the brower hour

hey florida friends...

2012-01-31T11:11:00.001-05:00

... have you voted yet?

DO IT!

i honestly don't care who wins today, although my heart is with rick santorum.

what really matters is that we win in november and get things straightened out in the white house. i just don't think santorum would win against obama. i think if anyone can, it will be romney. if obama makes president again, it will take a miracle for this nation to survive.
please don't feel the need to leave a comment on this one, just thought i'd post my thoughts. one thing that i really hoped today would be about, is teaching jack and ellie how important it is to love our country and do our part to build it back up and make it what our Heavenly Father intended for us. and a great way to do that is by voting. not enough people do it and i want them to remember that their mom and dad did, all the time.

see the red mark on ellie's cheek? she popped a punch balloon ON her cheek last week. pretty nasty bruise. poor girl's face is a magnet for destruction (or just bumps and bruises).

sweet and savory

2012-01-28T20:36:00.001-05:00

carolina and i headed to sur la table this morning

for an adventure in crepe making!

the menu:

-fresh sage crepes with apple- dried currant chutney

w/ blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts

-creamy chicken and mushroom crepes

w/ frizzled leeks

-chocolate crepes

w/ vanilla-mascarpone cheese and strawberries

-banana and dulce de leche pastry creme filled crepes

when we walked in i was immediately in heaven. my kind of heaven at least. a humongous, commercial fridge. double decker ovens. gas stove tops. mixers everywhere. every little gadget and gizmo you could dream of. one of those instant, sanitizing dishwashers. ahhhhhh pure heaven!

we learned a lot of great little how-to's and tips for the kitchen, my favorite being the correct way to hold a knife while chopping veggies. so simple, yet it will take a bit of practice to master.

some other tips were to add dry ingredients into wet to minimize lumps. also, when sautéing veggies and chicken, use a combo of canola and olive oil so it doesn't burn as easily. and another awesome tip was to toast the seasonings before adding them to really amp up their potency.

something else that was fantastic was trying all of their fancy shmancy equipment. so SO fun. every single thing we used, i thought i wouldn't be able to cook again unless i had it. not to mention the fact that there were about 5 helpers running around bringing us ingredients and taking away our dishes to wash them then returning them. incredible. absolutely wonderful.

caro was a pro at cooking the crepes. she could flip those puppies and slide 'em right off the pan like a real pastry chef. that is why i hope its ok that i show this clip :) the one time i decide to tape...

mmmmmmm...

stinkin' delicious!
i am pretty sure we waddled out of there.

everything was so fun.

i would definitely recommend it to anyone and can't wait for another opportunity.

and, hands-down, the absolute best part was

doing it with my pal!

we have already decided next time we are bringing along the men to live it up in the kitchen with us. i can't think of a better double date night! the whole time i was there i just kept thinking, "chris would love this. chris would LOVE this!". I'm so thankful for a husband who would not only think and plan such a thoughtful gift, but also spend his whole morning and afternoon HAPPILY watching the kids so i could have some fun time with a great friend. he hit a home run with this one!

sweet little babe

2012-01-26T17:18:00.001-05:00

little ashton keith browne

joined bo and larissa's family last monday,

january 16th, at 34 weeks.

he was 5lbs 15 oz.

he is still in the NICU, growing growing growing!

these pictures were taken on the 16th and the 20th and I'm glad to say that his breathing tube is out and they are just waiting for him to eat from a bottle to bring him home. progress is good.

we love you sweet baby Ash and can't wait to shower you with hugs and loves!

then and now

2012-01-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

december 2010

december 2011

after 2 seconds the older kids gave up.

and in more than half the pictures my undies are hanging out. yup. a nice, white triangle for the world to see.

you win some, you lose some

i think this last one would have been my favorite just because we are all relaxed and actually look somewhat natural. thanks jack and ellie.

thanks, rikki, for taking some pictures of our wild clan of nose-diggers and sophisticated adults! i really do love them.

a great start

2012-01-12T10:29:00.000-05:00

there are a few things that i am getting super excited about that will be taking place in the next 6 weeks. some life changing and some just really fun. here they are in order of when they will take place:

for christmas, chris signed me up for a cooking class here:

with this pretty lady:

our class is in a couple weeks and we are SO EXCITED! what great husbands we have and so very sneaky too! i have been looking for cooking classes for years and they are always on a sunday.

until sur la table came to naples.

i will most certainly be posting about our experience in a couple weeks.

we've never been, but have heard a lot about:

a trader joe's is opening in naples next month!

remember how i said some of the upcoming events were life changing?

martha has teamed up with avery labels and will be selling a line of labels at staples starting in february!

HELLO.

why didn't this happen years ago?

the kraft labels have stolen my heart.

well, anything with kraft paper will steal my heart these days and combining that cuteness with the power of martha stewart and the awesomeness of avery labels is pretty much mind-blowing for me.

31 days, my friends.

31 days till graduation!!!

and the best part....

we have a job!!!

chris signed on with naples anesthesia and we will be staying here. after a lot of thought and prayers we just knew our time here wasn't through. and we are very excited! now we can start thinking about all of those fun renovations that we wanted to do to the house again. it's going to be great to plan and work side by side again on making this little house into OUR little house!

and with graduation brings our favorite missionaries!!! the kids can not wait to see grandma and grandpa. ellie keeps asking every morning if today is the day we get to see them and gives a said sigh followed by "oh yeah, i meant not for a 5 weeks". and jack keeps asking about their scars on their knees from their knee replacements. he is quite fascinated with the idea of scars. he takes after his dad.

alli is coming home

... for good!

i can not wait to hold that sweet little babe.

jack and ellie have asked me so many times when they get to play with their cousin louie and now they get to! all the time!!!

last, but certainly far from least,

bo and larissa will be welcoming their newest addition next month!

if january and february are this freakin' awesome, i can't wait to see what else 2012 has in store for us!

a day worth remembering

2012-01-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

what a fantastic evening at the park!

even though these kids know how to argue and have their feelings hurt, they still are the greatest of friends. all i had to say was that i wanted to get a picture of them together, and this is what they did:

(me and sophie's shadow)

this could be my favorite photo of the evening.

sophie and charlie were both so tired of walking all over the park and when i picked charlie up, ellie ran right over and grabbed soph's hand and it made sophie so happy she started to clap...with ellie's hand in hers. they walked all the way to the car and ellie kept saying things like "you're doin' it soph! i'm so proud for you!".

our first launch could not have been calculated any more precisely.
chris, being the rocketeer that he is, was able to launch this rocket 200-300 feet and then catch it without even standing up!

monday

2011-12-28T18:58:00.000-05:00

chris had a three day weekend.

that was our christmas miracle.

it was probably the best weekend in, oh, maybe

two years!

because he had monday off we took grandpa's boat to new pass for some fun in the sun.

afterwards we went to the park with the carpenter family to shoot the rocket, which landed in the pond on our first launch. chris and jack went back on tuesday afternoon and were able to fish it out with a fishing rod.

it was a perfect family weekend!

quite possibly the best christmas of all time

2011-12-28T17:19:00.000-05:00

what a great christmas

i loved that christmas fell on a sunday this year.

it kept things in perspective and was a great reminder to the kids (and us) what christmas is really about.

ellie got a cinderella dress and shoes

(which are sprinkling our house with glitter. it's terrible! everywhere we go we look like we took a dive in a glitter bottle)

and jack received the nerf gun he wanted!

i love their sleepy-head reaction on christmas morning

...and the discovery that santa ate their cookies :)

nothing beats sittin' in your car,

in nothing but socks,

after a long morning at church.

right, charlie?

chris' first prime rib.

followed by chris' homemade cheesecake.

it goes without saying that it was the tastiest christmas dinner in the history of all time.

we had such a nice afternoon with family.

that was the best gift of all.

cheesy, yes. but still true.

our family gift this year was

a rocket

i think dad is having more fun with it than anyone!

we've already been out to launch it several times and the kids get more and more excited each time.

next up,

the day after christmas!

yes, there's more!

the 24th

2011-12-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

here is a run-down of our christmas eve festivities:

our 2nd annual christmas eve donut run to bennett's

aunt rikki was able to join in on the scrumptious action!

and since it is so close to bennetts we stopped at

one of my favorite places on earth,

the thomas edison winter estate.

