New Blog

Unfortunately, we've run out of storage space on this site.  After much frustration, debating, etc. I've decided to just switch over to a new blogspot address for now.  So, if you'd like to continue following along with our family adventures, head over to www.thebrownblessings.blogspot.com  Thanks and hope to see you over there!

Busy, Busy Weekend

What a busy weekend we had!  Friday was a hectic day.  Ryker had school in the morning.  I ran to Meijer and out to Dave's Meat Market in Greenfield to pick up supplies for our evening, dropped off the goodies at the house, and picked up Ryker a bit early so we could take Hudson to the doctor. 

Chunky boy gained 7 ounces in a week!

Hudson sees the same pediatrician we do.  She is so patient with Ryker.  He is so curious and inquisitive, especially with medical stuff.  She even let him use her stethoscope to listen to his heart beat.

Hudson had some rattling and a bad cough.  Dr. Anderson had us try a breathing treatment to see if it would help.  I braced myself for a fight since both of my boys have always hated them, but this kid laid back and enjoyed the ride.  He was grinning up at me like crazy.  It cracked me up!

After attempting to get Ryker to nap, he came downstairs with his socks on his hands saying he was Joker and they were his gloves.  He is so funny!

Next up, was an evening with friends.  Anna's birthday is just 2 weeks after mine, so we decided to get together and celebrate.  After playing around with several ideas, we decided to make dinner and stay in and do a DIY wine and canvas night.

I got filets from Dave's Meat Market, made twice baked potatoes, green beans, and bread.  Anna made a salad and was in charge of dessert and wine. :-)

Then it was time for our little art project.  And, a lot of laughs.

We tore apart an old atlas and decoupaged it to a canvas.

Then we put some vinyl letters down and painted over the whole thing.  We peeled off the letters after the paint dried and revealed the maps underneath.

They turned out great and now I'm eager to try some other DIY art for my remaining canvases.

Saturday morning we were back out looking at houses.  We fell in love with one and are putting in an offer.  Prayers we get it and the process is a smooth one would be appreciated!  We ran some errands afterwards and then came home to do a few things. 

Every year, Ryker helps me pick out items and pack a shoebox for a boy his age somewhere else in the world through Operation Christmas Child.  It's a great tradition and one he is learning to enjoy with a giving heart.

Emily picked me up and we saw the final installment of the Twilight Saga.  She and I have seen every movie together and loved this one too!  It was so nice to have kid-free time with my bestie.

After church Sunday we took my parents to see the house we liked and then let Cam nap for a bit.  Sweet, huh?

It was a beautiful day outside and Robert and Ryker enjoyed playing.

We headed over to the McCollister's for lunch with Anna and Tom's families. 

We dropped the kids off with my parents and headed to small group Bible study. 

Whew, what a weekend!

Walkin' in the Woods

Today was a gorgeous day!  High 60s here with bright sunshine.  Hard to believe for November!  We took full advantage.  The kids were sick the day before and were still a bit puny in the morning but were perking up by lunchtime.  We decided to take a walk after lunch back to the woods behind my parents house.  I spent my summers in those woods with my brother and our friends.  We splashed around and fished in the creek.  We built forts and clubhouses and even had a secret club back there.  We played Boxcar Children in the meadow.  It has so many special memories for me and I love that I can take my boys back there too.  The same rock with the same cleft in its side is still in the same spot on the path back to the creek.  I love that in this rapidly changing world that some things still can stay the same. :-)

All my boys on the way back to the woods.

Ryker and I had a great time jumping off this log.

Cam rode on Robert's shoulders most of the way back there.  He enjoyed the ride.

Tuck was ready for a drink once we reached the creek.

The boys were annoyed with my picture taking and would rather have been exploring but they humored me.

Then, it was time for a little fetch.  Our little retriever loves swimming after sticks.

Apparently, Camden thought he was a retriever too.  LOL!  So, he had been trying to get near the water while we were throwing sticks.  I kept corralling him away from the water.  He was standing right next to me a pretty good distance away from the creek when Robert yelled for me to look at Tucker who was on the opposite side of the creek getting a big stick.  In a matter of seconds, Camden was toddling right into the creek.  Robert fished him out quickly, but he was pretty soaked.  I couldn't help but laugh.  This child is such a daredevil!  He looked at us like, "Dude, why are you taking me out of here?!? What's the big deal??"  It may have been warm for November, but definitely not warm enough for us to linger back there with a wet kid. 

Robert hightailed it home with Cam.  Ryker and I took a more leisurely approach.  He wanted me to hold his hand the entire way back.  You got it bud! 

Museum with Aunt Chelle

We met Aunt Chelle and Robert and Nathan at the Children's Museum to play for a couple of hours this afternoon.  We've never been in the later afternoon before since that is our nap time.  Nathan naps mid day though so mornings are out for him.  Plus, if we went late enough, Robert could come with us after school.  It was great because it wasn't very crowded and Robert is so great about keeping an eye on Ryker for me that I can stay with Cam and Hudson without worrying about Ryker too much.

We started out in the dinosaur exhibit as usual. Camden and Nathan are just 9 months apart.  The older Cam gets the better they are at playing together.  They'll be buddies for sure. :-)

Ryker had a great time digging for bones.

Cutest little dinosaur butt ever. ;-)

Ryker was making dinosaur noises and sitting on the eggs. Hilarious! Camden was throwing the eggs...equally as funny.

