Baby's First Christmas

A Christmas posting would not be complete without some pictures of our little angel:

IB curious about all of her gifts under the tree!

A gift from Mommy to Isla Beth & Daddy: Trust Me I'm A JEDI onesie. Daddy was thrilled!

So, please allow me to explain why my child is wearing a pink "TRUST ME I'M A JEDI" onesie. My husband is an avid Star Wars fan...I mean almost to the point where its ridiculous...I think he holds George Lucas personally responsible for the scenes that were deleted from the original movies that didn't make it on to the new DVDs...& yes, he knows every deleted scene & can quote every movie. Ridiculous yet incredibly impressive & endearing. :)

We hope your Christmas was surrounded by lots of love & loved ones...blessings as we approach the new year!

White Christmas

I'm struggling with where to begin this blog as I sit here on this chilly & wintery-white Christmas morning in Montana. I'm looking down at the most incredible gift I've ever been given, our baby girl Isla Beth. Born Isla Elisabeth Glen Brake on October 21st of this year in Missoula. Isla is Scottish in origin...pronounced eye-lah. I think the name we picked serves our little one well...as she was born with a head full of copper colored hair. Isla also derives from Islay. Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. Isla is a Scottish river as well. J & I love Scotland & we thought what could be more fun than naming our daughter after a place we could take her to one day. Elisabeth of course is from Joel's late sister, Elizabeth. And Glen from my father, Glenn Terrell.

We spent a wonderful 4 full days in Georgia this week. My Mother went to great lengths to assure we had a restful & laid-back visit. It was all of that & then some. IB (that's our nickname for Isla Beth) was spoiled as she was passed around from my Mother to my Father to my Brother to my Aunt Janice to Granny to Grandmother...you get the picture! Needless to say, she was pretty annoyed with her Mommy & Daddy when we got back to Missoula & had to put her down to actually get some work done. Her Uncle Penn is convinced she is going to be what we in the Northwest affectionately refer to as a "festival baby." This refers to the outdoor music scene in which the occasional organic & hippie population flock. Penn realized this when the only option to calm his fussy niece was to dance with her to the likings of Widespread Panic & various other "jam bands." Will our daughter be a "spread head?" Stay tuned!

I'm going to try & be a little more consistent with my blogging. Its not easy with a 2 month old I've learned to sit down & accomplish anything that may take longer than 5 minutes...unless of course our little pumpkin is napping. :) I guess my largest problem is I have so many writing routes I could take with blogging that I find it stressful. I have SO many ideas! I'm starting to get over feeling like a blogging narcissist...so I believe this will help. I keep thinking what is so unique about me??...about my little family that anyone would want to read it?? Isn't blogging just a cesspool for narcism?? Not always. When I think of writing as if I was sharing a story between me & my mother or me & close friends...that helps.

Our main goal & objective is to share our story with the ones we love...those dear friends & family who have helped shape the people we are today. This isn't the typical Christmas blogpost I know...but I'm hoping it will serve as a springboard for my future writings.

Merry Christmas...we're grateful to God for our newest addition, Isla & for all of you...

Maggie

Maggie

I couldn't help but introduce our newest addition, Maggie. She is a Portuguese Water Spaniel & moved in with us from Butte, MT in April. She & Moses are SLOWLY warming up to each other...& every once in a while a light scolding is necessary when Maggie wants to play a little too rough with Mo. However, she is full of personality...a delight...we couldn't help but fall in love with her.

Here is a little fun history on the Portuguese Water Spaniel for those inquiring minds...

The Portuguese Water Dog once existed all along Portugal's coast, where it was taught to herd fish into the nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as a courier from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in bobbing trawlers as they worked their way from the warm Atlantic waters of Portugal to the frigid fishing waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught saltwater codfish to bring home.

In Portugal, the breed is called Cao de Agua(pronounced Kown-d'Ahgwa). Cao means dog, de Agua means of water. In his native land, the dog is also known as the Portuguese Fishing Dog. Cao de Agua de Pelo Ondulado is the name given the longhaired variety, and Cao de Ague de Pelo Encaradolado is the name for the curly-coat variety.