(which costs too much so we just hung out in the front, took pictures, enjoyed the banyan tree, had way too much fun with the statues of edison and his wife, mina, and paid $0)

so many great traditions have come from the brower side, including spaghetti dinner on christmas eve. the browne family loves it so much, they have adopted it.

so we ate dinner at my parents, grandpa read the account of Christ's birth in Luke 2, and grandma the night before christmas. seriously, there is something magical about reading those two stories on christmas eve. i can't help but feel giddy with anticipation and i love that the kids are old enough to really feel it too!

the big kids found this note on the toy room at grandma's that said,

"elves at work

do not enter!"

jack and ellie were so curious and wouldn't stop asking questions about the elves.

rikki caught ellie trying to sneak a peek and it made me smile.

next up,

christmas!

ready to sumo?

2011-12-28T12:09:00.003-05:00

larissa came up with a great theme for charlie's party. i know your thinking "a theme for a one year old's prty?!" but it fit so perfectly with our big "little" man:

a sumo wrestler party!

and when she offered to make the cake,

we were on board!

check out that leather thong...

fruit leather that is!

complete with vanilla bean buttercream- perfection!

all the kids wanted to touch the belly button, but how could you not?

it was a very practical birthday.

because charlie doesn't need anything

and christmas was just two days prior, we asked that no gifts be brought.

but those browne's just couldn't resist spoiling this little guy.

here's a quick rundown of his spoils:

206 diapers

12 gerber grabber food pouches (his fave)

3 packs of food puffs

2 puzzles

1 pair of shoes

1 bag o' blocks

and some cash for a BIG treat

lucky!

we had several cute videos, but this one made chris laugh so hard that i decided to post it. i think this is the most aggressive/loud charlie has ever been. i suppose he's just trying to play the part of a sumo???

and what birthday would be complete without a magic show?

this is jack's

"YES! IT WORKED!!!"

cheer

it's been a year

2011-12-27T11:27:00.001-05:00

(day 1)

(day 4)

i can't believe a year has passed.

charlie is one today.

ONE!

this sweet boy has taught me a thing or two about love in this short year. with jack and ellie, i learned really quickly that a mother's love is about endurance, patience, and sticking with things even when they are hard and most of the time unenjoyable.

charlie has taught me about the softer side of love. about the snuggly, cuddly, squishy kind of love. the love that doesn't mind being woken up in the middle of the night for a feeding and kisses or changing another messy diaper and tickling wiggly toes.

i know i said this when charlie was born, but there truly is something special about him. i can't walk through the grocery store without at least one person saying that his smiles made their day. his happiness is contagious and for that i am grateful. i am so grateful for a loving heavenly father that blessed our family with this sweet boy.

charlie loves loves loves his brother jack and his sister ellie.

nothing makes him happier than seeing them when he wakes up from a nap or takes a bath with them. he laughs so hard at their silly faces and funny voices.

and jack and ellie return that love equally.

we can't get enough of our little charlie man.

happy birthday baby!

(almost day 365)

a week (or 2) in pics

2011-12-23T15:57:00.002-05:00

book club

preschool christmas party

game night

jack's new talent

ugly christmas sweaters

(that i embellished)

(without chris' approval prior to wearing it to a shindig, ha!)

christmas gifts from grandma janie!!!

the kids used these towels as blankets until we could pry them out of their hands to wash them. now they are back to being used as blankets.

they love them!

let's give it another try.

it works!

and the best news of the week:

little man is walking!

this girl

2011-12-15T10:54:00.001-05:00

because both the older kids are at school this morning, and charlie is sleeping, and because i really really really don't feel like cleaning, i am catching up here.

i like mornings like this!

a while back i wrote a little thing about jack and thought it's about time i got around to writing one about ellie.

this girl is:

sweet,

spicy,

and giving me a run-for my money

this girl is:

hilarious,

sensitive,

and always curious

this girl is:

in charge,

fiesty,

and often in time-out

this girl is:
a kitchen helper,

a dishwasher,

a gentle little mama,

and my sweet cheeks.

i love this girl.

sharing holiday cheer

2011-12-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

i'm hoping that the kids are old enough to begin understanding that its just as much fun to give gifts as it is to receive them.

yesterday we (and by we, i mean me) made some treats to take to a few of our friends from church.

i had been thinking for quite some time of something thats easy, cheap, but creative to give and then it hit me while listening to cheesy christmas music (feliz navidad)...

salsa!

not very many people give salsa for christmas, so its a little fun and a little different.

and then the tags popped into my head and then the cute little jars and red stripes and i just got carried away with it.

well, i think the jars turned out pretty great!

i love 'em.

which is good because the salsa only turned out so-so.

and, i didn't have enough for all the people i had in mind.

so rather than buying more stuff for mediocre salsa, i decided to try something different.

candy cane truffles!

you can eat them plain or pour some hot milk over them and stir to make hot chocolate.

and their wrapping turned out fun too.

which, again is a good thing, because the truffles themselves certainly won't win any prizes.

now the fun part!

we are going to deliver these bad boys when we pick jack up from school today.

I'm going to try and convince him to wear a santa hat.

we'll see how that goes...

the big blog theory

2011-12-12T23:35:00.002-05:00

while talking to a friend this weekend about blogging, i realized that i have had this "post" swirling around in my head for a long time, but have never taken the time to write it.

i love to blog.

i love that it's something that i can do on my own time, that doesn't involve our kids.

of course, the majority of what i write is about them,

but thats besides the point.

i love being able to keep track of whats going on in our life without having to keep a journal or make messes with a scrapbook.

i love that for mother's day each year i print off a copy of our past year and have it in a book.

the kids love to look at it and i love to look at it with them.

but the thing that i love most about blogging is that

it's a place that i can record the things that i want to remember 30 years from now.

when i write, i'll occasionally throw in the random story of jack pooping his pants while camping or ellie pulling out her hair and eating it because thats how she copes with things (and... just because).

but usually i try to only include things that i won't mind reading about and remembering in 30 years.

the good things.

the happy things.

and i don't not tell those other stories because I'm embarrassed by my kids or even myself and how i handle things, because honestly thats always more embarrassing, but because i just don't want to remember our life like that. it's usually bad enough the first time, so why go through it again and again?

does that make sense?

this blog could easily be filled up with how, for example, today i yelled, yes yelled, at ellie for destroying some receipts with a hole punch after being told not to do that very thing yesterday. and how she cried because i yelled at her and rather than giving her a hug i put her in time out. or how jack tries to see how long he can "t-rex" roar at ellie before she starts to scream, hit, and cry. and thats not just on a daily basis, but more like an hourly one. or the 20 minute full-blown leg-kicking, spit-flying tantrum that both jack and ellie threw after we told them we would not be waiting for 2 1/2 hours to see santa at bass pro shop. or how charlie rips the ornaments off our christmas tree 300 gazillion times a day and 300 gazillion times a day i wish i didn't have a dang christmas tree with dang ornaments and dang pine needles. or how everyday i think i can't take one more day of this whole school thing because i miss chris and the kids miss chris and i just want to have things be somewhat "normal" and end up taking my frustrations out on the very person who i should be showing love and support to during this whole thing by greeting him with an "i quit" rather than an "i love you" when he walks in the door.

thats a pretty accurate description of most days around here.

thats why i like to blog.

thats why i write about the things i write about.

so maybe the title of this post would be more accurate as

MY big blog theory
but i have a feeling a lot of people do the same thing,
even if they don't realize it.

all aboard!!!

