Brady Family

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN

2010-07-14T10:52:00.001-07:00

I just can't believe our little Logan is 6 today. It is so crazy how fast time has flown by. We sure love this guy! He is such a sweet boy and we are so proud of him. Here is a little bit about him....he loves Star Wars and playing video games. He likes to wrestle with his dad and read books to his brother and sister, Austin and Sammie. He is the best big brother in the world and he gives the best bear hugs! I am so lucky to be the mom to this great kid!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN!!!

Family picture

2010-06-15T11:31:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you guys but I love when my kids draw pictures for me. They are so adorable. This is a little picture of our family by Sammie. In the picture are daddy, mommy, Logan, Sammie, Austin and our newest addition that will be joining our family in October. We are excited about having this new little joy in our family. And the best part is we are having a GIRL!!! Sammie is ecstatic!

We're still alive

2010-05-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! I know it has been about 6 months since I last wrote on here. I am really going to try and be better about this whole blog thing. Life has just been nuts these past few months. I just wanted to let you all know we are still alive here in Seattle and I will post pics soon. :)

The trip home. . .

2009-09-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

Our year in Ireland is up and time to move home. It flew by too quickly. It was a great memorable year with trips through Europe, the birth of Austin, the death of Pat's dad, living in a foreign (but not that foreign) country, serving in a branch, our kitchen flooding and on and on. I'm so glad we took this opportunity - great times.
On the trip home in August we stopped off in Boston for a week to visit my parents. While visiting with them we drove to some church history sites (none of which we had visited before) as well as Niagra Falls. Thanks Mom and Dad for a great week.

The Joseph Smith farmhouse - where it all began.

A picture of us in the Sacred Grove. All I can say is. . . it's true!

The Bray Branch

2009-09-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

We loved the branch we attended. About 50-60 came out each week. We loved each person and each experience we shared with them. For our last Sunday everyone stayed around after and sang the hymn "God be with you 'til we meet again' and took a branch photo. This is about 3/4 of the branch. We miss them so much already. . .
This is basically the whole church building. What you see through the window is where we have sacrament meeting. We then divide it into 3 small sections for primary, priesthood, and Relief Society.

This is the entrance from street.

Austin is crawling!

2009-09-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Austin starting crawing in July. He is just such a great baby. (if only he'd sleep through the night. . . )

Edinburgh, Scotland

2009-09-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Katie came to visit the first week of August. IT WAS SO FUN! We flew over to Scotland for the day, it is beautiful. Some people thought we were crazy for flying there in the morning and then back that night, but it actually worked out really good for us.

At the Festival

2009-07-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

There was a summer festival held last week in a small town called Bray. The kids went on a number of rides and had a great time. Mom and Dad went on a high-flying, intense, crazy, scary one. I screamed the whole time, I can’t believe Pat talked me into it.

Happy Birthday Logan!!

2009-07-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

Our boy is growing up. He is doing so well. Logan just celebrated his 5th birthday. He got to eat dinner at McDonald’s and got to Ice Age 3 in 3D with Mom. He opened presents and blew out candles. Logan says he had lots of fun on his birthday.

Wicklow Mtns - Ireland

2009-07-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

We visited an old (700 AD) monastery (Glendalough) up in the mountains – beautiful setting. We also visited Powerscourt Estate and Gardens. You hear how green Ireland is, but it really is, and it’s beautiful. Pat's mom and sister came to visit, it was wonderful showing them around and letting them watch the kids for us.

London

2009-07-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

We went to London on July 1st. It was really neat being there and just seeing everything. Pat’s mom and sister met us there and they came back to Ireland with us for a few days. It was sure fun seeing them. Note to the inexperienced. . . traveling with 3 children under the age of 5 in Europe. . . is HARD.

My friends. . .

2009-07-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

We’re heading back to the US the middle of August and we’re excited, but I’m going to miss the great friends I’ve made this year. These girls have really made this year what it is. I’m going to miss them so much!! The book clubs, the play groups, those unexpected times when we just chat, chat, chat. Good times and good memories.

Enjoying the Summer

2009-07-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

As you can see the sun does actually come out from time to time. We’ve been getting out to beach, which is only a mile or two away. Sheep are everywhere, as you might expect. The kids had a blast feeding them a few weeks ago. We'll often spend our Saturdays or evenings walking in one of our favorite parks (you see here a view we have from one of them).

