Sunday at the State Fair

Julianna and I have a wacky nine-year tradition. Every October, since we started dating, we’ve gone to the NC State Fair. It’s a big hit every time – pig races, livestock competitions, 4-H exhibits, kids’ art, people watching, and fair food. I’d be lying if I didn’t mention that we tend to eat our way through the fair… fried Twinkies, corn dogs, gyros, root-beer floats, apple fritters… and that’s all just for me!

Last year, Amelia got her first taste of this tacky wonderland. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. But, this year solidified it – the fair is really cool! Between the pony ride, petting zoo, carnival rides, cows, and her first taste of fried-dough, Amelia can’t wait to go back next year.

This year it’s hard to pick a fair highlight - the pony ride or GG joining us for the festivities. Going with GG was a real treat, but the pony ride may win by a hair. For Amelia it was love at first sight with “Torch.” When our turn was over and Julianna lifted Amelia off of Torch,
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the screaming and crying began. In between tears, Amelia kept saying “up, up, up, UP!” Let me translate – to her that means: “put me back RIGHT now, I want to go again… I LOVE my pony!”

If you can believe it, Amelia took her first solo fair ride. She loved it, but I’m not sure Julianna was ready. Thinking she could ride with Amelia, JK had to be pulled away by the operator. He kept pointing to the height limit sign, clearly indicating that JK was way too tall to ride. It was perplexing, on the one hand Julianna was thrilled to be considered “tall”, on the other hand, she wasn’t sure Amelia should go by herself. It all turned out well and Amelia had a big smile on her face when the ride came to a stop.

All in all the day was a cornucopia of fair-tastic fun! Thanks for coming with us GG - let's do it again next year!

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For a few more photos of our trip to the fair, click the photo below...
(when you get to the album, click on "slideshow" for easy viewing)

2006 NC State Fair

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Check out a couple more fair videos.

Puddle Jumping

It's raining today... but that doesn't stop our fun! Amelia and I went to the story time at Pottery Barn Kids this morning and had to stop to play in a puddle. Thanks to two wonderful moms - Gina Kemp, Amelia's aunt, and Heather Cooney, a good friend of mine from college - Amelia is well prepared for the wet weather.




Maddie outgrew her ladybug rain boots and sent them east. Heather has lovingly handed down the cutest froggie rain coat, formerly worn by her two cuties - Emma and Grace.

We got good use of both today!

Adventures of a Tiny Cheerleader

Last week, we received a great hand-me-down from our good friend Mickey Herrin… a tiny UNC cheerleading outfit. Saturday provided the first opportunity for Amelia to sport her new uniform. I came back from my morning walk with Gus, to find a wonderful surprise - Amelia cheering for the home team. She was decked out in Carolina blue from head-to-toe, including tiny ribbons in her tiny pig-tails. I’ve never been more proud!

With GG in tow, the Chapel Hill Brinsons loaded up the car and headed to Franklin Street for breakfast at our favorite spot - Ye Olde Waffle Shop. Best breakfast in town! It's a great place to kick off your game day as the joint is filled with Tar Heel fans. Amelia turned many heads; folks couldn’t get enough of the little cheerleader.
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After a hearty breakfast of waffles, pancakes, eggs, and bacon, we made our way to the Old Well on UNC’s campus. It was here that we greeted the football team prior to the game. Each football Saturday, the team walks from the Old Well to the stadium. Fans line the path and cheer. Our team needs all the emotional support it can get!



Amelia was the hit of the walk, as she got more hi-five’s than anyone else. She also got a hearty, “hey little momma”, from gigantic UNC lineman, Cam Thomas.
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A great morning with the family, but unfortunately, our enthusiasm didn’t help the team, as they fell 37-20 to South Florida. It’s been a trying season for Carolina fans.

To help shake off the loss, we headed to the mall for a little shopping therapy. Thanks to GG, Amelia is now the proud owner of a special spider Halloween treat bag. It will perfectly compliment her ladybug costume. Amelia loves checking out the shops, but her favorite mall activity is playing with the kids at the fountain. Close by there is a sculpture of ducks in a marching band - it really creeps out Julianna and me, but for some reason Amelia loves it!

GG treated us to diner at The Cheesecake Factory - a bit of much needed comfort food to raise our downer spirits. Even though we were stuffed from dinner, you can be sure that we all took a piece of delicious cheesecake home for dessert!