2011-12-09T22:09:00.001-05:00

all aboard the

POLAR EXPRESS

jack's school had a great movie night for families tonight.

we started out by eating cookies and hot chocolate and then the kids had to have their tickets punched by the conductor, Miss Luisa, to go watch the movie polar express.

they had so much fun and it was great to be able to get to know some of the other moms a little better.

right before the movie, the kids sang a couple songs that they had been practicing all week. unfortunately jack was in the back, but he knew all the words and actions and i was one of those silly beaming mom's that couldn't be prouder.

i love this picture of jack giving me a big grin!

doing the "reindeer pokey"

during the third week of school, miss luisa asked if i was aware that jack had a girlfriend.

this is ava,

jack's girlfriend.

they are great little buddies and I'm glad that jack has a friend that he looks forward to seeing each day. every weekend jack tells me how much he misses ava. although he holds her hand and has even kissed her forehead, he has told me that a girlfriend is "just, like, someone you like to spend time with". and he's right. and i don't blame him for picking her, cause she's pretty darn cute and sweeter than most girls her age.

because dad was at work,

the worlds best babysitting crew came and watched the charlie-man while went to the school party.

they said he was pretty good, but I'm not so sure...

...this boy sure knows how to get into some serious mischief!

speaking of mischief,

skippy has been relatively quiet this week.

I'm hoping this is not a calm before a storm :)

except for the other morning, when the kids found him hanging from the chandelier with their

UNDERPANTS

all over the place!

just elfin' around

2011-12-05T21:35:00.001-05:00

jack's teacher, miss luisa, has been reading "the elf on the shelf" to his class every day and jack is, well, obsessed. and thats probably an understatement. his class voted and named their elf Peppermint and every morning he talks about the possible places that peppermint could be hiding. then when he gets home all he talks about is where he found peppermint, what he told peppermint, what he showed peppermint, etc.

so, being the gracious mother that i am

(HAhaHA)

i broke down and bought an elf for our house.

i wish i could have video taped jacks reaction when i picked him up from school and he saw the book in his seat. it was SO worth the money.

naming our little elf was way more dramatic than it should have been. but i suppose when you are adding a new member to the family, these things should be taken seriously.

jack and i both wanted cinnamon, but ellie wanted george.

when we asked chris, he didn't like either of those and wanted bart (go figure!).

so we put the three names in a bowl and had charlie pick one and when i read it, tears were shed. so we decided to think about it over night and talk about it in the morning. tears were shed again because the kids couldn't wait that long for a name. so after chris and i tossed around a couple names we decided on skippy.

and skippy has already gotten into some mischief!

if you don't own the book (go buy it), each night skippy goes to santa and reports on the kids. so each morning, he is hiding in a new place for the kids to find.

my friend katie sent me a list of fun things for skippy to do and already he has:

toilet papered the living room

(forgot pics- darn it),

been reading books,

taken a bath,

and

drawn funny faces on top of our pictures with dry erase markers.

there is always some evidence that let's us know that it was skippy. like the end of the TP in his hands, or the dry-erase marker in his arms.

the kids are having so much fun with this, and i must admit that i am having just as much fun, if not more.

can't wait to see what other mischief skippy has up his sleeve :)

(if you have an elf and would like me to e-mail you the list of funny things, let me know!)

and, just because they are too sweet...

charlie and sophie, cooking up some yumminess.

this past week (aka: a week of pure gluttony)

2011-11-27T21:56:00.001-05:00

we hope your thanksgiving was full of love, food, and drumsticks!

ours was...

larissa cooked the most beautiful bird.

and he tasted even better than he looked

we also celebrated larissa's 27th birthday this week!!!

go 27 go!

rikki decorated the most beautiful table. it was fit for a wedding reception... not bbq pulled pork sandwiches like we had. oh well, nothing wrong with bbq-sauce fingerprints on glass goblets right?!

at least it was tasty and the birthday girl was happy

kandie and i tried to surprise lari with a get together at the park on her birthday, but weren't able to pull the wool over her eyes, she's too smart.

so instead we had an non-surprise get together at the park!

if you came, odds are good i have a picture of you (perhaps in mid-bite of a caramel apple!) or a little one that belongs to you, so scroll through and check it out!

thanks everybody for coming, it sure is fun to have great friends. if we end up moving in february i will definitely miss this group of buddies of mine! (hence all the pictures... for memories sake)

ellie and ev are best little buds.

i thought i captured such a sweet little moment of theirs and afterwards asked ellie what they were doing in these pictures.

"looking at dog poop." was her reply.

hello.

our menu last night

2011-11-15T08:55:00.001-05:00

jack is getting very good at writing.
all i do is spell it for him and he can write any letter, space out words, and sometimes he even adds a period at the end.

he has always loved to write lists. mostly the grocery lists.

and he is obsessed with post-it notes. i have a feeling some might end up in his stocking.

as of late though, his favorite thing to write has been "menus".

any one want to come for a tasty worm, cake, and ice cream dinner?

exciting stuffs

2011-11-14T22:31:00.001-05:00

exciting stuffs #1:

congratulations elder and sister brower!

mom and dad brower are at the MTC and will be heading back to ohio on the 17th. we couldn't be more proud of them and excited for this grand adventure! what a blessing it is to be able to show the kids how much their grandma janie and grandpa bart love the lord by serving as full-time missionaries!

i know i have said this before, but i am so lucky to have the in-laws that i have... you couldn't ask for better. they are always great examples to me and i recognize how blessed i am to have them for my mom and dad.

exciting stuffs #2:

rikki b photography

has set-up shop at our local farmer's market at the promenade!

if you are in bonita on saturday mornings, you need to head on over and check it out.

nowhere else will you find such incredibly breathtaking photos of the bonita springs/estero area and at such a fantastic price!

also note-worthy, the farmer's market is now home to a couple food trucks too!

i feel like we have a little slice of the big city!!!

two weekends ago we had to test some cupcakes. ellie was taken by the sprinkles on a red velvet, jack was crazy for carrot cake and i went for a classic vanilla with a vanilla ganache on top.

and this past weekend bo, lari, and i tested out some great pulled pork sliders and a turkey, brie, and apple panini. that stuff doesn't interest the kids, like it peaks our mature culinary palates, so they opted for some yummy kettle corn.

i think saturdays are going to be our favorite day of the week this fall season!

exciting stuffs #3:

the kids have now experienced the joy of churros.

exciting stuffs #4:

charlie had 4 teeth break through today.

yes, 4!

and 2 of them were molars.

poor little dude

he is also standing all on his own now.

he better not even think about taking any steps...

this boy is growing up waaaaay too quickly!

and

exciting stuffs #5:

only 13 weeks till graduation!!!

the light at the end of the tunnel is getting so bright!

we are almost there

we think we can... we think we can... we think we can...

tis the season to be...

2011-11-08T15:53:00.001-05:00

THANKFUL.

trying to teach ellie and jack the importance of this holiday.

it really bothers me that more emphasis isn't placed on thanksgiving.

what's more important then recognizing all we have been given from our loving Father in Heaven? when i do, things in life seem so much more full and rich.

we don't have any decorations for this time of year except for some gourds on our table left over from october, so i whipped up this banner last night. we're trying not to spend money on so many little things, so i used some old stripped wrapping paper left over from santa last year, card stock, and some twine. nothing fancy, but a good reminder for the month.

i love banners because they can be stored nice and flat, but can still add a punch to the festivities.

we strung it up before jack went to school and they are both pretty excited.

i hope this year they will understand a little better why we give thanks and who we give thanks to.

right now, i'm feeling quite grateful for this little dude

the second best day of our lives...

2011-11-01T14:43:00.002-04:00

to celebrate the best day of our lives

(our anniversary)

chris and i finally made it to the

wizarding world of harry potter

(aka the second best day of our lives)

after griping so much about not going, and then telling chris about a miracle of having a snowy white owl fly over my head one evening and whispering to me, "why haven't you come?" (it happened, i swear!), i told chris it was his job to make it happen. and a week later, we were there! i sure love that man of mine!

the three broomsticks

hogwarts

hogsmeade

official ($7) pumpkin juice

ollivander's

notice the dragon in the wizards hands! eeek, i love it!!

we asked some employees to take our picture in front of the three broomsticks and they thought we meant with them. that made us laugh. but what made us laugh even harder is that chris put his arm around her instead of me for the picture! so so funny!

official ($10 w/ mug)

frozen butter beer!!!

oh yeah,

worth every penny!

refills weren't outrageous, so that was awesome.

we picked up a chocolate frog, ton-tongue-toffee, an acid pop, a cauldron cake, and a few lollipops at honeydukes.

while we were there, the witch at the register asked us if we were celebrating anything and we told her it was our 7th anniversary. she said congrats and then proceeded to yell very loudly to the shop, "attention all witches, wizards, and muggles, chris and lisa are celebrating their 7th anniversary in hogsmeade today! lets hear a congratulations!" and everyone clapped and chris raised his butter beer mug. here here!

we found out she did this to anyone celebrating anything... even the purchase of pigmy puffs :)

u-no-poo

the constipation sensation thats gripping the nation

cauldron cakes

we spent seven blissful hours at the park and headed home to three happy little babes waiting for us with grandma. it was perfection!