Fun with Austin

2009-07-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Austin is growing, Logan and Sam love to play with him. It's a good thing he's such a great sport!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

2009-05-24T15:49:00.001-07:00

I just have to write a little something about the fact that Pat and I just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary yesterday! I just wanted him to know how grateful I am for him and how these past 6 years have been great and that I am looking forward to many more years to come. He is my best friend and I can't wait to see what new adventures our life will bring us....Love you babe!!!

Something Sweet

2009-05-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that Pat's dad passed away this past December. I wanted to share with you a little conversation Samantha (our 2 year old) and I had the other day.
We were sitting there looking at old pictures on the computer. When we saw one of grandpa she said, "papa". I decided to let her know that "papa" is always going to be with us. She then looked up at me with a reassuring smile and said, "papa in heaven". This is one of those sweet moments that I will always treasure. We will always miss our Papa Brady but know he is always with us!

Paris Pictures

2009-05-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of the pictures from our trip to Paris. We really had a great time and are so happy that we have been able to live in Ireland to take advantage of seeing Europe. We have loved being here and think it has been a great adventure!

Visiting the Louvre was definitely an experience....it was so huge! We were able to see the Mona Lisa and I think we zipped through there as fast as we could. I mean with 3 kids with us, we were lucky that we saw anything.

These are pictures of Notre Dame Cathedral and some beautiful views of the Seine River. We had beautiful weather while we were there. I kept having to pinch myself...am I really here?

Here are more pictures of us in front of the Eiffel Tower. Some of them are also of us at the top. We really had FUN!!

2009-05-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

More pics of Paris coming soon...

I love Paris in the Springtime....I love Paris in the Fall....

2009-05-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a family trip to Paris. With three kids it was a little difficult but we still managed and had fun doing it. When we first arrived we hit the ground running. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower. It was AMAZING! I mean you see pictures but until you are right there you don't realize how massive it is. As you can tell, Samantha was pretty tired...the poor child

This is the only picture Pat and I really got of ourselves together.
This is one of those moments on the trip I was thankful the kids were getting along. We were getting ready. to go on an evening river cruise on the Seine. We actually didn't go until 10:00 because we wanted to see everything lit up...it was worth it. We even got to see the Eiffel Tower light up. What a dream come true! It was so relaxing-the kids fell asleep. I didn't have to worry about them wanting to take a dip in the Seine

Even though the older kids fell asleep, Austin managed to stay awake the whole time....he loved it as you can tell!

EASTER FUN

2009-04-28T14:20:00.001-07:00

Easter was a lot of fun! It was different being in Ireland but lots of FUN! They don't have plastic eggs here and I couldn't find easter baskets so don't mind the halloween buckets made into easter buckets. Instead of an easter egg hunt we had a candy hunt. Samantha and Logan had a good time. Samantha was digging into the candy as fast as she could. Especially the chocolate....I wonder where she gets that from....

The kids and Austin

2009-04-28T14:03:00.001-07:00

This is where I can usually find Samantha. She is always my little helper. She always wants to hug and kiss Austin and take care of him.

Pictures of Austin - 10 weeks

2009-04-28T13:58:00.001-07:00

I know I am Austin's mommy but I have to say I LOVE these pictures of him....he is so cute!!

Pictures of Austin - 8 weeks

2009-04-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Glendalough

2009-04-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

We went to a place in Glendalough Ireland. It is located in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. Here are a few pictures from that walk. While we were there we were also about to see all the new baby lambs that had just been born. It was so cute and so fun! The weather for us has been amazing.

Dalkey Park

2009-04-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

There is a park that is not too far from us and we had a beautiful Saturday and wanted to enjoy the day. Here are a few pictures of the sights we were able to see.

The kids came up to this old building and I thought this picture was too cute. They were trying to get in.

Fun at the Farm

2009-04-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

We were able to enjoy some fun time at a farm with the other kids from our church. Logan and Samantha were so excited....especially being able to sit in the HUGE tractor they had there. It was probably the biggest tractor I have ever seen up close. It was a lot of fun and we had a great time.

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

What a great opportunity. To be in Dublin on St. Patrick's Day!! We went in to the city center and checked out the scene. It was a beautiful day and it was very crowded. Many people were dressed up in St. Paddy's attire, even the horses were festive! There were face painters all over, people singing and performing in the streets, and a lot of green. We strolled through the big park in the city center and the kids enjoyed some of the amusement rides they had for holiday. We had a fun time, enjoy the pics.

