this site showcases first-hand experiences, locations, and people I've cherished most in my life.
bradyvisuals contains an extensive catalog of photographs, albums, video clips, and short films showcasing my endeavors from around the house and around the world.
photography brings joy to my life - it's a hobby, an art form, an obsession, a passion, an escape. most of all, it's a way to better preserve and recall my life's journey.
whatever brought you here, I genuinely appreciate you stopping by and hope you enjoy your visit.
Winter 2025/26:
January:
A New Year, many new refreshes (car, phone, bag, job) , and plenty of reason for optimism.
What will 2026 have in store? Too early to be seen, but it all starts with a strong foundation and a vision for a better future. Friendships too, for certain.
December:
Ended 2025 on a high note with a late-year getaway down to Disney World!
The happiest place on earth sure does have its charm and makes plenty of memories.
Fall 2025:
November:
Kyle goes back to London for the second time this calendar year. Holiday spirits throughout.
October:
Halloween was on a Friday. The Bradys chose Wednesday. Good, spooky times. Per ushe
September:
Just another new school year, this was not.
Instead, the momentous occasion(s) of Dylan starting Kindergarten and Hudson moving up to middle school, with its 90 minute earlier start compared to elementary. Big changes for both - and for Mommy and Daddy.
It's hard to believe our little bear is already at this new stage, but she's so well prepared for it and we're mostly excited more than nervous. Sure, she still gets the occasional separation anxiety away from Mommy, but going on the bus with big sister (4th grade) makes it a breeze. Either way, our Covid baby is officially in school...and it's time once and for all to close the door on that era of our lives.
Summer 2025:
August:
Marissa's knack for establishing close relationships with work colleagues has paid off again, this time in a big way.
We were invited to travel to Colombia, South America...a continent we'd never been to for an adventure we never would have considered on our own. After flying into Medellin, city of Entourage fame, we transferred to Pereira, a city in the coffee regions of the Andean mountain range, for the majority of the festivities and itinerary.
Our reason for traveling there was to attend the wedding of Kelly and Carlos - the latter of whom reported to Marissa until a few months earlier while she was at BMS. Despite changing companies back in May, we retained our invitations....and scrambled together patchwork childcare to justify leaving the kids behind.
The trip was desperately needed, as it had been over 3 years since Marissa and I traveled together. Taking a full week and traveling to another continent made it an even greater escape - and we made the most of it.
"Every day was even more incredible than the last"
It's hard to overstate the impact of this trip. The wedding events themselves, the progressively epic itinerary for 6 straight days, the joyful time spent with amazing people, the breathtakingly gorgeous setting of Colombia's coffee region and most infamous city...just wow.
Kelly and Carlos reminded us what living life to the fullest looks like - and allowed Marissa and I to focus on each other for a change. A gift beyond anything we could have given them off their wedding registry.
So once again - here we have a Destination Wedding to thank for an abundance of happy memories and new friendships. These things really are magical if done right. This one just happened to be done better than any of the rest.
Can't wait to get back to Colombia with the kids - while fully acknowledging the special circumstances that made this initial visit quite possibly impossible to ever beat.
July:
After a one-year hiatus, we returned to one of our favorite places in the world - Long Beach Island - with some of our favorite people in the world - the Millers.
As this was the summer of our 40th birthdays, we decided to go big - not in the size of the house necessarily...it was nearly identical to our previous rental - but in the peak week we came and the prime location we stayed. Being right in Beach Haven proper, able to walk or bike to tons of bars and attractions, was definitely a bonus.
Ultimately, it was an awesome week of perfect weather, excellent beach days, tons of extended gatherings with friends and relatives alike, multiple trips to the water park (a new highlight), and of course time carved out to just hang at the house and the pool with our families.
Being able to further build out these core memories for our kids with our friends and the island location...it's everything. LBI is magical, and being there with friends is peak. After all, Down the Shore, everything's Alright.
Spring 2025:
June:
School ended with multiple momentous moments - a 5th grade end-of-elementary-school celebration for Hudson, and a Pre-K graduation for Dylan.
May:
First family trip of the year, and just like 2024, it involved an extension of Marissa's annual conference in Las Vegas.
This year, instead of traveling east into Utah, we went west into California, home of Death Valley National Park - one of the most extreme and otherworldly places in the world.
Over the course of 48 hours at the park, we experienced Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in the Americas at 282 feet below sea level, took some swings on the Devil's Golf Course, and caught sunset at Zabriskie point (amongst much more). The Ranch at Death Valley made for a perfect home base, complete with a saloon restaurant, well-stocked General Store, and an old time Ice Cream parlor (amongst much more).
We overcame several setbacks including our flight home getting canceled, the rental car reservation not being honored, and a last-day stomach bug. The pool was closed at our hotel which forced us to drive 0.5 miles to the upscale Inn at Death Valley to use their resort-like tree-lined pool. So unfortunate.
The kids missed several standardized tests that they needed to make up upon return, and Hudson had a big library project on The Whipping Boy that he needed to turn in the first day back.
And yet, in all of our minds, it was the perfect way to spend those 6 days. A much needed restart after the doldrums of winter - and what better place to escape the cold than the hottest place on the planet.
The trip reinforced so much for our family...that our kids are amazing travelers, that we value new and challenging experiences, and that we love spending time together. It's so easy to get caught up in the hectic day-to-day schedules and the juggling of work, school, and sports. Trips like this, with a combination of fun, relaxation, new experiences, and navigating challenges make us better, more grateful, more mindful, and create memories to last a lifetime.
April:
I know It's just a number, but already it seems significant. Carl Jung says that life begins at 40, and I can't help but use this milestone to set things on the right path moving ahead. Focusing on what's really important, carving my own path, and prioritizing relationships over anything else.
Big things ahead. Led with love.
Winter 2025:
March:
Travel begun, sports resumed, and the hectic family life returned. A sign of spring coming full speed ahead and a positive outlook for the adventures of the year.
Marissa went to St Thomas and Florida, Kyle went to London and the Poconos, and the kids started softball and soccer.
February:
Our house served as the perfect hosting location for a large gathering of friends and family across Marissa's many facets of life. The dishwasher was installed just in time, and the arrangements all went according to plan. Help from the Hostess Helpers of Newtown made for a smooth and enjoyable event, that otherwise would have tied me up the whole time dealing with the food, drink, etc.
Happy Birthday Marissa, we love you!
The Eagles won the Super Bowl!
As a 2nd new-kitchen hosting event, we invited some friends, neighbors, and family to join us to cheer on the hometown Birds play their 3rd Super Bowl in 7 years.
The game went as well as we could have ever hoped - up 24-0 at halftime, 34-0 in the 3rd quarter, and 40-6 before pulling the starters with 6 mins left in the game.
Made for a joyous start to February and a great warm up for the big 40th birthday party coming up. Go Birds!!!
January:
Happy New Year! The year we both turn 40 has finally arrived.
With those birthdays, a possible upcoming football trip, some work travel, and soccer season starting up, 2025 is off to a fast start.
While I remain 39 throughout the first quarter of the year, Marissa's milestone is in just 6 weeks! Need to get on the planning for that and get invites out ASAP. Mine is just another 6 weeks later though - eeeek! Honestly however, I'm very much looking forward to the new decade. Our 30s have been amazing and life changing, with parenting and family life dominating the focus for the last 10 years. The 40s are the possibility for something different - a renewed focus on the things that matter now that we have experience under our belt. Life wisdom, perhaps. Excited for what's to come.
Meanwhile, the kitchen is coming along, and we took immediate advantage - hosting ~25 people on New Years Eve merely hours after our new countertops were installed. Main issue was the floors - we didn't like them - and are still waiting on the new materials to be shipped in. Can't install the appliances until the floors are down, so looking at early February completion when it's all said and done. Will be well worth the wait - we absolutely love the new space and can't wait to host more in the year(s) ahead.
Fall 2024:
December:
Christmas season is upon us and the basement living has continued. Our kitchen project remains in full swing and minor setbacks continue to slow down momentum. Fortunately we're quite cozy and normal in our limited space, meaning the delays are mere blips on our radar given the extent of other activities and to-do items related to the holidays.
It's honestly one of the most joyful and happy Christmases we've had in a long time - this closer living has its benefits for sure.
A magical White Christmas and Staten Island excitement on the Eve led into a joyful Christmas Morning, nostalgic dinner at the Carmichaels, ice skating with cousins, and time with Nana, Aunt Eesh, and Brady on the 26th. The Brady-side gathering rounded things out 2 days later.
Combined with decent relaxing downtime, home organization, and our family closeness, plus our NYE party and Penn State playoff football, 2024 Christmas turned into a season to remember.
November:
Things are going quite well on our end at the moment. The family has been forced physically closer while our kitchen is being demolished and pathways inconsistent. We're on our 3rd week with no kitchen in a construction project now going on its 6th week overall - and planning to last until Christmas.