Hillsborough State Park

2011-11-01T13:42:00.000-04:00

browne family camping trip

october 28-30 2011

we headed up north, just outside of tampa, this past weekend for some fun family camping!

i decided to go without chris, (who had tests and was on call for work), with two wild preschoolers and one sick baby.

charlie has had an ear infection for almost two weeks, had a fever, and a runny nose.

but was i going to let that stop me? no!

we had a lot of fun roasting marshmallows, going on bike rides, swimming in a frigid 72 degree natural spring, and cooking yummy meals over a crackling fire.

and i learned something important:

i absolutely love camping.

and i love my kids.

but i realized this weekend that

i don't love camping with my kids!

am i allowed to admit that?!

the kids had a blast and i hope its something they remember for a long long long time, because I'm not braving it again any time soon. everyone, meaning bo, larissa, mom, dad and rikki, all helped SO much and i truly appreciate them making things so enjoyable for jack and ellie.

we had a lot of fun once the kids were all asleep and i wish those couple hours could have lasted much much longer. i love being with the family!

i was so busy with the little brutes that i didn't even bother taking any pictures. here are some that rikki took and i stole from her Facebook page.

charlie and ellie's first time in a trailer.

they loved it and it was much easier to pull than i had anticipated (except when the wind is in your face, yowzers!)

love this one of grandpa spraying jack in the face!

ferris groves

world famous fresh strawberry milkshakes

so tasty, we couldn't even wait to get a before shot!

rainbow springs

only lari, everett, and jack were brave enough to endure the cold water at rainbow springs and swim with the fish. it stays at 72 degrees year-round. BRRRR!

after being at camp for, oh, not even an hour, jack had an accident and pooped his pants.

what the?! where did that come from?!

he has never had accidents and yet he craps his pants the second we go camping!

well, he did it again the next day and ellie even pee-peed in her sleeping bag the second night we were there. because it was so cold, she had to snuggle in my bag with me, while charlie couldn't breathe because he was so congested. it could possibly have been the longest night of my life.... and our neighbors too I'm sure :) i missed my chris more than words can say. somehow things like that don't seem so bad when your hubby is with you.

BUT we survived and i'm so glad we did it!

halloween 2011

2011-11-01T12:37:00.001-04:00

jack was able to dress up for preschool. they were asked to dress up as their favorite character from a book. jack chose mr. brown from dr. seuss'

mr. brown can moo! can you?

i thought he looked so great. he practiced the sounds in the book over and over so that he would be ready to read it to his class.

i was pretty lazy this halloween season and didn't make or buy any thing for costumes besides making jacks hat and tie for mr. brown. in fact, i was such a bum that i didn't even dress charlie up for trick or treating! ah well, next year.

for halloween night i decided to let the kids put together whatever they wanted out of our stash of halloween costumes from previous years. jack was all about being as scary as possible. he made it a goal to scare "the little kids"... how thats possible when he's still a little one himself, I'm not quite sure.

this is what they decided on:

a pink fairy

dracula

jack practiced saying

"i vant to suck your blood"

all. day. long.

the kids had a great time trick or treating and we didn't get a huge amount of candy, thank goodness. jack caught the bug though and kept wanting to try one more house :)

here are random pictures that made me laugh

book club

2011-10-25T22:02:00.001-04:00

i love book club.

i love halloween.

and when the two coincide,

life couldn't be any better.

we just finished reading "the hound of the baskervilles" and i highly recommend it. it was a fast, very entertaining, little thriller perfect for this haunting season and larissa and i couldn't help but dress up for our book club meeting tonight.

she's the escaped convict and i am, well, look at me. i'm sherlock holmes of course.... without the pipe.... or the hat... or the detective brains....

im so glad she's willing to have fun like that because it sure makes things more exciting!

fall festival FHE

2011-10-25T10:45:00.001-04:00

remember this from last year?

we had so much fun we decided to make it an annual event!

we had dinner, the kids visited a fish pond for prizes, a witch came and we found out that ellie and everett are a witch and wizard with magical powers, and my mom measured some of us for coffins and received a wet surprise, and then we all dipped caramel apples!

we had a grand time!

thanks steve and donna for coming up for a

Fall Festival FamilyHomeEvening!!!

in case you want to find out if you have any witches or wizards at your house, set up a few clear cups with water in them and one or two with vinegar. then put baking soda on some spoons, i even added glitter and food coloring to ours. its good to have all this set up ahead of time so no one knows the secret :) pass out a spoon and a cup to each person and then everyone stirs at the same time. those cups with the vinegar will foam up and thats how you know they are magic!

most of my pictures were blurry, but here are a few that turned out

rikki took some pictures of jack blowing out his birthday candles that were so cute, i had to post them :)

this cake is awesome! and the best part is, its SO super easy to make.

in fact, its just the recipe on the back of the Hershey's dutch process cocoa container.

i get requests for this cake regularly. you should try it sometime, i know you'll get requests for it too!

maddest scientist of all

2011-10-23T22:03:00.001-04:00

i can't believe it. our little jack isn't so little anymore.

this morning jack ran into the bathroom and studied his face in the mirror for a few seconds and then shouted, "i think i grew last night! i must be five already!"

i knew things might get a little crazy, so i asked my trusty personal photographer to take some pictures at jack's party. and she did a fabulous job! thank you trusty personal photographer, you are the best :)

these pictures are evidence that jack and his buddies had a blast at the mad scientist party.

i couldn't have asked for a better bunch of boys to do this with. they got along great and were so eager to try things out.

thanks ethan and nathan, you guys are the coolest!

taking "samples" with their test tubes and catching tadpoles before the party started

first project of the day,

experimenting with dry ice.

first they touched the ice with coins and felt it bubble and whiz, they thought that was awesome.

then, we added the water and you should have heard their shrieks of delight!

next up,

blowing up balloons with baking soda and vinegar

then we made

slime

and our last official experiment for the day,

soda fountains

the boys loved this, but truth be told, it didn't turn out like i hoped.

i'm not sure what went wrong, but it certainly didn't shoot up in the air like i've seen on you tube!

i guess i have some experiments of my own in the future.

and a party isn't much of a party without a little

silly string

this morning we watched a few videos of a brand spankin' new jack from october 23, 2006. (he loves to watch movies of himself, which would be creepy if he was older, but for now its fun.)

then after church we went to grandma and grandpa browne's for jack's dinner of choice: breakfast burritos and chocolate cake.

jack is entering a fun "boy" stage and received awesome gifts like nerf guns, legos, rc cars, a trip to the toy store from grandma and grandpa brower, a mini golf trip coupon from grandpa browne and a new blanket from grandma linda!

whew, what a lucky 5 year old! thanks everyone for celebrating with jack and letting him know how special he is. we sure love our jack man!

grandma spent a TON of time on this blanket and jack watched the process. he didn't know it was for him though. when he asked who she was making it for, she told him it was for someone very special and when he opened it he said, "i was the special one!"

he hasn't taken it off his lap since he opened it. he loves to cuddle with a blanket and had ellie and i climb under it tonight before bed by saying, in a sing-song voice, "there's room for MoRe!"

7 facts you didn't know

2011-10-22T20:25:00.001-04:00

7 silly facts you may not know about chris:

1- he wears flip flops around the house and doesn't take them off.... ever. (except for bed)

2- he puts A1 steak sauce on his cottage cheese.

3- he cuts his own hair.