After dinner, we enjoyed some music in the plaza. Amelia thoroughly entertained the crowd with her dancing. I swear I’ve seen her in her room practicing “jazz hands”. It was a wonderful end to great day – minus the football team’s loss.



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Be sure to click the thumbnail below for more photos of our Saturday...
(click "slideshow" when you get to the album)

Cheering for the home team!

...and you'll want to click here for more videos of our tiny dancer.

Lucky Friday

For sports fans, certain dates/activities are anticipated like a little kid looks forward to Christmas. Baseball fans celebrate the beginning of the MLB season, like Alabama and Auburn fans celebrate the late summer beginning of college football. Well, in North Carolina, there’s an activity that goes down every October that all true Tar Heel fans have had on their calendar since the end of the last basketball season. It’s called “Late Night with Roy”, once known as Midnight Madness.

In light of the Tar Heel struggles on the gridiron, Late Night was greeted with a resounding cheer. Julianna and I haven’t seen a movie in about six months, but I definitely made sure we had a sitter for Amelia this past Friday.









GG came up in the afternoon to watch the nugget, so that we could sneak away that evening for a sneak peek at the UNC basketball team. Amelia couldn't have been happier to see GG's car drive down the street!

Casual sports fans will think I’m crazy. What kind of person goes to a college basketball practice... not a game… on a Friday night!? Well, any self-respecting Tar Heel fan does. And they drag their wife to it as well! Surprisingly enough, Julianna actually enjoys Late Night. I think she likes the skits, silly dances, and stadium snacks, more than the practice.

Prior to practice, the team is introduced, and then each class does a skit or dance. Think back to your high school talent show days… the "entertainment" usually pretty bad. Regardless, we love it and the team sure looks like they’re having fun. The best part is that the Chapel Hill/Tar Heel community comes out in full force to support the team.



This year’s skit highlights were sophomore guard Bobby Frasor riding a horse pretending to be an inept NC State fan, senior guard Wes Miller doing his best rendition of Justin Timberlake's hit “Sexyback”, a Shakira inspired Hula dance by the sophomore class, and Reyshawn Terry getting his groove on.



UNC alum, Stuart Scott, of ESPN SportsCenter fame, hosts the entire process and it turns into a great evening. After the skits and dancing, the team laces up their Air Jordan's and hits the court.
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By my account, it should be a pretty good year for the Heels. The heels are led by Player-of-the-Year candidate Tyler Hansbrough and, in my humble opinion, a very underrated senior forward, Reyshawn Terry.



Friday the 13th was pretty lucky for this Tar Heel fan!

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Click the thumbnail below for a few more photos of our day...
(click "slideshow" when you get to the album)

Lucky Friday

...and if you're interested, there are many more Late Night videos to watch.

A day in our life...

Thought you'd like a sneak peak into our world. I work from home on our kitchen counter, so I can keep a watchful eye on Amelia. Now that she knows how to climb, she can easily hoist herself up on the couch below the counter.

I'm sure many of you have sweet pictures of your little ones on your desk. Well, imagine if those smiling faces could talk to you and you'll experience my work world.



Try responding to an important email with your daughter tapping on your keyboard, grabbing for your mouse, and inspecting your tempting USB connections, all the while saying "mama, mommy, mama, mommy, sticker, hippo" over and over again. Yikes!

We've had a busy few days, so I thought a low-key day around the house was in order. Amelia's access request has just been granted - she can now fully explore our hallway and has limited access to her room. Her play empire is slowly expanding.

This afternoon she came out of her room, squealing with delight. I couldn't stop laughing! Amelia had managed to find and put on her beach hat and new ladybug rain boots. What a combination!

She gets such a kick out of the ladybug's eyes on the boots... "eyes, eyes, EYES!" We have a talker on our hands.

The hat and boots are recent hand-me-downs from cousin Madeline. We love when surprise boxes land on our doorstep from Aunt Gina... they are always chock-full of goodies!

I'm afraid Amelia's first attempt at dressing herself would land her on the "don't" page of Glamour magazine. None-the-less, it provided many silly giggles between the Brinson girls.

Playgroup Party

Our good friend Karlye started a terrific playgroup a few weeks ago and Tuesday afternoons have been so much fun ever since! Today was was extra special as we got to celebrate Peter's FIRST birthday.