Mostly living out of the basement and spending essentially no time on the main floor. The basement feels like a little Airbnb…limited but kinda charming, plenty functional, and mostly just a change of pace. I love that it forces Marissa and me to be in the same place more often and make project decisions together. We're able to talk in person more often - always quite the challenge with the eventful family and work schedules. Perhaps this kitchen project may be renovating more than just the physical space in our family....all things point to it being a significant bonding experience for us all.
October:
Kyle went on the 3rd straight post-covid "Dude Trip" with the Hamilton crew - this time coined as "Top of the World" after the main hike we did the first day and the way we felt at the peak. This 2024 trip was a near mirror image of the 2023 getaway. We hiked, explored, sat still, cooked, OneWheeled, painted, kayaked, talked and watched football. It was another magical trip.
I adore my friend group and we cherish our time together. The cabin we stayed at this year is for sale and we're seriously considering buying it (or something like it) as a group. The prospects of which could bring tons of quality lifestyle to us and our families. We'll see what we can pull off, if anything. That sounds like a worthy pursuit, if nothing else.
As usual, Halloween was highly eventful. Family pumpkin carving, trick or treat in Allentown, and school parties abound. Witches and Bananas, oh my!
The week prior, Kyle snuck out for a last minute Friday excursion to Princeton University for a OneWheel / X100VI photo journey. This fall has been incredibly beautiful with foliage, no rain, and warm weather.
September: Back to school, soccer, gymnastics, and routine.
Marissa hosted her cousins Lisa and Lorraine for a Philadelphia weekend including dinner out and Phillies game.
The next weekend, Nana and Mike hosted Kyle and the girls to the Pennsylvania Derby horse raceat Parx Casino Racetrack - unfortunately Hudson wasn't feeling well and had to stay back. Still, a very fun event all around!
Starting next month, we begin work on an entryway / kitchen renovation leaving us with half our living space gone til Christmas. Will definitely affect our routine but it's going to be great. We'll be together.
And then we'll have a beautiful new space to start 2025.
Blessed.
Summer 2024:
Just chuckled after reading the last line of this "summer" section where "we enter the rest of summer excited to slow down."
Or....hear me out...we book a trip across the pond to London to see a Taylor Swift concert and take a side trip to Paris! All while Kyle is working during the week!
After a slow start, 2024 has officially reached epic travel levels for our family.
The Brady/Zion European Vacation started with a challenging hotel check-in and underwhelming accommodations after a restless red-eye in. Once we settled, the first weekend included plenty of sights of Big Ben & Parliament, a ride on the London Eye, Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, a Peppa Pig tea time bus tour, a visit to Covent Garden and the Transport Museum, and more sights of Big Ben and Parliament. Look kids!
Monday when Kyle start working, Marissa took the fam and Grandpa to the Chelsea stadium tour (Hudson wore a Liverpool jersey) and then to the train station to catch the Eurostar through the Chunnel over to Paris, France.
They went up to the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower, saw Van Gogh's self portrait at Muse D'Orsay, ate croissants and baguettes and shrimp risotto, posed near the Olympics rings, sailed toy sailboats in the garden, and got up to Montemarte, imo the most beautiful part of a city I've ever seen.
Upon return to the UK, it was time for Marissa and Rowan to see Tay-Tay at Wembley Stadium. By all accounts, it was worth the trip. An incredible goal accomplished to make this happen for Rowan.
Now that the crew was on the other side of town in a big beautiful airbnb, Kyle tubed over to bring the kids bowling and out to dinner. After all, Hudson turned TEN the next morning!
Friday, Hudson's Birthday, the family came to visit Kyle at his London office! After a nice lunch, we cut the day a bit short and toured Tower of London before going to Birthday dinner. There we enjoyed more cheesy pasta, delicious steak, apps, cocktails, and of course, dessert.
No birthday party this year buddy, but we hope the celebration in London made up for it ;)
Just typing the above, it's no surprise this trip took a toll on everyone. Stress, exhaustion, and an upcoming school year made for a rough return. In time, that will be forgotten while the memories and sights and experiences remain. What a summer.
School is out, time for a beach week...but no LBI this year :(
Instead, we packed the minivan for a road trip to visit Grammy GiGi down in Calabash, North Carolina! Figured we'd combine beach time with our newfound love of National Parks, along with a few other bonus stops along the way. Let's hit the road!
After a donut breakfast to celebrate Father's Day, we got going south on our leisurely journey...just kidding - we rushed to make first pitch of Phillies-Orioles at Camden Yards!
After the game we proceeded to our original first destination, Front Royal, Virginia, gateway to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park.
Our 3rd National park in a month was awaiting us, and after a lovely evening and morning at our Airbnb cabin, we strapped on our hiking shoes tor the trails of Shenandoah.
The day included about 35 miles of Skyline Drive, a 1.5 mile fairly intense hike in the woods, and a venture over to Luray Caverns to see some of the most incredible stalagmites and stalactites around. A lunch at Ollie Cat's was also memorable.
Making it to Calabash just before midnight Monday allowed us to wake up at Grammy's house, and enjoy a purely joyous 4 days with an amazing 90 year old woman. Sunset Beach, Rummikub, The Boundary House, Golf Cart Rides, Apple Pie, and so much more. Love you Grammy!
On the way home, we enjoyed an overnight stay in Washington DC and a visit to Air & Space Museum....the main attraction we didn't get to last year.
Another highly successful family trip and we enter the rest of summer excited to slow down.
Spring 2024:
We're well into the second quarter of the year and had yet to leave on a jet plane anywhere yet in 2024. Such a problem must be solved and so, we jaunted off to the faraway lands of Utah, a state we'd never been to before, via Las Vegas, Nevada, now my 2nd most frequented US city. Only this time I'd be flying out solo with all 3 kids, starting with a 5am house pickup, to meet up with Marissa who'd arrived a couple days earlier. What could go wrong? :)
Well, a lot could have...but it didn't. Everything worked out nearly perfectly. This was the trip our family needed to emerge out of the doldrums of winter with a fresh perspective on our world; the shared adventures fueling us forward into the busier spring months.
We spent a day and a half in Vegas, occasionally meeting up with Marissa who was there for work, so therefore had a room we were able to crash in. Kids and I hung at the pool, got some food, explored the extra dimensions of the dreamverse first hand at Meow Wolf, spoke to a humanoid AI robot inside the coolest building ever - the Sphere, where we were also treated to one of the most powerfully awesome films I've ever seen; "Postcard from Earth". An absolutely profound story of life on Earth that should be shown to people across the world as a public service. Wow.
Dylan, our 3-year-old, fell asleep about 20 minutes into the movie. She may possibly be the first paying customer to ever fall asleep in the Sphere! At least that's what we'll claim.
The next day, Thursday, we got our Mama back to round out the clan. We packed up, picked up our rental minivan, and shipped out of Vegas, but not before driving underneath 4 fighter jets doing practice maneuvers right above us via Nellis AFB (super cool!)
We passed through the increasingly desolate towns of Mesquite and Hurricane, drove through Arizona for a bit (it counts kids!), into the totally fit city of St George, UT. There we grabbed brunch and enjoyed the vibe at cafe FeelLove before heading over to the city park, aka the registration point for the upcoming North American Ironman Championship race. Like I said, a totally fit town.
At the park we started first by going on the carousel, then getting wet in the water areas with a dozen other kiddos. A few craft creamsicle treats later, we shipped up north of town to the St George narrows, a hiking area with trails and slot canyons. There, our kids got some early practice with their new hiking shoes and poles, and established our family dynamic and risk profile while out on the rocks and trails. It was a memorable and appropriately sized start to our journey.
Leaving st George around 3pm, we didn't have time for Snow Canyon, so proceeded on to Springdale, UT, the home of Zion National Park. This would be our all-day destination the next day, so we were thinking about getting a lay of the land. We ate a yummy meal outside at the Outpost downtown, and checked out some super-cool rocks at a shop across the street (Luna, the dog, was the sweetest). At this point it was getting later and we all wanted to get to our airbnb rental house at a reasonable hour.
Unfortunately the road through Zion was closed (later confirmed to be a car fire) and a ~50 minute drive turned into 100 minutes to our final destination of Kanab. This included 5 miles down a 25 mph uneven dirt road with massive cows ignoring our obvious presence as they crossed from one side of the endless landscape to another. Towering reddish orangish grayish cliffs painted the background on most sides and made for a truly "y'all ain't in Jersey anymore" moment!
Anywho, we eventually reached the town of Kanab, grabbed groceries at Glasers Market, found the rental house, settled in, and prepped for the big day ahead at Zion. Great start of our full-family time and a highly success travel day.