4- he scribbles numbers on the inside of his wrist at work.

5- his feet are very ticklish

6- he enjoys soup. i don't know too many males that love soup.

7- he's a rockstar in the kitchen. but I've said that before :)

seven might be a random number

but it is the number of years we have been married today.

i love you chris. you make me happy.

(august 2004)

tootely-toot-toot

2011-10-19T10:08:00.002-04:00

I'm going to be tooting my horn for just a second, so if you aren't a fan of someone reveling in their own awesomeness, then you may want to skip this first part...

as a lot of you know, i am in charge of the children's program that we have at our church called Primary. towards the end of every year the children in primary, ages 3-11, get to put on a little presentation to show all of the parents what they have learned through out the year. they each get to say a part that they wrote and sing a bunch of songs they've learned. we just had the presentation this past sunday and the kids did fantastic! i was so pleased with how it went.

anyways, the whole point of this is that i was given a card that had been signed by all the kids on it and across the bottom in big letters one of the seven year old boys wrote,

you wer supost to be borne for this!

it made my day! i think it made me so happy because it reminded me that the kids don't notice how often i mess up or drop the ball, which is oh so frequently.

anyways, thank you seven year old boy!!!

ok, on to something a little more tasty...

i had the itch to make caramel apples.

and since i just bragged about myself, i think i better pop that balloon and share one of those "i can't believe it took me this long to figure that out" situations that i had while making these. i learned a great lesson which i can't believe i didn't know before. it makes so much sense. rather than dipping the carmel-covered apple into the toppings and then into the chocolate (only to lose about 3/4 of your tasty toppings and making the rest of your chocolate lumpy and unappetizing), dip the caramel apple in the chocolate first and then the toppings. DUH. it made things SO much easier. sometimes i amaze myself at my stupidity!

mad scientists

2011-10-10T12:57:00.001-04:00

jack is turning 5 in thirteen days.

i can't believe it.

F-I-V-E!

he has three friends that he wants to invite over for a

mad scientist party.

it is going to be SO much fun!

i thought i would share a little bit because this would be such a great theme for anyone having a party around halloween!

i am copying a lot of it from One Charming Party,

but toning it down quite a bit.

here are the invites:

we rolled them up and stuffed them in test tubes.

delayna found these martha stewart test tubes at joann's and they are perfect!

here are the experiments we will be doing,

it's going to be blast!

blowing up a balloon using baking soda and vinegar

playing with dry ice

making slime... of course!

and diet coke/mentos fountains

get your craft on

2011-10-10T12:38:00.002-04:00

we are sick.

charlie and ellie had runny noses and a cough last week.

i picked it up this weekend and

charlie's has intensified.

he was up with a fever through the night and

managed to throw up all the meds we gave him.

so, we are stayin' home today.

jack had the day off for columbus day and we decided to make

a halloween treat for our friends.

the only supplies i had on hand were for tissue paper ghosts and mummies

...wrapped around suckers.

we did this every year growing up, as I'm sure everyone else did too.

and because we are stuck inside, i have decided to take some time to update a little.

when i taught school a couple weeks ago we were learning about 'sh' and shells.

the kids painted pet shells, then glued on googlie eyes, and named them.

ev's pet was named "gopher".

bryce's pet was "brownie".

(my personal favorite)

and ellie's pet was named "scoobie-doobie-doo-da".

delayna took some time to teach larissa and i the art of wheat bread.

i still haven't perfected it,

but thats partly because mine will never be as beautiful as hers.

but its sure tasty!

here is the recipe from delayna if you want to give it a go:

Ingredients

1½ tsp Salt

¼Cup Sugaror Honey (I use honey)

1Packet DryActive Yeast

3Cups WarmWater

6–7Cups Wheat Flour (I use lessto make bread soft & moist)

Mix all ingredients exceptthe wheat flour, into one bowl, allowing the yeast to dissolve.

Stir in 4 Cups wheatflour. Then slowly add in moreflour until dough doesn’t stick to bowl. (It will be sticky to handle, to minimize butter or oil hands)

Knead dough for 5-8minutes. Grease 2 regular sizedbread pans. Split dough in two. Make 2 pretty little loaves then put them into the pans, cover loaveswith a greased sheet of plastic wrap (use Pam).

Raise dough to double in size(30-40 minutes).

Bake in 350 degree oven for30 minutes. Top of bread does notneed to be brown.

costume ideas for charlie

2011-10-06T21:38:00.002-04:00

because he's on all fours all the time,

here are my ideas for charlie's costume this year.

it's gonna be cheaper and easier just to buy.

lame, i know.

my favorite is the last one i think.

something tells me he wouldn't be too happy about it.

interestingly, its the only homemade one in this group :)

p.s. i did i guest post earlier this week on ARDOR.

go check it out if you'd like.

it's a tortilla tutorial.

im debating whether to post it here or not....

im not much of a "look at me" person.

super speed

2011-10-02T21:04:00.000-04:00

have i ever mentioned how much i detest doing the laundry?

wouldn't it be amazing if we had a fast forward button and could speed through our chores like this?!

this is what we did before watching conference this morning.

and before we attacked that mountain o' laundry, we had the whole fam over for chris' tasty tradition of sticky buns and scrambled eggs.

i overheard ellie asking cousin ev "do you like sticky bums, ev?" and, of course he said, "yeah! do YOU like sticky bums, ellie?" "sticky bums are my fav-wit, ev!"

those kids are too funny.

the weather was stunning and we were able to have the windows and french doors open..... aaaah!

can't beat that for a conference morning!

diana

2011-09-30T00:48:00.003-04:00

i am easily sidetracked.

and just to prove it,

rather than doing a post about ellie and charlie,

like i said i was going to,

i will be doing those another time.

this post will be about pictures i just got back.

these were taken with my diana mini, 35mm film.

i love you, diana mini.

just jack

2011-09-25T21:10:00.000-04:00

Jack is...

energetic,

out-going,

excited to try new things.

Jack is...

going to be 5 next month,

a macho man on the outside,

a softie on the inside.

Jack is...

hilarious,

head-strong,

the best eskimo-kiss-giver.

Jack is...
my best helper,
a super hero,
the world's greatest fisher-boy.

Jack is...

my big kid,

my baby,

my best bud.

skidz

2011-09-22T14:22:00.003-04:00

the older skids are afraid of monsters and giants at night.

each night they put a toy in front of their door to protect their room. usually it's a snake or something scary like that. here are a couple pictures that i took at night this week:

a bee. very frightening

pirates, sea creatures and dinosaurs, oh my!

shields they made at stake conference.

jack's has a picture of the temple and a picture of him being baptized.

ellie's has a circle.

totally late:

1-ellie's first day of preschool picture

2- a picture of our updated word wall.

the kids water-color painted a bunch of papers and then i cut out the letters.

we love how it turned out!

daddy is home!

after not having much time with us over the past 13 weeks, he decided to take this week off to relax, spend time with the family, and prepare for an exam. yesterday he took jack fishing off the dock at grandpa's.

last night, while trying to fall asleep, i kept thinking about how great jack is. it was a good day. so i decided that i wanted to do a special post about jack to let everyone know how cool he is. and then i thought i should do it for each of the kids. so the next few posts will be dedicated to each of our special friends.

creative juices

2011-09-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

we made our first visit of the spooky season to party city yesterday. I'm so glad that my kids like halloween as much as i do! which leads me to quite the conundrum: what should we be for halloween???

i am always thinking about it through the entire year. all year long the kids tell me that they want to be this or that for halloween, but usually they are something that my basic sewing talents can't quite conjure up, something like a paragon falcon that doesn't just pretend to fly. my biggest problem is that i want us to all go together.

in my perfect world, our whole family (extended fam as well) would all dress up as a different character from harry potter. even as a ward. wouldn't that be amazing! i would love love LOVE to be bellatrix and chris be he-who-must-not-be-named. or the malfoys. chris would be a great lucius malfoy. oooo! i would also love to be arthur and molly weasley. man, it would be impossible to decide. charlie of course would be dobby and jack would love to be harry again, for the third time. I'm not sure who ellie would want to be, but if i could pick, based off of looks and personality, she would totally be draco. i mean look at that face under the batman mask. when i texted chris the pic, his response was, "ellie looks like a stone cold killa".... is that not fitting of the malfoy family?! my mom and dad could totally be hagrid and madame maxime.

how about the rest of you, any ideas for this year?

it feels like a long time

2011-09-11T23:14:00.001-04:00

it hasn't really been that long since I've blogged, but it feels that way. so, here is a very random update on our clan. and because i can't seem to bring myself to post with out some pictures, there are some random photos scattered through out to go along with my random thoughts. photos of me as a kid, my parents on their honeymoon in mexico (i think it was their honeymoon, not positive), chris and i on our honeymoon in jackson hole, and fat booth pics of my own little ones from my iphone.

so, here goes.

i started "training" last week for a 5k.

my new friend, amy, is training carolina and i to go from coach potato to 5k in 9 weeks. she says its fool-proof. i just keep hoping I'm not the one fool that proves her wrong :) we are aiming for a race in late october/early november. i wouldn't say that i hate running, because that implies that i have run before, but its just been so long since i've done anything like this. so it will be good. in fact, i ran in the rain the other night and actually loved it.