Our little Austin

2009-03-14T06:34:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few pictures of Austin. He is 5 weeks old and I cannot believe how fast the time is going already.

Fun with Grandma

2009-03-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have my mom be here for 6 weeks to help us out with the kids. It was wonderful! I cannot thank her enough or my dad enough for giving her up for that long so she could help us out. It was so nice not to have to worry about laundry, food, you name it, she did it. We had a great time with her. The kids loved having her around. Samantha was her little shadow. Everywhere grandma went Samantha went. Especially when grandma(gigi) as the kids call her was putting on her makeup. Oh man, what I have to look forward to. She loves listick as she calls it. Logan loved sharing a room with her and managed to stay in bed longer than usual because grandma was in there with him. Thanks mom! We got more sleep. It was nice having her around to help with Austin too. She was great with him. She could always get him settled...she's a pro with babies....I mean she did have nine right!! All in all the time we spent with her was great and I am so thankful for her. The kids had a blast making bread, making cookies, going to the park and just playing with her.
I wish I had more pictures but our camera is broken so I will take what I can get.

Fun with Austin

2009-03-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, everyone is having a great time with our new little addition. You can always find Samantha trying to give Austin great big hugs and Logan is always willing to help me. And dad is enjoying a few snoozes with him too. He is such a sweet little addition to our family. We are having loads of fun with him. Now if only he would cooperate and start sleeping through the night....wouldn't that be a dream!!

Big Brother and Big Sister

2009-02-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

I got these shirts for the kids and they were really excited to wear them. Logan and Samantha have been really great with Austin. Samantha is the little mommy and always wants to hug him and give him kisses. Logan says that Austin is cute and pats his head. We are all doing really well and Austin is a good little baby.

Pictures of Austin

2009-02-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

It's a BOY!!!!

2009-02-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

Austin Richard Brady (Feb 4 1:16pm GMT)
8lbs 12 oz
23 inches

Everything went smooth (for the most part). Having a baby in Ireland was different, but not that bad. There are set visiting hours, even for fathers. Most mothers get placed in a shared room, we got lucky and got a private one. In the US there are all kinds of tests done before and after, but we had hardly any apart from pulse checking and blood pressure. The philosophy here is ‘nature knows what it’s doing, things will happen as they will’. We arrived at the hospital at 1am Wed morning. Went into the labor delivery room at noon that day. Tried to get an epidural but didn’t make it in time (the midwives were pretty slow and cautious). This was my first natural birth, I was able to use nitric oxide and it really helped with the pain. The birth was beautiful and wonderful. It was fun to be surprised about the sex. Parents rarely find out the sex in Ireland. I didn’t actually mind not having the epidural and in some ways it was better without it. The biggest annoyance was that Pat couldn’t be with me at certain times of the day. He wasn’t supposed to be with me after 8:30pm last night, but he snuck in and supported/helped me all night, he got scolded in the morning. . .Oh well. This morning, the doctor visited us and gave the okay to leave anytime and so we packed up and left for home at noon today (36 hrs in the hospital). We’re all doing great. The last time one of Pat's family members was born in Ireland was in 1840. It feels good to have an Irish baby.

NO BABY YET

2009-02-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

Okay so I know most of you were expecting baby news to come last Thursday! Believe me, so was I. I guess this little one likes it too much in mom's tummy. We're going to be induced on Thursday unless our little one decides to make his/her debut! We will keep all of you posted!!!

5 days to go!!

2009-01-25T14:53:00.000-08:00

Here's what I look like. Can I get any bigger!! As you may know, we are getting surprised with this one. We've picked out a boy's name, but we're worried if it's a girl because we haven't come to an agreement yet. Maybe we'll pick a good Irish name: Sheelagh, Fiona, Clodagh. . .

Dublin Cathedral

2009-01-25T14:50:00.000-08:00

Pat's mom came out to visit for 3 weeks. It was great having her here - she was a huge help. We got to see a lot of Dublin while she was here. We walked a lot, but it didn't seem to help get the baby out. . . I'm still pregnant!

Hello Miss Samantha Lu

2009-01-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

Papa and Gigi gave the kids this Kitchen set for Christmas. They love it.