Thankfully the road had re-opened by Friday morning and we were able to drive into the east entrance of Zion National Park - about 35 minutes from our house. This was our primary destination of this trip overall, so we were fully geared up and pumped to get on the trails of America's 3rd most-visited National Park.
After a very brief look at the first main cliff sight in Zion's east end, we found a slightly more open location to do a proper test hike. It was easy enough to pull off the side of the road at certain points, and we were there early enough in a less-frequented part of the park, so had our pick of spots. We did maybe a quarter mile loop, experiencing various terrain, pointing out the cacti, and generally gaining some momentum. next stop, Canyon Overlook - our primary hiking trail for the whole day.
After an initial scare that Dylan wouldn't fit in the back carrier I had just received and not tested, nearly derailing the trip before it even started, we were off down the road a third of a mile from the entrance. Arriving at the trailhead, we proceeded up what felt like 100 stairs made of rocks, past a pack of mountain goats that Rowan got nervously close to, around a bend, under a dark cave overhang, along the narrowest of one-way paths on the cliff, and finally to the sights of a purely break taking place, Zion Canyon.
Our sense of accomplishment was real and despite some tired & hungry kiddos (and some close encounters with some hungry chipmunks), we relished in the sights and heights atop the canyon.
An easy trek down added to our gratitude as the line to go up was building. We'd beat the crowd and seized the day, and were officially ready for lunch. Nothing some tacos, burritos and Mac n Cheese at Oscar's Café couldn't fix.
The rest of the day in Zion was spent taking the shuttle up canyon towards the Narrows - one of the most popular hikes at the park. The trail was closed during our visit due to heavy water flow, which was honestly great news for us as it minimized the crowds overall. We took a leisurely stroll around the Virgin River and the Temple of Sinewava, then made sure we had plenty of time to make the final shuttles back to the visitors center and finally back to our car in Springdale. It was easy to take a slower pace and avoid feeling pressure to do things when we'd already accomplished Canyon Overlook that morning. After our ride back to Kanab, we were ready for dinner. A failed attempt at walking into Flying J's led us next door to an art gallery. The owner recommended Wild Thyme Cafe down the street, suggesting we ask for Tevez. We didn't do that specifically, but sure enough he ended up being our waiter as we say outside (on the dog-friendly patio) for a late meal. Suffice it to say the meal was excellent, and as Hudson put it, the Chocolate Ganache added a really nice note to the Death By Chocolate dessert the kids enjoyed - and deserved - after a highly successful day in Zion. Tevez predicted we'd see him again before leaving town, and we agreed.
Winter 2023-24:
March has come and Spring may have sprung! At least it felt that way on the first Sunday of the month as we gathered in the beautiful Sayen Gardens to celebrate Grammy/GiGi's 90th birthday!
We had 15/17 grandchildren (aka Kyle's cousins), something like 20/22 great-grandchildren, and about 50 other relatives and friends (including Lulu all the way from Australia) attend. The weather was perfect and the nicest day of the year so far...right after having a washout rain the day before. Thankfully, my kids and I got to visit with Grammy and Lulu on the rainy Saturday and get the best of both worlds. Happy Birthday to Grammy!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024!
Celebrated a fantastic Christmas / Holiday season - we hosted a TON.
After a relatively* relaxing Christmas Eve in Staten Island, we hosted a 20+ person Christmas dinner, an almost-as-big Brady get-together on Dec 30th, and what may have been 100 other smaller get togethers throughout the 10 consecutive days off together. Mostly just trying to pawn off leftovers.
Hosting so much took a decent amount of effort, but it was joyous almost entirely throughout. We love to host and share our house and bring family together....it's a true privilege for us. Hope to continue that trend into 2024.
After 2 close calls over the past month, we finally had our first Snow Day in over 700 days....since Feb 13, 2022! Schools closed, Daddy took half the day off, and we got some solid sledding / snowball time in. The snow wasn't the best, and there wasn't a ton of it, but we got our fix. Not a bad way to extend the already-long-weekend!
*Update: More Snow came 3 days later, leading to the 2nd snow day of the week! This time the snow is plentiful (5-6") but not nearly as pliable for snowballs. Instead, we trekked back to the basin for another successful session. We really needed this after such a long drought!
Fall 2023:
Writing this Fall recap on the winter solstice, recalling yet another fantastic season in our lives. So blessed.
Highlight: Got back to Disney World for the first time since 2019* and first as a family of 5**
Immediately after soccer ended, yet before Thanksgiving, we snuck in a 5-day getaway to Mouse land...our first full scale family trip to Orlando since 2017*. It was almost entirely fun, surprisingly relaxing (part of the time), and an undoubted success. Only the pre-dinner nuthouse that is Magic Kingdom as the 2nd park of the day posed any kind of challenge for the crew. Thankfully, Winnie the Pooh pulled us through. Thanks Eeyore.
*ok yes, our family has been to DW something like 4-5 times between then and now, (including Marissa having been there twice already this year!!), but all 5 of us haven't been there together.
**Ok we were already there as a party of 5, but it was mid-Covid and we only went to Epcot one day while at 25% capacity. Yet somehow the Frozen ride still had a 75 minute wait. Sheesh!
Another highlight from the Fall was Rowan's friend's birthday party held at a local farm we'd never been to before. I took all 3 kids over and they all had a blast...the photos clearly prove it! In fact, we went back there once more - to get our Christmas Tree....our favorite tree ever. Charlann Farm rocks!
The final big event in early December was Kyle's annual work pilgrimage across the pond to work in London for a week. Mommy held down the fort like a champ as our neighborhood experienced a break-in, deal with the kids getting sick, and had to manage long-running Christmas traditions (wink wink). Still, the trip was highly successful and continues to prove the value of in-person shared experiences.
On top of everything else, like hosting and organizing for Christmas, we're also in the early stages of planning a kitchen renovation for next Spring. So that's fun, and I think we'll get pretty into it come the New Year. Good to have a project that has the chance to make our lives better in a space we spend so much time in.
Earlier Fall:
Summer was starting to feel a bit slow, so getting back to sports and school was a welcomed change. After a pre-season soccer tournament on Labor Day Saturday (which Hudson's team won in dominating fashion), we embarked on the post-summer season with a vengeance.
Third weekend of September we returned to our favorite Amish farmhouse Airbnb for yet another Penn State football weekend! This year we managed to book the weekend of the White Out, so ended up not going to the game, but enjoyed the time immensely regardless. It rained, but not as much as was predicted, and we welcomed Aunt Jenny, on her way back from Pittsburgh, to meet up with us for the tailgate and then stay a night at the farmhouse. Yet another highly successful and memorable trip to Happy Valley (and Big Valley!)
The very next weekend Kyle left the crew behind for the annual Dude Trip, now rebranded as the They/Their Health & Wellness Retreat.
7 guys met up at a cabin around a private lake in Blairstown, NJ to hike / climb the peak of the Delaware Water Gap and further get back to nature by enjoying the massive property of our Airbnb. Possibly the best guys trip yet, in how satisfying it was. Grateful for this time more than words can describe.
Summer 2023:
I'M AN UNCLE! MARISSA'S AN AUNT! THE KIDS FINALLY HAVE A FIRST COUSIN!
Kyle's sister Elise welcomed Brady Rhys Baron to the world in the wee hours of June 25th. We're overjoyed to have a nephew, cousin, and new baby in the family!
The Bradys had to wait a week to meet him in person, due to our beach vacation, but then was fortunate to see him two days in a row along with the greater Brady family at a pool party in Allentown. Which happened to be on Rowan's birthday (she's 7!!)
And yes, that aforementioned beach vacation...we continued our summer tradition renting a house in LBI / Long Beach Island. 2023 marked the 4th year in a row we've gone as a family and the second straight year in the same house along with our friends the Millers. In addition to the beach, the pool at the house remained the hit, along with Fantasy Island, outdoor happy hours, and lots of ice cream. Of course. We had amazing weather and lots of highlights along the way. LBI truly is our happy place.
Even managed an extended family photo shoot that we were able to take advantage of as well. Another very successful and fun week - LBI rarely disappoints.
Beyond the LBI Week, the summer was fairly slow, at least by our normal "young family of 5" standards. That said, we did get away one more time before school started back up again.
In part to celebrate Hudson's 9th Birthday, we spent a long weekend in our nation's capitol, Washington DC.
The trip was centered around tickets to a baseball game, to see the Nationals host our very own Philadelphia Phillies! We hadn't gotten to Citizen's Bank Park yet this year so discovering that the Phills would be within driving distance the weekend before Labor Day was reason enough to choose DC as our destination for the getaway.
The game wasn't until Saturday mid-afternoon, so after driving up Thursday evening, we had all day Friday as well as Sat morning to explore the city. We hit up about 3 / 10 monuments, thanks to tired legs and poopy pants, but had a really beautiful day (high 70s, partly cloudy) to walk outside. We even got DIY donuts and delicious smoothies at the farmer's market outside the USDA. The kids LOVED counting the flags at the Washington Monument!