Camden had Michelle and I a nervous wreck climbing all over this thing, but my child knows no fear and went at it like a mountain climber.

They had a great time in the Egyptian National Treasures area.  They have these bars that the kids are supposed to use to build a wall to reinforce the "mud walls" of the tunnel they have dug out in the excavation.  Instead, the boys were using them to build a barricade at both ends of the tunnel.  They were whispering because the grave robbers were coming.  I love their little imaginations.  So fun!

After the museum, we dropped off Hudson and met Daddy and Aunt Karen are Texas Roadhouse for dinner to celebrate my birthday.  It was a great meal, but Ryker started acting pretty puny and ended up with a fever. :-(  Hoping he feels better soon!

"Wishes"

Honest post coming your way.  No fun pictures of my adorable boys.  Just the truth in our little family.  Things have been a bit rough around here lately.  We were initially set to close on the new house October 8th.  It's been one delay after another and has turned into quite the nightmare.  At this point, we aren't even sure we will get that house after all!  We're praying for God's guidance and direction in the situation and for patience for us.  After two months of living in temporary quarters, we are over it!  Robert and I are ready to have our own home with all of our stuff back and a place for everything.  That being said, yesterday, after receiving more bad news on the house, I wasn't in a great mood.  I was fixing the boys lunch when my brother stopped by.  He could instantly tell something was wrong.  He mentioned that I must've not gotten what I wanted for my birthday (which was the day before).  I had to agree.  This is when Ryker chimed in.  He said, "Yeah, but you made a mish on your cake and that's like wishing on a wishing star.  The wishing star will carry your wish to God and he will hear it and give you what you want."  I'll admit it, I started crying.  It was so sweet and so surprising.  I have no idea where he came up with this concept, but I love that he thinks in terms of praying.  Funny thing is, I never make a wish, even for my birthday, I just simply pray.  I mean, who needs wishes when you have a direct channel to the Almighty!??!   For my "wishes", I thank God for another year of life, my blessings, and usually ask for one or two things I deeply desire at the time and end with an Amen.  This precious boy of mine said just what I needed to hear in that moment to refocus my mind on God.  I know, no matter what, God is good.  I have trust that He knows what is best for me and will send me in that direction. 

"'For I know that plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" - Jeremiah 29:11

Harvest Hoedown

Instead of trick or treating in the very chilly weather, we opted for our church's annual Harvest Hoedown event.  They do such a great job of making a fun night for the kids.  They have tons of yummy treats, bounce houses and other inflatables, carnival games, face painting, and much more.  This year's theme was Heroes, so Ryker dressed as Batman fit right in.  Originally, Aunt Kate, Uncle Dave, and Hudson were going to come along too, but Hudson was sick, so he rested at home instead.  We did get a few pictures of them all dressed up before we left though.

First up was the costume judging area.  Grandma and Grandpa Sheepie have been judges for the past several years.  Camden saw Grandma and took off around the table to see her. :-)

Next up, per Ryker's request, was the face painting.  He was so excited to get a Batman mask painted on.  He kept asking throughout the night if it still looked good.  He was afraid of smudging it or sweating it off. 

Complete and oh so happy!

Next up, was creating some sand art.  He loved this and had a great time with it.

Robert was in class tonight so I had both boys by myself. Trying to keep Camden entertained that whole time was no walk in the park.  He was less than enthused with having to stay in one spot.

So the preschool bounce house was exactly what he wanted!

Then it was time for a few games.

Ryker loved this frog flinging one.

Then, he wanted some cotton candy.  They line was pretty long and I asked him if he was sure he wanted some.  He responded, "Ummm, yeah, I've never tasted it before because you dropped it on the floor last time."  I suddenly remembered getting some of the last of the cotton candy at the end of the night last year and dropping it on the ground before he could eat it.  I couldn't believe he remembered and asked, "How do you remember that?!!?"  He quickly said, "Because I know how to rememeber things!"  I should've known!  This kid can tell you specific events from over 2 years ago.  It's a little scary actually.  I'm afraid he'll never forget all the times I do him wrong...uh oh!

Since most of the activities were geared more for Ryker, Cam didn't get down much.  I was trying to make it more fun for him...he wasn't feeling it.

Tasting cotton candy for the first time ever ;-)

Then he got a balloon animal.  This bumblebee is pretty cool!

Grandma and Grandpa shared a few snacks with us before they headed home for the night.

Ryker played in one of the bounce houses for a bit and then we headed home sweaty and tired. Overall, I'd say it was a great Halloween.

Brown Family Pictures

We recently had family pictures done with Robert's family.  Robert's parents are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary this coming March and we thought this was a perfect Christmas/anniversary present.  They turned out great and I wanted to share a few of them here.  The pictures were done by Jessica Dingledy Photography at Ft. Harrison State Park.

LOVE this great group shot.  The trees were beautiful!

There is an even better family shot in the ones she put in the gallery, but this is the one she put on Facebook.  I say that because I don't love this image of me, but my boys look super handsome. ;-)

LOVE this picture of Camden.  His beautiful blue eyes look amazing with that shirt.  Ryker is a complete goofball, but he's pretty stinkin' cute too!

Robert and I both agree that we look tired in this picture, but it's still sweet. :-)

To see her blog post, click here. You can even see all the pictures in the gallery.  (Hint: The password is my hubby' name. :-))