Concerts, Llamas and Friends

Phew. We have been busy Bradys the past few days! My Mom flew into town on Wednesday to visit, play with Tay, and come along to a doctor's appointment to see the new baby. It was also Azalea Festival weekend, which is a HUGE annual event here in Wilmington. We went to concerts, parades and festivals. Taylor had a blast, and so did we. We ate a lot, talked a lot and played a lot. Mom is currently en route back to St. Louis, leaving 80-degree tornado weather, to be greeted by a 30-degree cold front. It was so good to have her here. Taylor was so happy to spend a few days with her Nana, and it was nice for us to have a live-in nanny for a few days!

My Mom brought the Weebles set that my brother and I played with when we were babies. Taylor is in love. Although, she sometimes confuses the bridge with a mini-slide.













On Friday night, we went to see our friend, Matt Blair, perform downtown for the Azalea Festival. He was SO awesome. I just love love love his music, his passion for Jesus, and, of course, his wife and daughters! Tay had a blast dancing.













By the time Matt came on, it was way past Tay's bedtime, so she was ready to go after a just few songs.
Matt's song, Behind Me, is very significant to me. And it hadn't played when Taylor started to lose patience. So, we headed out, and I was bummed. I dragged my feet a bit, trying to prolong the departure as long as possible. I spotted a Dunk the Ducks booth just behind the concert stage. The booth not only featured Tay's favorite animal, but it also had a bubble machine. It kept Tay's attention for a good five minutes and, guess what? Matt started to play Behind Me while we were standing there! We all just stood still, letting Tay watch the ducks, while I was frozen, staring at the stage, and getting smacked in the face by massive amounts of bubbles. It was so awesome. It made my night. I love love love that song. So, after the song was over, we started to leave, but not before the nice lady that ran the duck booth wanted to give Taylor a prize. Tay, of course, picked out a trumpet. And, WOW. Our ears bled the entire way home.
On Saturday morning, Tay, Nana and I headed out bright and early to go watch the Azalea Fest parade downtown. Taylor was NOT a fan of the clowns or the mascots, but she loved the horses, llamas...
...and princesses. She waved at every single princess and continued to say "I want more pincess!" She's got her pageant wave down pat.
On Saturday night, my Mom babysat Taylor while Jimmy and I went to a Welcome Home dinner for one of our best friends that has been in Uganda for 3 months. Then, we all headed to a friend's 30th birthday party. It was so so so good to hang out with our buddies. We laughed so hard my stomach hurt. For a looooong time. I love our friends.On Sunday after church, Jimmy made a big brunch, complete with cinnamon, chocolate and blueberry muffins (thanks, Tiff, for making me crave Sunday morning muffins!) Then, after Tay's nap, we all headed back downtown to the kid's section of Azalea Fest. They had a cool area where the kids could plant their own azaleas.













And, of course, lots of inflatable bouncy houses, obstacles courses and slides.













After her first experience with the slide, Tay was addicted. She waited patiently for her turn in line...
To go again...
And again...
After the festival, we headed home. Then, of course, we had to get some fishing in. Tay lost interest after a few casts, but Daddy did catch a few fish (one off of the Barbie pole...again). On the way back home for dinner, Tay enjoyed collecting "picoes" (pinecones) and flowers.
Our very busy weekend came to a close last night with a big dinner of yummy salads and homemade lasagna. I was stuffed until this morning. And, these days, that's not common. I am ALWAYS hungry. Growing this munchkin takes a lot of fuel! I want to end this long post with my all-time favorite picture of Tay. She was the one that insisted on praying before we even finished sitting down last night. When she speaks of Jesus, and talks about dreaming of God, it fills my heart. It's a dream come true. And, so when she bows her head to pray, you can imagine the smile that forms in my heart. This little girl is my miracle, and I think that she is well aware that God is THE reason for her life here on earth. I just love it.