. I could say that I have been super busy - the usual excuse. Or, I could say that it was due to school work. Which is kind of true. After all, it was 16 weeks worth of material shoved into a 6 week course. But that ended a couple of weeks ago. I could say that I have been working a lot or that is it just pregnancy induced lethargy (OK, that might be some of it). But honestly, there isn't really a good reason. I am just plain lazy.

But then again, I am not really sure if laziness is really it. To be honest, I have become a bit weary of my blog lately. It seems like it has turned into a photo sharing site that is void of any substance. I dump pictures of our recent escapades because it is easy and quick. That is not what I wanted this blog to be. But why would these thoughts keep me from at least posting the usual pictorial reviews?

The answer is I have no idea.

What I do know is that I have been doing a lot of thinking about my blog lately and have been contemplating how to make it more interesting. I want it to be more than just a Mia photo blog. I want it to reflect more than just our photo ops. I would like it to have more substance and meaning. Our lives have changed a lot since the inception of this blog. Our focus on our furry kids shifted to parenting not just one, but soon two children. Does A Brief Paws still appropriately reflect our lives? Maybe. Our love for the furry, four legged kind has not changed. Creating a bigger, better blog takes time and I think I am currently doing some soul searching about whether or not I am prepared to commit the time needed to make the blog what I want it to be.

So thanks for being patient with me as I go through blog identity crisis. At the very least, I promise to keep posting pictures. Because at the end of the day, this blog is something I want to keep doing. I am not giving up easily.

Thanks for the ear (or eyes).

In the meantime, here is a little treat to tide you over.

6 Years Ago Today...

I married the greatest man I have ever known. My best friend, my soul mate. Happy Anniversary, my love. May our love grow ever stronger with each year.

Pic(s) of the Week: Summer

Ah, summer. Hot, sticky summer.
And there is nothing better to relieve the summer sweats than with a nifty new pool...