After a reset nap / rest / shower, we ventured out to dinner at a cute "Diner" nearby, and from there, hit up the International Spy Museum where we became intelligence officers for the evening. It was pretty cool, though not something I'd go back to a 2nd time. Recommended as a really engaging and informative spot to visit, especially if you're into that (ultra cool) spy thing.
Marissa wasn't feeling well Saturday morning and needed more rest, so Kyle ended up walking 2.5 miles with all 3 kids just to eat at Shake Shack and then take a taxi back to the hotel. Total fail, but oh well...it happens.
Thankfully our mama bear recovered enough to attend and enjoy the baseball game. We loved the location and vibe of the National's stadium, and were treated extremely well throughout. Phillies fans were abundant, if not the majority, and cheered the loudest without question. Thankfully, there was plenty to cheer for as the Fightins' put up a huge 8th inning and blew the game open, winning 12-3.
Sunday morning we failed again, missing out on tickets to the Air & Space museum, so went to a bizarre modern art museum across the street. From there, post minor trauma, Daddy forced the crew to go into the National Archives we happened to part in front of to see the Declaration of Independence. Turned out the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other crazy old, important documents were also there....quite a memorable last-minute visit indeed.
Ate at the institution Old Ebbits Grill before driving home. Highly recommend a visit to DC just for a baseball game, especially if you can get there from the Metro (subway). Stay at the Eaton Hotel...it's incredible.
Spring 2023:
So far it's been an eventful start to the spring! Hudson started Little League, and the whole thing is super adorable. Kyle turned 38, and celebrated with a Brady boy golf outing including Hudson (first time ever) and PopPop. It was a three-generation group and a memorable day for us all.
The following weekend, we celebrated Mimi's 50th Birthday in Staten Island along with a favorite holiday, Easter. Of course we decorated eggs, found our baskets, and hunted for eggs in the yard.
Later this month, we have some travel and adventure to look forward to:
- Kyle and Hudson sports-themed getaway to Cooperstown (4/21-4/23).
As part of our Christmas and Birthday presents so far this year, Mommy treated the boys to a sports-themed weekend in Cooperstown, NY, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, for a weekend of Golf, Baseball, and adventuring. On the way up, we stopped in Scranton, PA, home of Dunder Mifflin, and became official shark tasters at Cooper's restaurant (where Kyle also did some damage in the Office-themed gift shop). We stopped again 30 mins from our destination to explore a State Park, fly the drone, and get nervously close to falling in the river while climbing trees.
Upon our arrival at the early-20th-century Otesaga Resort Hotel, we dined well at the grill restaurant at the best seat in the house. Our table overlooked the lake, the golf course we were set to play the next day, and the aftermath of a wedding ceremony that had just taken place. Absolutely gorgeous setting.
We played golf at Leatherstocking Golf Club along the lake and into the hills, in what Kyle described as "one of the coolest golf courses" he's ever played. Hudson agreed - although it was only his 2nd round ever.
And of course we toured the Baseball Hall of Fame, getting to know heroes of the game both recent and ancient. Hudson having just started playing this year made the trip even more timely. Overall, what an incredible time we got to spend together...an absolute life highlight for Kyle. Thank you for this gift, Marissa.
- As amazing as Cooperstown was for the boys, sometimes Mommy & Daddy need a getaway too. So the very next weekend, Kyle and Marissa managed to escape to Las Vegas (4/29-5/1). For the first time since 2019, Marissa was invited to attend a pharmaceutical industry conference at the Wynn resort in Las Vegas. And just like 4 years earlier, Kyle was able to take advantage of the free hotel room and generous babysitting offers to tag along!
We splurged the first night on 3rd row tickets to Ali Wong, one of Marissa's favorite comedians. We hit the pool, had an amazing Japanese dinner outside alongside a Koi pond at Mizumi (another absolutely gorgeous dining setting), and even got bonus time hanging together Monday morning before the work events got underway. Other than spending too much time waiting for the buffet on multiple occasions, the trip was an overwhelming success.
Hudson and Rowan soccer seasons kicked back into gear
Big kids compete in Field Day at school
Winter 2022-23:
Missed actually updating this entire season while it was happening. Looking back, it was a pleasant but not super memorable winter. The weather was mild - we didn't get a single snowfall until March. Christmas and the holiday season went well.
We hosted the Bradys on New Years Eve, but otherwise were able to attend holiday events at other people's houses for the most part. I did get a new camera lens - a super telephoto 200-600mm zoom - and got some decent bird photos from the backyard. Hoping for more of that as spring comes through.
In January, Marissa and Rowan took a girls trip to Orlando as part of Rowan's Christmas present. While they were away, Kyle took Hudson, Dylan, and Clarence (?!?!) to upstate NY to visit PopPop and Grammy for the first time since 2019 - in other words, Dylan's first visit ever.
During the trip, Hudson went skiing for the first time at Mount Peter. He got kicked out of the free beginner lesson for being too good already, and proceeded to bomb the bunny hill his first try. The full top-to-bottom run was a bit more challenging, but Hudson recognized the accomplishment of getting down the mountain even though it was hard. Proud Dad moment!
Fall 2022:
11/27/22 - Decided to travel for Thanksgiving this year, taking advantage of another opportunity to go to Gigi's (Grammy's) house in Calabash, North Carolina! It was the 2nd time we visited this year after not having gone down since 2019 - we'd missed it so much!
Anyway, we drove again which meant taking 2 days to get down and then back up, stopping in Virginia each time. While we were there we had a very relaxing and low-key time, playing lots of Rummicube, watching the World Cup (and Hallmark movies!) and preparing a big yummy Turkey-day feast.
We also made it to the community inside pool, a driving range, and of course, St Nick-Nack's. Turns out it might have been the first Thanksgiving I'd had there since high school, and we left feeling so grateful for the chance to spend the holiday together and make new memories with Gigi.
p.s.
The morning of Thanksgiving, we were presented with a lottery ticket to scratch-off and see if we'd won - courtesy of Elise and Steve. Turned out we all won - but instead of there being a cash prize, we found out....Elise was pregnant! I'm going to be an Uncle for the first time, Marissa an Aunt, and the kids will have their very first First Cousin!
Elise is due in June 2023 and we can't wait to meet our niece or nephew...and to pawn off lot of baby things and kids clothes when the time comes :)
10/25/22 - Returning home and back to normal today after 80% of the family went out of town for a long weekend, on two separate trips!
Kyle had a "Dude Trip" planned to fly up to Portland, Maine with the High School crew, so Marissa decided to escape with the big kids to Disney at the same time! Those kids sure have it good
9/24/22 - Wouldn't be a proper fall without the annual pilgrimage to Penn State to catch a football game! This time it was a long weekend, so we positioned ourselves slightly outside State College in an Airbnb firmly entrenched in Amish Country. This was a really unique lodging option that allowed us to experience a 1750s farm house property surrounded by a culture not commonly seen in our daily lives.
As if combining the fun of the football game with campus tours, shopping, Ice Cream, a soccer game, tailgating wasn't enough, our extra day allowed us to venture to a new destination, Penn Caves! This was a super cool spot with an underground limestone cave that you saw from a canoe ride. I (re) learned the difference between stalactites and stalagmites, stared in awe at the led light setup they had in this 100-foot-underground cave, and ventured back in shame as Dylan decided to scream and wiggle the entire way back through the cave. The 14 other people in the canoe were thrilled to have joined our boat!
Anyway, after the cave boat ride, we did an animal bus safari, which went much more smoothly, and a maze escape. Twas a supremely enjoyable time overall indeed.
Summer 2022:
8/30/22 - Gotta keep this in the Summer section since it's 92 degrees outside and not even Labor Day yet, but today was the kids FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Hudson is starting 3rd grade (!!!) and Rowan 1st (!). Even Dylan may start at Day Care 2x a week later next month.
So yes, we're back into the school schedule. Welcome timing as the summer was enjoyed but ready to transition. School, soccer, farms, and football, here we come!
8/18/22 - Couldn't end the summer without one more getaway. Before the kids return to school and to further celebrate Hudson's birthday, we ventured back to Newport, Rhode Island, for the first time since 2019 PC (pre-Covid). This time we took Nana along and she was able to join in the fun.
We hit many of the greatest hits on this trip - Corner Cafe, Gas Lamp Grill, sunset from Bowman's Wharf, climbing rocks at Easton's Beach, Lobster Rolls, the Arcade, harbor Sailboat tour, Kite Flying, and the Breakers. And of course, a sunrise photo shoot down at the end of Ledge Rd. Love Newport and the memories we've made there. Might not resume going every year but I hope we keep it in our regular travel repertoire.