(little sister alli and i sportin' our coconuts that mom and dad brought back from hawaii. notice my hacked bangs. i did that more than once.)

ellie is starting preschool tomorrow.

she is beside herself and set out her clothes tonight, just like jack does.

it's once a week and there are three other moms from church who are jointing in. it should be a lot of fun for her. she will be the only girl, which somehow always equates into being special. aka spoiled. speaking of special...

charlie is crawling all over the place.

he has been for a couple weeks now. the tops of his toes are getting blisters so he has his first pair of shoes... those ugly little leather things that can't fall off. i love those things! and so does charlie.

football season has started. 'nuff said.

(jack, ready for his first game. 5 days old.)

jack earned a pinewood derby race car.

we went to a derby at the beginning of the year and jack wanted a car so badly. we told him if he could go for one whole week without sucking his thumb that he could get one. it's taken a while, but he did it! he and chris (i feel like i have to say that even though it should just say chris) spent most of saturday morning cutting and sanding and painting and perfecting jack's speedster.

chris and i are daydreaming of where the future will take us.

we only have 6 months left of school. and i have a feeling they are going zoom right past us. the time to apply for jobs is fast approaching. after being absolutely positive for the longest time that we wanted to either stay in florida, or head to ohio to be near family, we have changed our minds. and I'm so glad we have the freedom to do that. i feel like i am stuck. in a rut. and i need to grow a little. something that will challenge us to grow together as a little family. we want to go somewhere new and experience new places. we want to go somewhere close to a lot of church history, american history, and outdoor recreational diversity. and we decided that there is no time like the present to do it!

after searching quite a bit all over, we have been drawn to the southeast and are seriously looking into north carolina. we aren't set on anything and don't know where we will truly end up, but the charlotte area is making us giddy with anticipation!

charlie had diarrhea for a week straight.

hey, i had to include it as it's been a major part of our lives this week.

(my dad gave me this bike for my 4th or 5th birthday. he spray painted it white that fades into pink and it had a banana seat with purple stars on it. there are no words to describe the excitement i felt when i woke up and saw this next to my bed on my birthday morning)

charlie is weened!!!

the boy has 6 teeth and is the size of a small sumo wrestler. it was time.

i was able to far surpass my goal of two months and feel quite proud of myself. now if only i could get that handsome boy to sleep through the night then we could finally make it to harry potter world :)

(i grew up thinking my mom was the most beautiful woman in the entire world and i still do. this picture is the perfect example of how i remember my mom from when i was pretty little. isn't she gorgeous in this red suit?! i love it)

only one week left of chris' crazy clinal rotations!

yahoo! yippee!

after more than three months of him coming and going, you'd think i could say good bye one last time without tears. you'd think i could, but i couldn't. he sure makes me a happy girl when he is near.

and on the tenth anniversary of september 11th, my heart is filled with gratitude for this incredible country. i hope i can do an adequate job teaching my children to love and respect their country that our loving Father in Heaven has given us.

"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining."

George W. Bush, 9-11-2001

sights and sounds of...

2011-08-30T10:57:00.004-04:00

... a browne family

YARD SALE!

dad browne, bo, and a friend from church set up a big yard sale in our yard this past saturday. jack and ellie wanted in on the action so we baked some chocolate chip cookies and grandma made some rice crispy treats and sold them along with strawberry lemonade. ellie didn't last very long, but jack stayed out and sold the goods from 7:30 - 12:30! i think he has inherited the browne family business genes. he made $15!

grandma, layna, rikki, larissa, and i stayed inside with the kids and had a grand time. it was nice to be able to stay in the air conditioning and watch the people coming and going :)

that evening we all met up for some of chris' tasty spare ribs, corn bread and baked beans. it was a great saturday!

you know you want some

2011-08-16T15:38:00.006-04:00

do you like chocolate?

do you like cheesecake?

do you have a brain?

if you answered yes to any of these questions, then you must try making this decadent chocolate cheesecake.

death by chocolate.

and what a way to go!

one of my favorite things in this world is the godiva chocolate cheesecake from the cheesecake factory. chris and i usually share a piece. and by share i mean that by the time chris has a fork in his hand i have downed half of it and have to remind myself that i am a human being in a public place and must be somewhat civilized.

well, this is the closest recipe that i have found to the godiva chocolate cheesecake that is easy to make. so, do yourself and all of your loved ones a favor and make this cheesecake. its scrumptious!

oh! it must have a heaping dollop of whipped cream on top... and none of that canned stuff!

Decadent Chocolate Cheesecake

from melskitchencafe.com

*Note: This cheesecake needs to be chilled overnight so plan ahead! The good news is this cheesecake can be made all the way through the topping, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days before serving. It is preferable to let the cheesecake stand at room temperature 1-2 hours before serving.

*Serves 8-10

Crust:

9-ounce package of chocolate cookies (such as chocolate wafers, graham crackers or teddy grahams)

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (use the best quality you can afford – I love the Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chips and I’m not ashamed to admit I buy them in bulk, often, at Sam’s Club)

4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 large eggs

Topping:

3/4 cup whipping cream

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

Chocolate curls for garnish

For crust:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch-high sides (or use a 10-inch springform pan with 2-inch sides). Process the chocolate cookies in a food processor (or the old-fashioned way with a bag and a rolling pin) until they are finely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl and mix in the sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom only of the prepared pan. Bake just until set, about 5 minutes. Cool while preparing filling. Keep the oven heated at 350 degrees.

For filling:

Melt the 10 ounces of chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler until melted and smooth. Cool the chocolate until lukewarm but ensure that it is still warm enough to be pourable. In a large bowl (or with a stand mixer), blend cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Mix in lukewarm chocolate. Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust; smooth the top. Bake until the center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of cake to loosen. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

For topping:

One hour before serving (or up to 3 days ahead of time), stir cream, 6 ounces chocolate, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Pour over the center of the cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edge and filling any cracks. Chill until the topping is set, about 1 hour.

When ready to serve, release the springform pan sides. Transfer the cheesecake to a platter. Top with chocolate curls.

this week we...

2011-08-12T10:37:00.003-04:00

watched cinderella for the first time.

and then three more times after that.

had a lot of "ellie and mommy" time while jack was at school and charlie napped. we've been doing alphabet crafts, cooking, and pretending.

ignored four tantrums at the store.