Richard L. Brady (1937-2008)

2008-12-14T13:58:00.001-08:00

My Dad passed last week (Dec 12th). The whole family flew home to Portland and arrived the evening of the 11th. Dad had been in the hospital for 3 days already. I was able to be there with him and was able to talk to him about his favorite topics,(fishing, Blazers, etc). Earlier in the year, he was diagnosed with pulminary fibrosis and I guess it finally got to him. This was a bit sudden, but the whole family was able to be by his side. Dad was one of the most sincere and kind people you could ever meet. He loved his family more than anything and everyday of his life put his kids and wife before himself. He was a supportive and loving father. No one could deny his love for children. I can't imagine a better father. Growing up he was my coach, my best friend, my fishing pal, my Daddy, I love you Dad. . .

A memorial service is being held at Rolling Hills Community Church on Saturday, Dec.20th at 11am (3550 SW Borland Rd Tualatin, OR 97062) All are welcome.

Birthday Song

2008-12-05T01:28:00.000-08:00

So, many of you may know that Logan our oldest has a speech delay/developmental delay. Well, any sort of communication from him just makes Pat and I so happy. So, the other day I wanted Logan and Sammie to try to sing the HAPPY BIRTHDAY song so they could sing it for Pat. So, thinking I wouldn't get much out of them, I decided to grab the camera just in case. They both started singing. I mean granted it isn't that coherent but because I know what the song is, I was THRILLED!!! The fact that he even tried is great! My kids are the greatest and are my greatest joy. I hope you enjoy this video....this is especially for DADDY!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2008-12-05T01:05:00.000-08:00

So, today is Pat's 31st birthday and I just wanted to write a little something about him on the blog. He is such a great person and I am so lucky to have him in my life. He works so hard for the family and NEVER complains. He not only is a great husband but an amazing daddy. The kids can't wait for him to get home everyday and to see their excitement just makes me love him more and more. I just wanted to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and let him know that he is the best. Here are a few photos from the past. I thought it would be fun to share.

Special Visitors

2008-12-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

We were really excited because my mom and dad were able to come visit us in Ireland. The kids were so excited to have them here and loved playing with them. We were able to show them some sights and explore new places we hadn't ever been. We had a BLAST!

Grandpa, Grandma and Samantha enjoying "pub grub"

Can you believe how huge I am? And I still have 2 months to go...YIKES!!!

Logan and Daddy at the Cliffs of Moher on the West Coast of Ireland

Traveling in Style

Birthday Girl

2008-12-02T12:44:00.001-08:00

Samantha just had her 2nd birthday. I can't believe she is so big. Time has really flown by. She is a happy little girl and is always making us smile. I thought I would post some old pictures of her. We sure love having her in our family. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMMIE!!!!

Samantha loved blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. It was so fun to see her getting excited about presents and the whole celebration.

Ireland

2008-11-22T00:13:00.000-08:00

Taken just outside Dublin in the Wicklow Mountains. If you look closely you can see the sheep.

Adventures in Italy

2008-11-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a trip to Italy where we visited Pisa, Florence, and Venice. It was amazing. Being 7 months pregnant I thought it would be pretty difficult but it was better than I thought it would be. The kids were amazing little travelers and we didn't have any huge incidents thanks to dad's great planning and my minimal packing. We only took 2 suitcases for 5 days and so if you see my kids wearing the same sweatshirts it's because we had to keep packing to a minimum. Oh well! Such is life! They don't care. Plus, I probably couldn't take that sweatshirt off Logan even if I wanted to. The yellow Nike sweatshirt is his favorite. Anyway, we hope you enjoy the pictures of our adventures. There are more pictures on the next page too.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

2008-11-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

We decided we had to go to Pisa to see the leaning tower. It's funny because when I first was taking a picture I thought it was crooked....duh! Of course it is. It was fun to see it and spend the day there. Logan had a great time eating a panini and Samantha enjoyed a nap.

Boboli Gardens-Florence

2008-11-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

We visited the Boboli Gardens which is overlooking Florence. In the background you can see the Duomo. We had a lot of fun up here because the kids were able to run around and throw rocks in the pond. The hike up for the view was a little steep but we managed and were happy that we did it.

Florence

2008-11-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

We were walking along the streets of Florence and saw this scene and decided we needed to take a picture. As you can see the scenery is nothing like we had ever seen before.

Santa Croche church-Florence

2008-11-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures we took near the Santa Croche church in Florence. The view was spectacular and we couldn't have had better weather for our trip.

Here is the only family picture we were able to take where everyone was cooperating. The kids were so great on this trip and I have to say, being 7 months pregnant I think I did pretty good myself.