8/16/22 - Hudson turned 8! We celebrated by taking the boy and 3 of his friends to see Imagine Dragons (and Macklemore) at the Camden pavilion - followed by a sleepover afterwards. Not for the feint of heart, or sensitive of hearing, but a fun time and excellent concert nonetheless. Glow sticks for the win!
7/17/22 - Wrapping up an unusual but satisfying weekend. Hudson woke up Friday testing positive for Covid- the 2nd family member now who's caught it after Marissa got unlucky back in May. Anyway, the forced isolation of H & M along with a planned Nana sleepover weekend for Rowan meant that Kyle and Dylan got to spend lots of quality time together! We took full advantage of a couple awesome weather days, spending hours at several of our nearby parks. Dylan also pooped in the potty for the first time at Nana's when we were there picking up Rowan! Woohoo for poop!
7/3/22 - Rowan turned 6! We celebrated!
6/18/22 - Schools out, which only means one thing - LBI WEEK 2022!
This is now a week we look forward to every year and is only getting better with experience. This year we doubled down on the fun by going in on a bigger house with our friends, the Millers, who live in Indiana.
Although I've been able to see Brian a fair bit over the last few years, our families only have spent about a combined 90 mins together prior to this week. Still, we were all looking forward to it and had high hopes for a memorable trip.Our house was the perfect location on the bayside of Beach Haven Terrace, right across from Marvel Donuts and Wawa. It was nearly brand new, had lots of space and amenities, and best of all, featured a HEATED POOL (which came in extra handy with the weather in the low 70s most of the week).
In addition to the Millers staying, we actually bookended the trip by hosting Nana the first night and JoJo & Sami the last night. Plus, we spent lots of time with our friends the Muhas and Chesters throughout the week.
All in all, things couldn't have gone much better. Kyle didn't crash the OneWheel and no one was sick, and the weather even held out to a mere 15 mins of rain one day. Here's a recap of the highlights from each day in LBI:
Saturday - drove down in 2 cars, setup the house, and immediately welcomed the Muhas over to swim in the pool. Ordered Clam Chowder from California Grill. Played Mille Borne with Nana. Watched our first sunset from the rooftop deck of the house. Kyle OneWheeled to the Hudson House to hang with the Chesters and didn't crash on the way home!
Sunday - hit up Bay Village for toy shopping, enjoyed the pool, and anxiously awaited the Millers' arrival. More pool time then checked out the beach for the first time. Grilled for dinner, and hosted the Chesters at night.
Monday - pool in the morning then made it a big beach afternoon with the Millers, Muhas, and Chesters. Early dinner at the Shell followed by Ice Cream at Barry's (this may become a trend)
Tuesday - check out Marvel for donuts, and machine was broken! Try again tomorrow. Relaxed day at the beach and Triton happy hour for pizza and oysters. Fantasy Island rides and soft serve ice cream at Kohr's
Wednesday - worst weather day, but donut machine fixed so got our own donut fix. Then did Beach Haven bayside Playground, Fantasy Island Arcade, lunch at The Shack, and some clothes shopping. Back home for Happy Hour outside at Terrace Tavern, then ice cream at Ship Bottom Creamery (formerly known as Meltdown)
Thursday - last full day with the Millers, spent mostly at the pool. Warmed up in the afternoon and went back to double dip at Triton for some more oysters and a seafood tower. Bit more arcade, then dinner on the rooftop of Tucker's, our favorite spot from 2021. Couldn't go home without stopping for ice cream (cup + sandwich!) at Moo-Hoo
Friday- said farewell to our friends and hello to the in-laws. Pool time, then split up to go shopping as I stayed back with Dylan. Met back together at Bird & Bettys, formerly the Ketch, and had one of the most fun happy hours of the week on the upstairs balcony. Awesome food like Jersey Devil (fried oyster over deviled egg), pizza, and shrimp toast. Of course we couldn't leave without some ice cream! Home for last dip in the pool, packing everything up for our departure, and one final OneWheel ride down to the bay
Saturday- had to checkout early by 9am but we made it just in time...so rewarded ourselves with donuts from Marvel across the street. Drove up 20 blocks to setup a beach day, parking near the house of Hudson's friend Brody, who had come down the day before. Spent a few hours on the beach and Hudson decided he would stay one more night at the invitation of his friend. The rest of us drove back home, saw Clarence for the first time in 7 days, and unpacked everything from both cars. Missed Hudson but heard he was riding wave runners and jumping into the bay, so I think he made the right choice to stay. Trips like this may happen now on a more regular basis, or may never happen in quite the same way again. That's why it's so important for me to capture, store , and share these moments in time, these events that are shaping my life. To be honest, despite the hundreds of keepers shown on this album, there were so many more moments shared without being documented whatsoever. I try to keep a reasonable balance to stay in the moment when it matters, vs document when appropriate. Gotta say we are officially now on a hot streak of successful travels, events, and life progression. It's hard not to reflect on that and be filled with gratitude for what we have and who we are able to share life's moments with. LBI has some kind of spiritual power to it, where that when combined with extended friends and family, comes pretty close to emblemizing my personal version of heaven on Earth. Or at least represents the peak of my own narrow concept of happiness. <3 LBI <3
6/11/22 - Had an absolutely wonderful time celebrating Nana's 66th Birthday at Grounds for Sculpture. It had been too long since we were there previously and were quickly reminded how much of a gem that place is. We wrapped up the day attending a Graduation party for our neighbor Brady, making it a memorable Saturday.
6/4/22 - Realizing that we haven't taken full potential of our house for socializing, we took on the ambitious plan of hosting our friends and their families for a summer kickoff BBQ. Officially justified by the Persiani's upcoming move to North Jersey, and with a goal of whipping the house and landscape into shape, we invited and hosted 25-30 people for a casual outside hangout filled with lawn games, delicious BBQ from More than Q, and most importantly, time spent amongst friends. Needless to say, other than not getting our deck fixed in advance, the event was an overwhelming success.
Spring 2022:
4/13/22 - For Easter this year, we decided to Road Trip down to North Carolina to visit Grammy/GiGi! It had been almost 3 years since we had been there (darn virus and all), so it was Dylan's first visit ever, and the first time we drove down with the kids. Alas, we nearly didn't make it at all. The day we were supposed to leave, Rowan got sent home sick from school and was running a fever. After calling GiGi and telling her the bad news, we decided to send Hudson along with Nana so that Grammy at least got some visitors for the holiday. While feeling quite upset about our situation, the girls took a nap while Marissa and I decided to load the car just in case. Sure enough, Rowan woke up feeling better and wanting to make the trip! We left nearly 3.5 hours after the first car, and successfully met up in Richmond, VA where we were staying the night. Not out of the woods yet, we woke up Thursday morning only to have Rowan sick again, and our plans were back in the air. Despite my worries, Grammy wanted us to come and we decided to continue South. Ultimately, we made it to Gigi's and had a wonderful but all-too-short visit. While in Calabash, we went to Sunset Beach (Dylan loved it!), fed some turtles on the golf course, made lots of bubbles, played mini golf, met the Easter Bunny, shopped at Callahan's & St Nick-Knacks, and of course celebrated Easter. Our kids got so lucky that the Easter Bunny knew to find them in North Carolina this year!Planning to leave Monday, we discovered a strong rain storm was coming in. So we shifted plans and managed to do nearly half the drive Sunday night, spend another night in Virginia, and got home earlier than expected on Monday. On the way back, we drove through Washington, DC, and the kids got to see the Capitol building, the White House, and the Washington Monument. Finally home, we came to find that the Easter Bunny covered his bases this year, leaving another 3 baskets back home in Pennsylvania! That rabbit really did great in 2022:)
Most importantly, we made more memories and brought 4 generations together for this special holiday. It's an honor of a lifetime that my kids (and my wife!) are able to experience time with Grammy. She's a special lady and we're so blessed to have her!
3/9/22 - After a long, cold, fairly uneventful winter at home (puppy tasks aside), we knew a change of scenery would do well to kick off the warmer part of the new year. We booked a trip back to Port St Lucie, Florida, home of Club Med Sandpiper Bay resort. We had gone there 7 years earlier when baby Hudson was just getting into daycare, and decided it was worth another visit. We left Clarence behind, flew away from the local snow and down to West Palm Beach, and enjoyed a fun 3 days living the all-inclusive life. The kids did great at Kids Club, even performing in a Superhero show (Daddy made a cameo). Travel of course always throws a wrench, so the most memorable part of this vacation might have been our trip home. A journey that was supposed to take ~5 hours door to door ended up taking 26 hours! A canceled flight to Trenton followed by a 4-hour delayed flight to Newark left us stuck there overnight. Finally, we caught the NJ Transit back to Hamilton, got a ride to Trenton airport, and then finally arrived home. Not to be satisfied, we arrived only to find our garage door had been locked, and we were locked out! Another hour waiting for the locksmith and Daddy unsuccessfully trying to break in, and we were finally safe inside. Phew!
