At Home Gender Prediction Test

So Mark and I have recently discovered that we want completely different things and the exact same thing. When we were having our Down Syndrome test done the ultra sound tech asked if we were going to find out the sex of the baby. I told her we were and she said she could guess if we wanted her to. I said sure and she said boy. Well until this moment I was split 50/50 on wanting a boy or a girl. But when she said boy I had a small twinge of disappointment. Well Mark had the opposite, pure excitement. A friend told us about the at home gender prediction test and we decided to give it a try. Well the results for this seemed to be more on the girl side. This time I was excited and Mark had a twinge of disappointment. Mark said he was excited for a boy because he thinks Brody will love having a brother. Mark had two brothers and I think he knows what an amazing bond there is between brothers. I decided I was excited about a girl because it would mean something different. Not only in the gender of the baby but Mark had brothers growing up and I had sisters so neither of us experienced the brother/sister relationship. I think this would be a fun thing to watch as our kids grow up. Anyway as we were discussing this we both ultimately just want a happy healthy baby. Boy or girl we are going to love it with all our hearts. We are so excited. So here are some pictures from the at home test. It's pretty amazing that they have a product like this out there. You basically just pee in a cup and add it too this container, if it turns green it's a boy and yellow/orange its a girl. Of course ours was green on the bottom and orange on top. What the heck does that mean?? Well they have sample test result pictures on the website and we decided based on those it looked more like the girl results. Let us know what you think, go to this website and decide for yourself http://www.intelligender.com/pages.php?pageid=13.

So apparently you can take the test as early as 10 weeks.

This was the first test I took.

This is test #2. We have one more but I decided to wait a few weeks and see if it looks any different.

Sydna and Shane's Wedding

So while we were home for the backyard bash, Syd and Shane got married. They are doing the big wedding next year but because of Shane's visa situation they did a small courthouse wedding this year. We all headed to the courthouse around 1:00. The judge came outside so they were able to get married in a little grassy courtyard under a tree. The ceremony was very short and sweet. Then a bunch of us did the Taos cruise honking and shouting like crazy people, it was lots of fun. After that everyone headed back to the house for a delicious brunch. My dad had the chef from the restaurant come and prepare brunch. There was lobster cocktail, eggs Benedict, caviar, ahi tuna, artichoke dip, smoked salmon and lobster claws. All of the food was so good. Then they cut the cake and had their first dance and then we all just hung out for the rest of the afternoon. A few people stayed late and we had a fun little poker game at the end of the night. I can't believe my baby sister is married but I also couldn't be happier. Shane is the perfect match for my sister and I know he will make her very happy. Congrats Syd and Shane we love you guys!!!

A few of the girls came over before the ceremony and we had a mimosa toast before heading to the courthouse.

Mark, Brody and me.

Sisters!

The Mariani's.

Syd and Shane at the courthouse.

Everyone who was at the courthouse for the ceremony.

The lobster cocktails, I think they were my favorite!

Brody sitting on his fun bench that grandma got for him.

The cake.

Dad with the beautiful bride.

Dad with all his girls.

Cristal and Budlight, classic!

Cutting the cake.

They started off sweet.

Then got a little ornery.

By the end they were both a mess.

Smooching during their first dance.

Dancing with dad.

Nice timing.

Kelley dancing with dad.

Tossing the bouquet.

Up up and away.

Jenina was the lucky lady.

Now it's the guys turn.

We didn't have a garter so Shane threw his boutonniere.

Oz was the lucky man.

Kelley, Syd, Genevieve and me.

The late night poker ladies.

The rings, Congrats again you two!

Back Yard Bash 2009

We made our annual summer trip to New Mexico last weekend. Brody did so good on the drive. It took us eleven and a half hours with three short stops and he never cried once. I couldn't believe it. Tim and Shara came with us so Mark and Tim did all the driving and Shara and I sat in back and entertained Brody. We got there Thursday evening. We had dinner and got settled and then Shara and I met up with everyone for Syd's bachelorette party. It was a pretty fun night. We started with drinks at Taos Inn and then ended at the Alley where Jimmy Stadler was playing. Everyone had a great time. Friday we hung out at the house. We went to Out Back for really yummy pizza and then headed home to get ready for the tequila party. Every year my uncle Pete hosts the tequila party with great Mexican food and lots of tequila, I got to enjoy the food but not the drinks :) Saturday there was lots to do to get ready for the Bash. We did take a break and went to Taoseno for breakfast burritos. Then back to setting up for the party. The Bash was a huge success. The weather was so nice this year, we had a ton of people show up. I think there were around 150 people there. It was such a great weekend we had so much fun and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Brody at the tequila party doing his silly grin.

Syd, Ryan, Tim, Shara and Kelley.

Mark and Brody jumped in the picture and Brody was doing his silly face again. He was cracking everyone up!

He didn't really want to take a picture with mommy but at least he stayed still long enough to get a shot.

Shane cooking at the bash.

They roasted a whole pig this year. All the kids were fascinated, especially Brody.

So cute!

I actually got a normal smile.

All the Mariani girls.

All the kids out by the bache ball court.

These are all the Taos girls I grew up with, we have been friends for over 23 years.

My sisters and my little boy. He isn't making a sad face he has a mouth full of carrots.

Mark, Brody and me.

Kinsey's First Birthday!

I wanted to try and post this before we left for New Mexico but that obviously didn't happen. The weekend before we left for our trip we went down to New Braunfels to celebrate Kinsey's first birthday. They had the party a couple of weeks before she actually turned one which worked out great for us because we will be in California on her actual birthday. It was a nice party, we BBQ'd outside and they had kiddie pools set up for the little ones. Brody was a little shy at first but then he totally warmed up and loved playing with Jamie's kids. I can't believe how fast time flies, it seems like just yesterday she was born. Happy Birthday Kinsey! We look forward to celebrating lots more birthdays together.

Matt, Abbey and Kinsey

All the presents, isn't it odd how all the boxes look the same.

Yep that's right, four of us got her the exact same gift!

I got to make her cake.

Blowing out her candle.

Making a mess with the help of her cousins.