A calm, intelligent breed of fine temperament, rugged and robust, with a pro-fuse non-allergenic, non-shedding, waterproof coat and webbed feet, he is an ideal outdoor dog, capable of limitless work. He stands 20 to 23 inches (17 to 21 for females) and weighs between 42 and 60 pounds (35 and 50 for females) - a variation explained for by the fact that small dogs were more practical for small boats, and larger dogs for the larger boats.

Our One Year Anniversary Adventure

Joel & I chose Sedona, Arizona to spend our one year anniversary & it did not disappoint. I scoured the internet for weeks pre-anniversary looking for great deals (btw I love researching, sifting through tripadvisor reviews, bartering with hotels, etc. I must take after my mother...I might come back as a travel agent in my next life). I came across a fantastic little B&B called Adobe Grand Villas. Since our anniversary fell on Sedona's off-season, we scored a terrific deal.

http://www.adobegrandvillas.com/

Antiquities Villa

I included the website & highly recommend this B&B. The villas are just an accompaniment to the ambiance of romantic Sedona.

Hiking Devil's Bridge with the belly

I am SO very grateful to many of you for your prayers & encouraging words during the first few months of my pregnancy. Fortunately, I felt amazing throughout our entire anniversary trip. We started off in Denver & met up with friends & family for the U2 concert at Invesco (Mile High) stadium. I don't think I could possibly convey how amazing that concert was. Joel, of course, is a U2 concert veteran (this was his 4th or possibly 5th U2 musical experience). We were surrounded by loved ones & that made the experience all the more special.

Joel & I squeezed some baby shopping in during the latter part of our Denver trip...boy oh boy was that fun! My husband gets all the credit for tracking down this hip little baby boutique called Firefly Furnishings.

Firefly Furnishings Cherry Creek North, Denver

We purchased our Capretti crib in snowdrift, a Storytime Series Benji swivel/glider chair in apple green & a Relics changer/dresser in a deep midnight blue with a distressed finish (I loved the finish because it gives the piece a little more of a vintage feel). Joel & I also picked out the paint color for the nursery (fortunately, I was successful in deterring him from bright orange--his favorite) & we went with a spiced vinegar (close to what I would consider "latte" or "medium sand"). Who knew picking out furniture & paint colors could be this fun? We had a ball brainstorming & attempting to put into words a vision that was unique to us.

Grand Canyon South Rim

Truly an amazing & blessed year.

Much love to you all,

Bay-Bay!

"O.K. update your blog." Thanks Linds! Yep, that's Lindsay...my dear friend since freshman year of college at Alabama. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled beyond measure that she is marrying, Jeff...a residency mate & friend of Joel's. I guess it was already written in the stars that we would be lifelong girlfriends even before our paths crossed Bid Day on the Alpha Gamma Delta lawn. I'm blessed to call her my friend...

Ahhh...the joys of early pregnancy...unrelenting nausea...excessive saliva (I nearly spit on a patient's son while introducing myself at a home visit...lovely)...seemingly much smaller bladder...I wouldn't trade it for a second! Mmmmm...smell the sarcasm yet?? Well, we are 9 wks & 1 day today...its not like I'm counting or anything! In all honesty, J & I are thrilled that we have been so immeasurably blessed with this little addition...only our creator could concoct such a miracle. We're definitely in for a trial run with this first one. Joel has never changed a diaper...I have intermittent questions travelling through my brain such as: how many times to babies eat? what time do babies go to bed? organic cloth vs. regular diapers?? TBD!

Baby Brake 9 wks

We pray all of you are well & sending lots of love across the miles!

The latest...