Winter 2021-22:
12/25/21 - Christmas 2021 was an exciting one for a lot of reasons. First, despite the best attempts of the Omicron variant, we were able to resume a relatively normal schedule of events with various family groups.
We hosted 4-5 different events with different groups of people at our house this year, which we both love to do and also kinda HAD to do this year in particular.
Why, you ask?
Because just 6 days before Christmas, we picked up our NEW PUPPY! He is a Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain Dog + Poodle) and his name is Clarence. We love having a 4-legged family member, and are learning to adjust to avoid puppy-based destruction around the house. Watch out shoes, Paci's, and loose clothing!
12/18/21 - Met up with Dad & Diane (aka PopPop & Grammy) for a Polar Express train ride to the North Pole on Black River & Western Railway in Flemington, NJ. Santa, Mrs. Claus, and some helpful elves escorted us on our journey and handed out special bells to the kids so they could be part of Santa's GPS (Global Presents System). Great way to kick off the holiday season!
12/11/21 - Overnight trip to Philadelphia to go Ice Skating in front of City Hall, tour the Christmas Carol in Macys Center City, and visit the Christmas Village
Fall 2021:
11/28/21 - Got last minute tickets to see the Philadelphia Union battle the Nashville Soccer Club in the MLS Eastern Conference semifinals. Took Hudson, Uncle Steve and Mikey down to Ardmore, PA and had a great time seeing the home team win a thrilling penalty shootout!
11/6/21 - Celebrated the Retirement of an incredible Mom, Nana, and friend...a lifetime of amazing work as a Special Education teacher.
10/31/21 - We dressed up as the Toy Story characters and enjoyed a rare weekend Halloween after missing most festivities the prior year.
9/25/21 - Visit to Shady Brook Farm for some fall fun with our friends the Koch's
9/11/21 - Took the pilgrimage back to Happy Valley, aka PSU, aka State College, PA for the Home Football opener of the Penn State Nittany Lions. This was the first game with fans in Beaver Stadium for 651 days (!!!), and the combination of that, absolutely perfect weather, an ideal 3:30pm kickoff, and an easy victory over Ball State made for a Dream Gameday!
Meanwhile, the Bradys were down to a family of 4 in State College, as Dylan instead spent the weekend sleeping over at Nana's. She's 16 months old and this was her first ever time away from Mommy! It was actually a win/win/win as the Big Kids got full attention, we were able to move around town much more easily, Dylan didn't have to drive 4 hours, and Nana got some well-needed bonding time with her newest grandchild! Everyone involved had the best time and we can't wait to go back again!
8/30/21 - Summer most be over - we're BACK TO SCHOOL! Kids are now full time in person this year and Rowan has officially become a Kindergartner! Definitely a different experience compared to sending Hudson off for the first time, as our little princess has been amazing transitioning to this new phase. Both school kids are excited to get in the building and meet new friends.
Summer 2021:
8/16/21 - Celebrated Hudson's 7th Birthday with a super-fun Baseball Party with friends from school and camp, Hibachi dinner, and a weekend trip to Baltimore to enjoy the Inner Harbor and catch an Orioles game. It was a Grand Slam end to the summer!
7/10/21 - Despite our best pleading, Rowan Grace is no longer 4 years old :(
We celebrated her magical 5th birthday both at the tail end of our LBI week and the following Saturday accompanied by the most Unicorn items ever collected in a single place (ok, maybe Dodgeball had more...). Happy Birthday to our most wonderful little girl - we love you!
7/3/21 - Wrapped up an eventful but memorable week in LBI, our 2nd straight year renting a house there as a family.
Eventful because I crashed my OneWheel 36 hours in, leaving me limping and bruised and in constant pain for the majority of the week. Then, Marissa got sick the next day and couldn't get out of bed for stretches throughout the day. We all got burnt the first day, and didn't get back to the beach until Wednesday, where we promptly got evacuated thanks to lightning and downpour rain.
All that said, we made the most of it. Out first beach day was perfect, and was followed up with an awesome evening with seafood and beer and live music (for the first time in 18 months?) and a sunset. Having Nana, JoJo, Aunt Elise, and Uncle Steve with us the whole day made it that much more special.
Kyle's "Group of 5" high school friends were in the same place at the same time for the first time in almost 3 years, and spent the entire night sitting on the deck just talking. These LBI Nights sure have changed...
For the 2nd year in a row, we took the Black Pearl pirate sunset cruise. The sunset wasn't as impressive this time but still a fun time dancing with the grandmas. We went after having blast at the re-designed Fantasy Island arcade and eating Lobster Rolls.
Finally, Rowan's birthday fell on our last day. We had yummy breakfast, bought a few toys as gifts, and said farewell to Nana and Jojo before enjoying an Ice Cream treat on the way home.
So sure, the Vacation week was a bit challenging, but like Family itself, the Pros easily outweighed the Cons. Most importantly, we were together, and made memories.
See you next year LBI!
Spring 2021:
5/11/21 - Dylan Bear turned 1! We celebrated!
5/9/21 - Mother's Day was great! We celebrated! I didn't take many pictures! Instead I spent almost 10 hours cooking something like 8 different homemade dishes while alone with Dylan! It was awesome!
4/28/21 - Digital Medium Format - camera rental blog post
4/23/21 - Elise and Steve got married! We celebrated!
4/4/21 - EASTER has come again and we were once again treated to a gorgeous day for Egg Hunting, playing, and hanging out with family (Elise, Steve & JoJo). Of course for Dylan it was her very first Easter, the final major holiday she hadn't yet experienced before her 1st birthday quickly approaches (yikes!)
Perhaps next year we'll have a much larger group together for this special holiday...or better yet, spend it with Grammy/Gigi in North Carolina again!
4/1/21 - Nearly 18 months since we last boarded an airplane, the Brady family has taken our first post-Pandemic flight on route to a week in Orlando, FL!
We were celebrating being vaccinated, Hudson's spring break, and some leftover paternity leave that needed to be used. We stayed at the beautiful, huge, Wyndham Grand Bonnet Creek, and managed to sneak to Disney for a day along with another day at the Volcano Bay water park. Dylan was a first-time flyer (and was a challenge throughout!) but everyone had a blast once we were settled. Our only regret was not spending more time at the resort since it had so much to offer, but either way it was a wonderful change of scenery and a warm-weather getaway when early spring temperatures were still present back home. We look forward to more traveling later this year and into the future as normalcy returns, but will remember this trip fondly as the first in a new world.
3/27/21 - Spring has sprung and the Easter holiday kicked off with a visit with the Easter Bunny at Shady Brook Farm! It was a beautiful Saturday and we got a chance to bring the grandmothers along too. The kids enjoyed playing, feeding animals, taking a tractor ride, finding eggs, and of course meeting Mr. Bunny (at a social distance).
After the farm we enjoyed an outdoor late lunch / early dinner at the Greystone restaurant nearby, followed by some March Madness (Vaxness?) and myself stuck on the couch with vaccine side effects. All in all a fantastic day!
Winter 2021:
3/13/21 - Took advantage of a sunny weekend to return to a local gem, Howell Living Farm, where the kids had recently gone for horse rides with Nana. We saw baby lambs, a horse dentist, a blacksmith, and shoe fitter. The kids made their own horseshoe craft and milled corn. We followed that up with a backyard BBQ at Elise & Steve's house where normalcy continues to seem coming back bit by bit.
2/14/21 - Love was in the air 💕 as Valentine's Day fell on a holiday weekend Sunday and was able to be enjoyed as an extended family. The Grandmas and Aunt Elise joined us for a day of food, crafts, and fun. It was nearly perfect!
2/7/21 - Super Bowl Sunday was already going to be different this year without our typical party, but in the end the Big Game took a major backseat to Mother Nature.
Today ended up being one of the most beautiful snow days we've ever had! Many snow days are fun but having one as pretty as this, on a weekend, on top of a base of existing snow for immediate enjoyment, without wind or bitter cold, made it just extra special. After a boys-only morning trek around the neighborhood, the girls joined and the whole family got in on the sledding fun. Winter can be truly magical and this day proved it.
Last night, we got started on some Valentine's Day activities with a super-fun dessert creation, Cake Pops! Mommy Marissa did it again with her creative, festive ideas in the kitchen. Really been cooking up a storm this year so far...kids are loving it!
2/2/21 - Nearly 2.5 days / 60 hours after it started snowing Sunday morning Jan 31st, Snowstorm Orlena has finally called it quits. We haven't had snow since mid-December, but this one more than made up for the gap. Unfortunately, much of the storm was messy, mixing in sleet and freezing rain, and causing us to be without child care for the first 2 workdays of the week. Finally, Monday overnight into Tuesday, we got some powdery freshness and were able to enjoy ourselves a bit more.