(ellie 3, jack 1)

took a roll of pictures with the diana mini.

had one of those mom panic attacks. you know, the ones where you think you are the absolute worst mom in the world because you yell and spank and give in and do all those things that moms should NOT do.

stayed up till one reading half of Jane Eyre for the first time.

let charlie lick a sucker. he was a fan!

incidentally, we also bought his first toothbrush this week too.

burned two bagels.

went to sophie's house for a fun craft and play time.

lost a load of laundry.

i found it 3 days later. in the dryer.

taught jack some basic italian words.

like bellisimo, ciao, grazie, buena notte,

a pizza pie-ah, italian-o greyhound-o. the basics.

made my first real cheesecake.

missed our dad.

snuggled in mommy's bed before school.

all in all, its been a pretty good week at la casa de brower.

veinte seis

2011-08-12T09:29:00.012-04:00

it's true.

i am 26.

we had the most spectacular get together last friday when chris returned home.

rikki was the mastermind behind the decor and lari the food.

needless to say,

it was all INCREDIBLE!

i think i'll turn 26 every year.

thank you everyone for cards and phone calls, i have the best family and friends anyone could ever hope for!

any guesses on what she's cookin?

here's a big hint:

CREPES!

yummy, delicious, nutella-filled crepes!

we also had other tempting fillings including:

puddings

lemon curd

blueberries

strawberries

bananas

and lots of nuts

truth be told,

i ate three crepes in all and then licked the nutella spoon!

jack and rik taking a picture of each other

opening gifts with three very capable helpers!

a DIANA MINI!!!!!

please, don't be jealous.

i'll be posting pics of my first roll when they are developed.... I'm feeling giddy with anticipation!

a tortilla press!!!

i will finally be able to roll out tortillas without feeling my arms wobble to and fro!

a cookie scoop!!!

now i can have perfectly even cookies every time! eek! I'm so excited to test it out!

these two pictures are the result of letting a three year old be in charge of the camera

big man on campus

2011-08-08T17:12:00.003-04:00

it's official!

our little family now has to implement the rule:

not on a school night

here is jack at school saying, "mom why do you have to take another picture?"

he walked right in, put his backpack in his cubby, washed his hands, and found his name at the table. then he got up and gave me a quick hug and kiss and then said, "you can go now mom". i had to sign him in and do a couple other things before i left and when i turned around to look at him as i left, he looked up and blew me a kiss and went back to his puzzle. i think he will be just fine in pre-school!

ellie, on the other hand, wouldn't even walk into the building without crying and grabbing onto my leg. walking into the classroom was a definite NO. she stood in the hallway crying until i came out. hopefully seeing how happy jack is going to school will help her prepare for next year.

when i picked jack up, he was all smiles! his teacher, mrs. louisa, said he "has an incredibly extensive vocabulary" and she was quite impressed.

he colored pictures, had circle time, dressed up as a police man and then a fireman, played on the play ground and "thats about it" he said.

his school, discovery day academy, is really nice. its brand new and very very clean. the outside area is awesome with playgrounds and easels that they will paint landscapes on (the cool part- its just a piece of plastic in a wood frame that they just hose off when the day is over! pretty nifty). there are cameras everywhere that we can check out on their website and watch whats going on all the time. in order to sign him in and out, we use a finger scan. its pretty crazy! actually, i think its a little scary that its gotten so bad that we have to have cameras and finger scans, but i guess its comforting to know our little jackie is safe :)

here's to a successful year!

cabana boy

2011-08-02T23:02:00.004-04:00

this is the cutest boy in the world. ever. absolutely. positively.

and he loves the pool.

and he has a secret.

shhhhh, don't tell grandpa!

charlie prefers to swim in the buff

but with a tush that dimpled and sweet, how could he not?

and grandma can't resist it...

charlie had his 6 month check up in july and everything is going great!

he was 22 1/2 lbs (97%) and 98% in length. I'm sure he has added a pound or two since then.

he is sitting up pretty well now, gets up on his hands and knees and has even taken a few crawls with his knees, but his hands are slow to follow. which, if you were wondering, results in a face plant. he doesn't say any real distinct sounds yet.

he is getting better at eating solids and enjoys sweet potatoes the most. today he tried to wave to jack and ellie several times. even though it resembled a cat pawing at the air, it was adorable, not to mention the older kids felt pretty special. he is still refusing to ween to a bottle, much to my chagrin. but i really can't complain. this boy brings smiles to everyone around him!

bowling balling

2011-08-02T22:20:00.005-04:00

we went "bowling balling" last weekend for the first time with the littles. j and e had a blast and c was happy being passed between us and chomping on his toes. jack may have even beat me the first round :)

athletics (yes, even bowling is "athletic" for me) really truly are not my forte.

afterwards we went to the mercato, ate at chipotle (something i am actually good at) and then went for a lovely walk. jack was able to point out many words and sound them out till he was able to read them. i am so so SO excited about his progress. he is awesome! it was a nice way to spend time with chris while he was home for the weekend. i have a feeling these next 7 weeks are going to be harder than the three solid weeks he spent in port st. joe.

another cool update about jack (that i should have posted a few weeks ago):

he's lost 2 of his bottom teeth!

this picture that chris took on his phone reminds me slightly of a mug shot.

what a big kid jack is turning into.

he starts preschool next week and i have a feeling he will be the biggest and the oldest one in his class. he is jumping with excitement for monday... and so am i! i have had a hard time trying to come up with ideas that will stretch his brain. he is so intelligent and he's always surprising me with all of the facts he knows, especially about animals. his favorite of which are predators- he tells me that regularly. he started sounding out words over a week ago and the first word he read entirely on his own, without having to sound out before hand was "fat". when i started to cheer for him and he realized what he did, he started to cry! i gave him a hug and he nudged me away. he can be a softie, but doesn't want anyone to know it!

a slimy weekend

2011-07-26T21:55:00.007-04:00

our weekend was filled with slimy

and i don't mean slimey, oscar's pet worm, from sesame street.

but rather slimy, as in goo!

welp, its true. you have to be creative when you have friends over that are under the age of 25 (or in this case, 12). over the past 4 days, we have made slime twice and have had a grand time! its cheap, its easy, its messy, and its fun... what can be better?

thanks sophie, chelsey, emily, nathan, and alex for getting your goo on!

in the background of some of the pictures you can catch a glimpse of a word wall that the kids water painted today. they painted the alphabet and left plenty of room under each letter so they can match words with their corresponding beginning letter and/or sound. i wish i could say i had thought of that idea on my own, but alas, it was from carolina- the pre-schooling genius!

as i type this, at ten o'clock at night, i can hear the lovely word wall falling to the floor. aww well, it was a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon

birthday booth

2011-07-21T23:09:00.010-04:00

I'm going to give you a fair warning and tell you straight-up that there are 28 photos in this post...

28 photos that will rock your world!

thanks to everyone who came,

ate donuts,

took these silly pics,

and celebrated with us!

i hope you had as much fun as we sure did!

after the party and a few too many swigs of chocolate milk,

things got a little crazy.

we ladies laughed so hard that we went into laughing/crying hysterics and i realize its just one of those times that "you had to be there", but i can't think about it without a hearty chuckle.

i took this video clip while rikki and mom thought i was taking a picture.

chris hadn't looked at any of these pictures till he was at school and studying in the library. during a little break he checked out the pictures and watched this video. the library probably wasn't the best place to watch a video of my mom and rikki with mustaches. he thought it was great, so i added it for him... and everyone else :)

Chris is 31 & Manly

2011-07-21T22:05:00.006-04:00

we went all out and celebrated chris' birthday to the fullest.

it was the:

"chris is 31,

so lets party

like a man"

party

the front of the invites:

forget cake!

a real man wants...

DONUTS

chris' tower to man-hood:

why yes, those are

BENNET'S DONUTS

what's that? whats that you say?

what are bennet's donuts?

"i don't know. you can't explain them. bennet's donuts are like... well, its like asking someone what salt tastes like, you can't explain it" -the birthday man

i think the best way to describe them is:

scrumtrulescent.

no.

utterly devine.

still not right.

maybe

slap-you-silly.

nay,

life changing.

yes, that's it!

life changing is the best way to describe these little pillows of fluffy, fried, tender deliciousness.

(you can trust me on that one because i was willing to leave the house at 7 am, race down to ft. myers for fresh glazed, maple & bacon, chocolate w/sprinkles, and peanut butter & chocolate donuts, race back home, and get pulled over for the first time in my life and receive a warning that would have been a whopping $450 ticket because i sped through a construction zone- all for these donuts) ((in my defense, i was driving with traffic))

they are THAT good.

back to the party!

what truly manly party would be complete without a few (hundred) mustaches?

rikki and i put together a little photo booth for the guests.

it was a hoot!

i have about a billion photo booth pictures for the next post

and we ended the night in flames!

happy 31st christopher!

here's to another fantastic year that will be filled with adventures and opportunities.

i love you man!