The holidays are in full swing at the Brake house. I promised myself when I started this blogging venture I would update it atleast every month...WELL, here we are more than two months down the road & no new posts...its amazing how time flies! But fortunately, I have my mother who provides gentle intermittent reminders to keep everyone in the loop via Under the Big Sky...this is my second winter in Missoula & I must say its a vast improvement over winter 2009. The pow (that's skier terminology for powder) has been dumping consistently in Western Montana the past week & many downhill ski areas opened on Thanksgiving...SUPER early. I love driving past all the die-hard ski bums as they head up to Snowbowl with their skis in tow...its an exciting almost palpable energy. I try to keep J updated as I receive the daily snow report from Big Sky via e-mail. Speaking of November 30th report just came in:
Depth mid-mountain 32"
Depth upper-mountain 53"
Expected high 18 F
Whoo Hoo!! Sorry guys, I've been really into weather lately. ;)

J & I headed out for a x-country ski day at Pattee Canyon on Sunday afternoon...it was lovely. We hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday...you were all in our minds & hearts as we gathered around our table with friends to give thanks to our creator for what he has so abundantly given.

This blog wouldn't be complete today if I didn't mention our new little addition, Moses. Moses chose to come & live with us after we visited him in the pet store this past October just shy of Halloween. Joel has had a blast tracking down the latest & greatest feline inventions & toys...I even came home after a weekend away at a women's health conference to a cat toilet a.k.a CatGenie. Believe it or not, it works!!
His little personality truly lights up our world.

Delivery!

Brrrr!

Blessings,

It was an adventure...

Joel & I arrived safely in Missoula yesterday evening after an exciting biking trip from Vienna, Austria to Prague, Czech Repulic. We just got the blog up & running while we were gone so I will try my best to post highlights from our adventure. I kept a journal while overseas so I will use excerpts from its contents & will try not to bore you with the details. This was a trip through REI...we highly recommend them. They organize trips all over the world...you can choose from biking, cycling, hiking, climbing, etc. or a combination of outdoor sports. 

www.rei.com/adventures






J & I really enjoyed this trip specifically because it combined two of our favorite activities: exercise & good food!! No, we didn't feel bad for eating that apple strudel or two (apfelstrudel to the Viennese) after biking 30 miles uphill! J loved the wiener schnitzel which is basically breaded veal cutlets (sometimes with pork or turkey). 

Beef goulash, wiener schnitzel & LOTS of potatoes at Cafe Diglas

As many of you know, my husband loves to shop & can find atleast one "awesome" item everywhere we go. So, I must share this story...first, I would have to recommend Rick Steves. If you have limited time in an unfamiliar European destination...his travel books assist you in hitting all the top sites in a straightforward format without overwhelming you with all the details. We took advantage of Ricks version of the Vienna city walk. The walk connected the top three sights in Vienna's old center: the Opera, St. Stephens Cathedral, & the Hofburg Palace. We shopped Karntner Strasse which is basically a crass commercial outdoor pedestrian mall. Did I mention that my husband can just about out shop any woman I know??...o.k. we venture in to J & L Lobmeyr Crystal & Joel almost immediately discovers an "awesome" item. A small, intricately decorated piece of crystal that could just about fit in the palm of your hand...98 euros carefully inscribed on the bottom, or so we thought...
J: "We'll take two."
J & L Lobmeyr saleswoman: "Oh, yes. This is fine piece. One of a kind. Only one."
Price check: 980 euros
(fyi: conversion rate at the time of our trip was 1 euro = 1.31 US dollars)
If you do the math, I'm sure you've figured out why we decided we could live without this lovely piece. Joel & I got several laughs out of that situation.

J & L Lobmeyr Crystal. I guess we should have paid closer attention when Rick said if you're in the market for some $400 napkin rings, Lobmeyr's your place!

The majority of our biking took place on the Austrian/Czech border. We made our way through the Czech regions of Moravia & Bohemia before reaching our endpoint, Prague (or Praha in Czech). 

Needless to say road biking in a third world country has its share of surprises. Cycling & sharing the road that is the size of a golf cart path with locals who choose to drive at a minimum of 50 mph was a challenge at times. There were a few instances where J & I were grateful that all our limbs were intact. 


J & I enjoyed the UNESCO town of Cesky Krumlov. We found a little restaurant called Bolero on the Vltava river & discovered a delicacy, blueberry dumplings! 

Cesky Krumlov

Czech blueberry dumplings

I think one of the more challenging components to blogging is trying to figure out where to end...so, to avoid starting a long winded trend...& the to-do list...I must end this entry.


Blessings to you all across the miles...