I did get to use the snow blower for the first time ever, clearing the driveway first Monday evening and then again Tuesday. It hadn't started during the December storm, and I had it in the repair shop until just this past weekend. It was much needed for this one so very glad to have it back.
After doing some sledding with the kids, I reflected on how lucky they were to have a hill in their own backyard, with a property so conducive to exploring and play. They don't realize it fully, but in the moment I could tell they knew how special they had it. Makes all the hard work and struggle worth it in times like that.
edit: it's Wednesday and its snowing again! And, we have another storm coming this weekend. Winter is kicked fully into gear now!
December 2020:
12/31/20 - Christmas without most of our typical family gatherings, a nice snowstorm that coulda been more fun, and we lost our child care suddenly for no good reason. Peace out 2020, hope the door hits ya on the way out. Happy New Year 2021!
12/19/20 - Kicked off the official Christmas season with a Brunch with Belle in Philly (inside a heated igloo of course...) after which we ventured into Center City to shop some popup vendors, drink some hot chocolate, and watch ice skaters at the outdoor rink. It was chilly but super fun!
November 2020:
We ate some turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!
October 2020:
10/31/20 - The day we've been waiting for since Labor Day Weekend has finally arrived...it's HALLOWEEN! Possibly our family's favorite holiday of the year, considering the decorations, the costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and of course, Hocus Pocus. This year, despite rising Coronavirus cases, we decided to host an outdoor, socially distanced party to share our spooky yard and have some fun on a special Saturday version of Halloween. As usual, our family chose a shared costume theme, and decided to keep with the "scary" theme of this unusual year. Boo!
10/11/20 - Surprised the kids with a Columbus Day trip to the sweetest place on Earth....HERSHEY! We told them we were doing a weekend getaway but didn't say where, at least not until we jumped in the car Friday night.
After a long ride out (thanks crying Dylan!), we had a long Saturday starting bright and early with a walk to Duck Donuts, followed by a visit to the Chocolate World, lunch at Troegs Brewing Co, a walk through the Hershey Zoo, and finally into the theme park itself. Admittedly we crammed a lot into the day and were more than ready to leave once the day was done, but glad we went and hope to visit again throughout the years as the kids get older.
September 2020:
9/25/20 - This month flew by as summer transitioned quickly into autumn, Beach days were replaced by Farm outings, and virtual 1st grade became the talking point of our household.
Hudson started at his 3rd school in a calendar year, albeit remotely, and we're all coming to terms with the shared responsibility of learning to read, write, and 'rithmetic over a tiny laptop screen. It's just another job we need to take on, and without a doubt one of the most important.
Before school started however, we enjoyed one final family get-together over Labor Day, filled with BBQ, Baby-oggling, and Whipped Creamed faces.
August 2020:
8/25/20 - August remains a major month of celebration in the Brady household with both our wedding anniversary (9 YEARS!!!) on the 6th and our first-born Hudson's birthday (6 YEARS OLD!!!) on the 16th.
This year, despite the ongoing pandemic and limited options of birthday parties, we managed to turn a single day into a multi-weekend+ Birthday celebration of our growing boy, all with the theme of Adventure.
Fun started off with a surprise day at Diggerland, an amusement part in South Jersey built around construction vehicles and themes. We dug sand, picked up ducks, and spun around in front-end loaders, pulled tractors (or at least attempted to), zipped around in go karts, and hit up the water park to cool off. Fun for the whole family!
The day of, Hudson was greeted with Superhero-themed decorations, Batman pancakes, and presents galore. It was a bit cold and rainy but the storm stopped just long enough to have a driveway gathering with family and neighbors. We received a game "PieHole" which resulted in tons of laughs later in the evening as we took turns getting shot in the face with Whipped Cream!
But the big gift for Adventure birthday was our scheduled Camping Trip to Colonial Woods in Upper Black Eddy, PA (by Ringing Rocks State Park). We rented 2 cabins and enjoyed the outdoors without sacrificing too much in terms of convenience. Truly memorable as both kids caught their first Fish ever (after significant challenges!) and we got to spend much-needed relaxation time with the grandmas and Aunt Eesh. Suffice it to say we'll see more outdoorsy family trips in our future.
Last but not least, we took advantage of a rare Live Music opportunity to see our favorite artist, Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness, who played a "Drive-In" style show that we enjoyed from the rooftops of our cars. As the gorgeous sunset turned to dusk, so did our 2020 version of Hudson's birthday extravaganza. Til next year, Huddy Bud! Maybe by then we'll even have school friends included...
July 2020:
7/21/20 - In the midst of yet another super memorable and enjoyable family vacation, this time in our favorite Jersey Shore location, Long Beach Island. It's extra special considering the quarantine over the last few months, so really nice to have a change of scenery (and of course some time off work) to unwind and enjoy our time together. Here's the album showcasing our days at the beach, bay sunsets (including on a pirate ship cruise), and other misc activities we got into throughout our week. As of this writing, we're exactly halfway through, so looking forward to more fun ahead!
7/4/20 - Happy Birthday America! Also, Happy Birthday Rowan! Our little princess turned 4 yesterday, and we've been celebrating her nonstop. From a perfectly chill July 3rd (just as she likes it) to a perfectly royal Princess Tea Party on the 4th, our angel was treated to a magical weekend as she continues to grow up too quickly right before our eyes. We love you so much Princess Rowan!
June 2020:
6/26/20 - After needing to work during the first 3 or 4 beach days of the year, Daddy was finally able to take a day and join the gang as we enjoyed our first whole-family beach day of the summer in Belmar, NJ. Plenty more to come as we look forward to a full week in LBI next month, but will likely squeeze in another day trip or 2 before then.
6/13/20 - A memorable weekend taking advantage of some gorgeous weather (low 70s and Sunny) along with the re-opening of just enough businesses to feel semi-normal again. Ventured north to the "Upper" part of Bucks County where we took a step back in time and watched aircraft from years gone by take off and fly around the Van Sant Historic Airfield. Truly an experience that made memories!
6/11/20 - It's a TRIFECTA of "Birthdays" today, as we celebrate Nana (64), Ana (27), and Dylan (1 Month)!
The day started with a special breakfast of chocolate croissants, scrambled eggs, and strawberries picked up the kids last week. We presented gifts to Ana, held our first monthly baby photoshoot, and prepared for the evening party. Very thankful to have reason to celebrate amongst the turmoil happening around the world.
May 2020:
5/28/20 - Can't let the entire month of May go by without checking in, especially considering the life-altering events that have occurred in just the past 4 weeks...
This past Monday, the 25th, we managed to celebrate Memorial Day, albeit a bit different these days, cuz of ya know, the...
Birth of our 3rd child, and 2nd daughter, Dylan Rae on May 11th.
....and yes, the "darn virus" (as my mother and children refer to it), is still around. Life is dynamically different than it was just a few short months ago, especially while I've been on paternity leave from work. That ends this week so I'm back to working (from home) this Monday, the first of June. Instead of returning to my old position though, I come back into a new leadership position, my first official managerial role in my now 12.5-year career. I just officially received this position only last week, while on leave, without going back to a physical office, so it's gonna be interesting. Will be a good challenge though. I really needed some more of those these days...
In addition to the baby, we have also added a 6th to our growing household. Just 3 days after returning from the hospital following Dylan's birth, we welcomed Ana, our au pair hailing from Brazil, into our home and family. Ana will spend the next year (+?) with us and we're so excited to have her!
We were turned on to the au pair program through our close friends, and, after a long-enough quarantine, were able to get the families together for a mid-day "play date" (in actual live three-dimensional reality, sharing a co-located space. oh my!).
The au pair girls were thrilled to meet in person and our family, Marissa especially, was reminded of what "normal" used to feel like. It's gonna be so glorious when it's possible again, but doubt we've done enough to get there anytime soon. In the meantime, we'll keep getting together with a trusted few. That will make things better. Til next time...
April 2020:
4/10/20 - Getting used to "shelter-at-home" life and coming to terms with a new normal. Despite all the craziness going on in the world, I feel optimistic on the future of humanity and the opportunities this change brings to our society.
After all, after the rain, there's always a chance for some Rainbows and Puddle-jumping.
March 2020:
3/14/20 - For historical record - we're officially dealing with a global pandemic, the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. As a result, we're undertaking a worldwide strategy known as "Social Distancing" to attempt containment and mitigation of the spread of the virus. It's affecting our entire planet and our ways of life. Events are canceled, schools are closed, people are working from home where possible, or quite possibly losing their jobs.
It's historic times right now and still yet to be seen what the ultimate impact will be. (edit: been shooting a lot being home all the time....not very thematic just yet but here's the Quarantine album...)