Sienna

2008-11-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Here's dad trying to wrestle the kids for a good picture. We spent a day in a beautiful town Sienna, in Tuscany. It was amazing. It was our favorite place to visit on the trip. It was so much fun walking the streets and seeing new places.

Carousel Fun

2008-11-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

Right in the center of Florence, there was this great carousel. The kids couldn't get enough of it. They rode it about 20 times. It was especially fun at night when all the lights and musicians were out. I tried to ride it once but almost got sick so dad took the rest of the turns with the kids.

Click 'Older Posts' for more italy pics

YUM-YUM

2008-11-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about Italy was the food. The kids loved the spaghetti and the gelatto....we ate gelatto at least 2 times a day. It was amazing!!!! I was surprised because even Logan who really doesn't like ice cream liked the gelatto. We enjoyed the outside seating at the restaurants and had such a great time. The top picture is when we were in Venice. On that day all of the public water boats were on strike. But, we still managed to have a great time. We ended up getting a water taxi to take us to the airport. It was great! It was like a limo on the water....the kids LOVED it!

So much fun!!

2008-11-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

St Mark's Square - Venice

2008-11-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

The most popular spot for the kids during the entire vacation. They loved feeding the birds and chasing the birds. There were well over 100 pigeons surrounding us. It was way more exciting than the museums.

2008-10-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

These pictures are taken at St. Stephen's Green which is in the center of downtown Dublin. We love coming here to feed the ducks and walk around the shops. The buildings you see in the top picture are on Parnell Street which is a fun tourist area. We love DUBLIN!!

2008-10-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

For church we attend a branch(congregation) of about 40-50 people. This picture is taken from one end of the chapel. As you can see it is pretty small. We helped the Senior primary(8-11) plan this Halloween activity. The pinata was the highlight of the night. As you can see, Logan was getting some good swings in.

2008-10-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pictures of the kids. Samantha is happy and all smiles and Logan is conquering the obstacle course at our playground. I can't believe how fast the kids are growing up.

2008-10-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

I think this picture speaks for itself. After the playground and the waterfall the kids were pooped. And mom and dad had a quiet drive. It doesn't get any better than that.

2008-10-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

We visited Powerscourt Estate which is about 30 minutes south of Dublin in the Wicklow mountains. This is Dublin's tallest waterfall. We spent the afternoon walking around the waterfall and the kids had a great time at a playground nearby. The drive into the mountains to get there was beautiful with all the landscape you would imagine in Ireland.

2008-10-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Logan was Superman for Halloween and dad decided to give him some early practice with flying.

2008-10-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

2008-10-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

We took a day trip into the country and visited Kilkenney Castle. We had a great time and Sammie almost fell in the fountain. It was fun walking through the town of Kilkenney. It's easy to feel the history as you walk over the stone bridges, walk the narrow roadways, and admire the old cathedrals and castles. It's just cool. We frequently find ourselves asking ourselves, "Are we really here."

Fun at Home

2008-10-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

Our living room. We bought the kids this Alphabet puzzle and they laughed and played with it for hours. I love how childrens laughter can be so contagious.

Fun at the Park

2008-10-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

2008-10-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Logan is being a great big brother showing Samantha around the park. We enjoyed a great sunny day (they are few and far between). The park is a 5 minute walk from our house and bigger and better than any we've ever seen. We spend a lot of time there when the weather is nice. The kids love it and so does mom.

Birthday Boy

2008-08-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that Logan is 4 now. I thought it would be fun to show some old pictures of him. Isn't he the cutest little guy! I think so!!

Laughing

2008-08-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

Love to Laugh!!

Superman

2008-08-06T00:23:00.000-07:00

Our little SUPERMAN!!

Happy Family

2008-08-06T00:18:00.000-07:00

This is a picture we took when Logan was 10 months. I can't believe he was ever that little.

Birthday Cake

2008-08-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

I made a Mickey Mouse cake for Logan's birthday! He loved it and had a great birthday! HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY LOGAN!!!!

Sammie's Mess

2008-08-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

Her brother may not like chocolate but Sammie sure does (takes after Mom).

Cancun Feb '08

2008-08-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

Last Feb. we went to Cancun, stayed for a week and left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a lot of fun especially riding a scooter around one of the nearby islands. We ran out of gas and had to come back and get another scooter which made it all the more fun!! It was so great!

2008-07-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

While visiting my grandpa, Logan and Samantha were excited about going for a little ride on the bench! As you can tell, swinging is one of their favorite things.