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The Tuesday Playgroup Gang... Peter(12 months), Myla (10 months), McCoy (12 months), Sam (2.5 yrs), and Amelia (19 months). Unfortunately, our sweet friend Sarah (16 months) couldn't make it today.
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Lately, we've been taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather by planning outdoor activities.
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We've walked the Bolin Creek Trail and played at the Chapel Hill Community Center's playground. Today was beautiful! In keeping with our outdoor theme, we met at our new favorite playgroud - Alta Springs.
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What makes this playground so great is that it's right next to where Sam and Peter live. Why is this so cool? TOYS! Sam and Peter have the best toys and bring many of them to the playground. They are teaching all of the little ones how to share. (Thank you!)

Just when we thought the afternoon couldn't get any better, Peter's birthday celebration began. Cupcakes and juiceboxes for everyone... presents for Peter. Amelia was thrilled!
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Happy first birthday Peter... we loved celebrating with you!

To see more photos from our great day, click here.
(For the easiest viewing: choose "select all", drag them to the tray, and click "slideshow".)

Discovering Fun at Science Museum

Amelia and her new friends, Sam and Peter, had a great visit to the Durham Science Museum. This place is fantastic! Who knew such a gem was a mere fifteen miles from our home.

Sam and Peter's mom, Jenny, invited us to join their adventure. The museum is a regular stop for them and we soon found out why.

Between playing with our new wonderful friends... to the hands-on science exhibits, fort, sand box, and drums... to the butterfly house, bugs, farm animals, black bear, and lemurs... to our yummy picnic in the park... there was so much fun to be had!
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It's no surprise that we spent FOUR hours at the museum! Needless to say, Amelia had a ball... so much so, she was conked out by the time we pulled out of the parking lot. We can't wait to go back... with Jenny, Sam and Peter!
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There's a Puma in the house!

Check out Amelia in her new kicks... super-cool Pumas from Aunt Gina!

Gina gave them to us before our little nugget was born. We've patiently waited 18 months for her feet to grow big enough for them to fit.

Doesn't she look super-cool?!?!

California Girls

Last month we had great trip to Southern California. Lee was in Los Angeles for X Games, so Amelia and I headed home to play with Grandma and Grandpa Kemp. When the games were over, Lee came down South to join us and the real fun began!

This trip was jam packed full of new experiences for Amelia... she saw Shamu at Sea World, explored a dinosaur at the Discovery Science Center, and road an elephant at the Santa Ana Zoo. She also mastered sliding down the waterslide at the lagoon all by herself!

The best part was that Maddie joined us for most of our adventures, including the requisite trips to Fashion Island to ride the carousel and train. A favorite stop of the girls' mall tour is the "rain drop" fountain - where they play until they're soaked! (It's a good thing we've learned to bring a change of clothes.) We also celebrated Maddie and Grandpa's birthdays in grand style.

Once again, mom and dad spoiled us like it was Christmas! We hit all of our favorite restaurants, shops, and stops. Even caught a movie or two, which is a rare treat for Lee and me. Lots of time was spent with Jon, Gina, and Madeline, which always makes for a great trip. And just before we left, Matt made it home from a summer working in Utah. He's starting grad school this fall, joining Jon in the adventure of post-graduate work. What a treat to see him before we left.

Thought we'd share few videos from our summer vacation...

Giggle girls
Riding in the car on the way to Fashion Island... the carousel is calling us!


Feeding the goats
The highlight of our trip to the Santa Ana Zoo... feeding time!


Maddie on the waterslide
Maddie is such an expert slider... showing Amelia the best techniques


Following in Maddie's footsteps
Amelia has to do everything her best friend does!


For more pictures of our trip, be sure to click here.
There are also other videos to view as well!

Blogging Matthew-Style

Can you feel the excitement?! Matt-hew Demp finally has a blog!

Check out Insert Life Here for regular musings about life Matthew-style. To start, Matt has posted a summary and photos of his recent High Uintas, UT, camping trip. He has taken some unbelievable images of an incredible landscape, not to mention a cute moose or two.

Matt has just returned to California, Venice & Malibu to be exact, and is about to embark on an MBA program. We're looking forward to hearing stories about his grad school adventures.