Anyone reading this, stay safe, be smart, and most of all, don't feel embarrassed or annoyed by the extreme measures we're all taking to defeat this thing. It's a great reminder that we are all one species susceptible to the same common enemy, and one can only hope that we come out stronger and more united on the other side. Godspeed to us all.
----------------------------------------Pre-Pandemic Divider---------------------------------------------------
2020 is quickly underway and in full swing as we head into the 3rd month of the new decade. Started things off very well with Cousin Mia's 3rd Birthday Party, a popular event lately as we'll have been to a full SEVEN! (7) birthday parties in the latter part of Feb and into mid-March. Meanwhile, the weather continues to seem promising of an early Sprint, as seen in our early March Midwinter's Day at the Park, while St Patrick's Day is right around the corner. This season our au pair, Ana, arrives from Brazil, then our 3rd baby is born, and we adjust to life with 6 in the house! Gonna be an exciting year, and enjoying the resurrection of photography along with it. Please enjoy our memories and thanks for stopping by, "Planet Earth".
February 2020:
This month we celebrate "Love and Birthdays", starting with Aunt Eesh on the 5th, Valentine's on the 14th, and Washington and Lincoln on the 17th. Oh, and mommy Marissa that day too :)
This year we took advantage of the long President's Day / Valentine's weekend to celebrate our family's matriarch, first with a steak and lobster Valentine's dinner with extended family, then a Sunday filled with puppy-visit fun and chocolate covered strawberries, and finally a Monday exploration of the "castle" town of Doylestown, PA, home of the Mercer Museum, Fonthill, and most critically, Kids Castle, along with a delicious brunch at historic Doylestown Inn. That's a place we'll definitely be visiting again!
January 2020:
Hello from our new residence in beautiful Washington Crossing, Bucks County, Pennsylvania!
We moved quickly last month just in time for the 2019 holiday season, which were a perfect deadline to get unpacked as well as an opportunity to host family and friends in the new house. Now that the New Year (Decade) has turned, we're firmly settled here and back into our routine. It immediately felt like home.
Writing this during MLK weekend, our first here to kind of just relax and enjoy things. Saturday we had our First Snow Day since living here, something we were very excited for given the property, and boy did we take full advantage! Hudson and Daddy were out for a solid 4+ hours straight, with Rowan joining the fun for a bit to get some sleigh rides and shoveling in as well. Sunday is for straightening up and cleaning, then hosting family for some dinner, NFL conference championship games, and play time for the kids and cousin Mia (including some Cupcake decorating fun!).
Hoping to pick up the pace with photos and video in 2020, which slowed down tremendously during the move and also since the Office is the last room to be put together. Today's cleanup should help a bit with that.
Wishing everyone a happy and successful 2020, and may we have another "Roaring 20s", just without the depression at the end!
Throwback Albums:
October / November 2019:
This whole "life" thing really isn't for the faint of heart, is it?
Only 4 short months after we backed out of a huge home purchase decision and agreed to live our best life in our current home, we were pushed to reconsider things yet again. In case you didn't click on the "Spooky" announcement, then here it is....we're having another baby! Quite the surprise indeed, and since we already have one of each, might as well make this one a double surprise! Can't wait to meet her, or him, next May! :)
So yes, while our Hamilton house is great and it's served us incredibly well, adding another family member pushed us over the top to finally relocate once and for all. It's bittersweet leaving our home, but we're also ready and excited to begin the next journey in our new home, in a new state, with lots of changes and opportunities that come along with it.
In addition to the big news, this month was dominated by another super fun, extended Halloween holiday, where we successfully pulled off a family-themed costume for the 4th year in a row (and watched Hocus Pocus 74 times and counting). Throughout the Fall seasonwe also made it back to the Candytopia candy museum for the 2nd straight year (this time in Center City Philadelphia), braved the elements and time of day to watch in awe as our super mommy/wifey completed the incredibly difficult Princeton Half Marathon, her first ever half, while 12 weeks pregnant, starting at 7am on a frosty, frozen first Sunday in November. Incredible!
So yeah, quite the roller coaster. Let's keep it moving! Or don't, since we now know the meaning of life. Cheers.
Throw-Back albums:
- 2018 - Halloween 18
- 2018 - Candytopia NYC
- 2017 - Halloween 17
- 2016 - Halloween 16
bonus: British Bubbles from my London trip 1 year ago
September 2019:
It's official - we have a Kindergartner! Elementary school is upon us with Hudson beginning his public school journey along with another year at preschool for Rowan.
Prior to the big "First Days", we took a spontanous Labor Day weekend trip to our special place, State College, PA, to see the Penn State Nittany Lions battle* the Idaho Vandals in the opening game of the 2019 college football season. It was our first home game since the kids were born so great to be back, even if it wasn't the best behaved weekend the kids have ever had...
*battle may be a strong word, PSU won 79-7. we left at halftime when it was 44-0
August 2019:
August is a big month in the Brady house as it's both our 8th wedding Anniversary and Hudson's 5th birthday. Summer has been in full-swing and although we're feeling it winding down as autumn (our favorite season) approaches, we're continue to make the most of our lifestyle post-house-debacle and the happiness level is definitely on the upswing 😁
Check out this year's Summer photos from beach days, outside play, hiking in Bucks County, and of course the big weekend in NYC!
August Throw-Back albums:
- 2015 - Hudson's 1st Birthday
- 2014 - Hudson's Birth
July 2019:
Uhhh, never mind....home purchase fell through! Too many issues came up and the universe definitely led us in a different direction. Ultimately, we had to re-assess what was important for our family at this time and realize that we have more important concerns than just our property size. We're going to stay where we are for the foreseeable future and remain flexible to make the most of things outside of our own living situation.
In the meantime, we managed another getaway which had been planned for some time, to get back to Newport, Rhode Island. This trip was extra special because we combined the enjoyment of getting back to that place with the celebration of my Dad's 60th birthday, my daughter Rowan's 3rd birthday, and just the opportunity of vacationing together with an extended family. This is a great example of something we wouldn't have been able to do as freely with the expense of a new home. See, it's already paying off!
June 2019:
Whoaaa....some things are happening. We bought a new (very old) house*. We're selling our current house, our first and only, the place where we started our family and the only home our kids have ever known.
Speaking of kids, Hudson just graduated from pre-school** and we still aren't really sure what he's doing for school in September...it's complicated to say the least and we need to figure that out.
Rowan turns 3 in less than a week...going by so fast with her. Since we're moving, she will have to leave the aforementioned*** pre-school after just 1 year, a school we have found to be nothing less than remarkable in its quality and value. We're blessed to have experienced it at all, let alone for both kids and Hudson through graduation, and need to count it as a positive life experience. At least, taking that perspective lessens the sadness of pulling Rowan out now.
All of the above was/is also wrapped around a recent loss in our family. This outcome had been reasonably expected for some time but it's never something you're truly prepared for. RIP Jimmy.
Regardless, we persist. All the feels lately for sure...but overall it seems like a positive life direction. Feels like progress.
*Well, not 100% officially but it should just be a matter of time. Why Old? The property and part of the structure date from the 18th century.
**At a ceremony that included the kids counting to at least 10 in 10 different languages. Wow!
***I don't write a ton, but when I do, I make every attempt to use this word. It's my favorite.
May 2019:
Wifey and I somehow managed TWO trips away without kids in the span of just over a month! For those keeping score, that's two more than we'd had in the prior 5 years. Wow...
This time I tagged along on Marissa's work trip to fabulous Las Vegas, where our highlight was far and away Valley of Fire State Park, where we had one of the best days in a long time hiking off-trail with a private guide. The strip was OK too, but this was a definite inspiration to do more adventure travel in the future.
Hudson and I also went to a practice round of the 2019 PGA Championship, held at Bethpage Black. I jumped on a chance for tickets since I'd been there twice previously...first to play, which was incredible, and then again for the opening round of the 2009 US Open. Unfortunately, that day got completely rained out right after we arrive, and my Dad and I only got to see 4 golf shots hit for all our troubles getting there. Still, all memorable experiences at this place.
March 2019:
It's been a slow winter for sure, with barely any snow to make things interesting. Oh well, Spring has sprung so we jumped right into a big travel month, with a family trip to Disney, followed by a partial-family return visit to Orlando with Grandpa. Finally, wifey and I get to attend a destination wedding in Rincon, Puerto Rico at the end of the month 😊
So busy times indeed, but a great way to kick off the warmer weather seasons. As always, enjoy the photos!
Mid-2018:
Kyle's October 2018 trip to London for work...not a ton of shooting but had 1 afternoon to sightsee at least.
North Carolina for Pop-Pop's 2nd funeral, with beach days tacked on
Our summertime vacation/Mommy-work-tagalong to Newport, Rhode Island...one of the best trips we've had in some time!