Thank You, Harry

2011-07-21T21:51:00.004-04:00

i can't believe it's over. rikki, carolina, mom and i went opening night. i pretended like i forgot my robe and wand and rikki said, "i knew you were too chicken to wear it!" and as soon as we got to the theater, i whipped it out!

i think i cried through at least a third of the movie. i didn't sob like this one poor lady. it was a very quiet and important scene and all of the sudden we hear some lady GASP for breath... i felt for her, but wanted to laugh at the same time because, c'mon, it was funny!

it's been 10 years of obsession and i have LOVED every second of it.

so along with the rest of the world-

Thank You, Harry!

...ok ok OK! i had a little break down on saturday night too!

I CANT BELIEVE ITS OVER!!!

he said she said (part 2)

2011-07-14T11:07:00.003-04:00

last july i pretended to be a reporter and interviewed the kids. i thought it would be fun to do it again, a year later, to see what has changed. as it turns out, only one thing has stayed the same: jack's favorite word to say :)

(because ellie cant make the "rrr" sound, i will replace all R's with a W)

what's your favorite food?

j: i like, um... eh... grouper

e: cheese!

what's your favorite color?

j: purple and pink and brown

e: pink and gween

what's your favorite thing to do?

j: um, go to grandmas and ride (bikes) and swim and go to the beach and fish on the beach

e: colow wiff gween and pink

what's your favorite movie?

j: a clark movie

e: spickle me and twain yow dwagon

(despicable me and how to train your dragon)

favorite thing to wear?

j: my superman shirt

e: a skiwt that twiwlls and a gween shiwt

least favorite thing to do?

j: sitting in a hot car

e: playing wiff bad bawbies

favorite animal?

j: cheetahs because they run at super speed!

e: howses and ponies

if you could be an animal, what would you be?

j: could i be a transformer instead? cause i'd want to be a bumblebee transformer

e: a huge, big, humongous giant

favorite word to say?

j: fish

e: chawlie

your favorite thing to dream about?

j: batman. oh no! i mean clark, yeah clark kent

e: pwincesses and ponies (giggle giggle)

favorite treat?

j: saltwater taffy from bass pro

e: popsicles

favorite chore?

j: washing the car with my hands

e: typing and scwubbing the toilet

which super hero would you be?

j: clark kent!

(said with a DUH tone in his voice)

e: supew snack

(super snack is the hero she has made up for herself and pretends to be while jack is superman)

favorite book?

j: captain abdul's pirate school

e: a pwincess one

what would you like to do if you were an adult?

j: i would like to go to the hospital and work on people and i would also like to... eat more treats after dinner

e: be a big humongous giant!

hippogriffs and hungarian horntails!

2011-07-13T16:32:00.003-04:00

in approximately 54 hours i will be watching the opening scene of the last harry potter film ever made, with a hankie in hand. it's such a bittersweet feeling! of course i am bummed that the movie series is coming to an end after 10 years, but im so excited to see the movie and spend that magical excitement with family and friends. and because i am a freak and have always wanted to go in character- my robe and wand are ready to go... and so is my waterproof mascara :( i've been thinking about what i will miss the most and theres the obvious things like having the excitement of a book or movie release and watching all of the characters grow and mature. but i think most of all, i am going to miss the weasleys. i love that family. if i could choose my own wizarding family it would definitely be theirs! and yes, i am THAT big of a HP freak that i've thought about it... often... :)

alright, i better move on as im feeling a little cryball in my throat.

arent those cookies the cutest?! they are from www.bakingdom.com and she is having an awesome giveaway for full-time HP fans that are bakers on the side :) you all better check it!

new tricks

2011-07-07T16:20:00.002-04:00

look at charlie's new trick!

he cant sit on his own yet, but he's up on his knees and rocking...

i think he is wanting to be part of all the action around here!

look at those yummy cheeks! i just cant get enough of 'em!

this guy started reading lessons last week. he is learning all of his essentials right now and is really enjoying his special time (both with his teacher and with mom in between lessons)

and i had to add this picture of our sweet friend liam, not only because he is absolutely adorable, but because ellie took this picture. i guess that is her new trick!

and chris gets home tomorrow night

YIPEE!

the 4th on the 2nd

2011-07-03T21:59:00.009-04:00

our ward celebrated the 4th yesterday, which was the 2nd. we had a wonderful time. the primary presidency was in charge of some entertainment in between dinner and fireworks to occupy the little ones... and entertain we did!

i have the absolute best counselors in the world! last night just reminded me how lucky i am to serve with two great friends. i really am so blessed.

order of events:

flag tag

three-legged race

tin-foil statue of liberty's

bike parade

pie-eating contest

face painting/sparklers

tight rope walking

human cannonballs

elephant rides

wait, huh?!

ok, those last three might be fibs

running around like a psycho to put the events together, keeping track of 3 littler psychos, playing games with all the primary-aged kids (you thought i was going to say psychos, didnt you!) and trying to take pictures just didnt add up. so after an hour or so, the camera was put away. thanks to everyone for all of your help (especially you melica! i owe you a couple hours worth of babysitting... or maybe a night out together!)

here is what i got:

ellie and ellie during the three-legged race

nathan and sydney

lily, chelsey, and alex as lady liberty

bryce buddy

baby katelyn

charlie chunk

dont you hate when you realize someone was taking a candid shot of you? i love you dad. and i love how handsome you are in pink.

during the fireworks i had charlie crying on one knee because he was so sleepy, ellie crying on the other because the fireworks were too loud, and jack crying in the seat next to me because he grabbed a smoldering hot sparkler and blistered two fingers. just as i was telling myself to just enjoy the moment because there was nothing i could do, jack spilled a full glass of ice water on my lap.

we are so looking forward to daddy's return on friday.

happy 4th!

im proud to be an american!!!

concerts for dessert

2011-06-28T23:12:00.007-04:00

after dinner tonight, jack asked what was for dessert. when i told him nothing, he looked puzzled. after a few seconds he said, "whats a concert, can i have that for dessert?"

so we had a concert for dessert tonight.

they made their own instruments and asked charlie and i to sing.

we are heading out on tour this fall, so book us now if you're interested before its too late ;)

oh, and our band name is, of course, dessert.

completely irresistible.

2011-06-26T22:14:00.004-04:00

white chocolate and dark chocolate

charlie and sophie are too sweet for words.

larissa posted this on her blog and i just had to borrow it... their cuteness deserves to be shared with all :)

what's up

2011-06-24T22:14:00.022-04:00

we have been missing daddy this week.

chris left for port st. joe on sunday. we have been able to skype and talk on the phone so it hasnt been too painful thus far... but there's still two weeks to go.

this post is for you chris :)

while you have been busy studying and working (aka- trying oysters, seeing the sights, eating bbq, and hanging out with docs), here are some of the things we have been "into" this week:

MAMA

making truffles

thinking about your birthday that we will miss

and hoping you have enjoyed your b-day countdown via email

latest book club read

(for those that have read the book, we had chocolate pie and co-colas y'all. i even dressed up in my best 60's hair and make-up... have i mentioned i love book club? oh, just checkin!)

JACKSTER

animal crackers dipped in left-over chocolate from truffles

his first loose tooth!

school school school (starts in august!)

getting excited about special reading lessons starting next week.

today he picked out a new backpack and a binder and pencils.

not just superman,

clark kent

being "the man of the house" while you are away

ELLIE GIRL

forget the animal crackers,

she went straight for the fingers dipped in chocolate...

just like her mama

obsessed with owls all of the sudden.

she checked out books at the library and decided

she likes the snowy owls best.

painting her nails in "tart deco" and "cajun shrimp"

and showing off those stylin' tootsies and digits!

CHARLIE MAN

playing with his TWO new teeth!

... but he's still smiling!

and he's decided he is a side-sleeper

and, of course, milk

we miss you so!

hope week #2 goes as well as #1

... for all of us :)