At least I'm consistant!

Oh Lord. I'm awful at this. Here's an update on the Brown's, what we've been up to, what we're doing & what we're going to do.

Rob: He & a bunch of our really GREAT friends put a new roof on the house this Spring. They worked against the weather & had it done in no time. It looks great! Professional even.

Rob was in Waterloo IA last week for his annual work convention, so I was single momin' it. Boy am I glad to have him home. (Even if he did send me a picture of him with his arm around another woman. Long story short, he thought that she looked just like me. Even spit out the liquid he had in his mouth when he saw her I guess.) He got to meet Ron from NBC's Biggest Loser & a guy from TLC's The Little Couple.
He (maybe I should say that I have) has all kinds of projects for him to do around the house. A fence, sandbox, landscaping, new tile on the foyer, etc... Hopefully we can get it all done.

Mollie: She's getting ready to celebrate her 6th Birthday & is very excited about it. She has decided to have a Fancy Nancy Party, and has invited all of the girls from her class & Girl Scouts. I'm hoping it's nice out so that we can have her party outside.

She finished Kindergarten and is officially a 1st Grader. At dinner on the last night of school, I looked over & she was crying. I asked what was wrong & she was sad because she wouldn't be able to see Mrs Andresen for the whole summer. She really liked her teacher which made me feel really good. Mrs Andresen had taken pictures of the kids all year & made a video for them. She gave each of the kids a copy to take home. It's really cute. Mollie watched it EVERY night for the first 2 weeks after school got out.

Mollie's a busy girl this summer. She had bible school, swimming lessons, Leif Ericson Daycamp, golf, play dates & birthday parties. The summer is going to fly by for her.

Ava has been loving life to the fullest. She is into so much. I think she has the most fun seeing what she can find to get in trouble with. She has this crazy obsession with climbing into Char's Bay window. Gets her into trouble everytime. She started swimming lessons this summer & is having a great time. She wants to be outside every waking minute. I think she'd sleep outside if I let her.

Elleh: Celebrated her 1st Birthday at the beginning of May. She had a great time with the cake. Elleh decided that she had had enough of the crawling thing & decided that she was going to start walking the middle of May. It's pretty funny to see her trying to "run" to keep up with her older sisters. After 9 ear infections since the middle of February, Elleh finally got the tubes put in her ears. What a God send. She's been a different little girl ever since. Now if those darn molars would just push through! She loves to look at books, drag her baby around, and be outside. She really likes to swing & go for bike rides.

I have been busy chasing after the girls', and trying to help Rob with whatever projects he's tackeling. This week, we pulled everything out of Mollie & Ava's room & decided to paint & rearrange things. I'm not sure what gets into us sometimes, but oh well, here we go!

Dad decided that he misses Pierre entirely to much & decided that he wanted to go back. We had a Primary, June 8th. Let's just say he opened up a can of you know what on his opponents! So, now we're off to the General election in November. Wish us luck! Rob & I both have bicycles now, ans a trailer & seat for the back of my bike. Problem is that since we got everything, we haven't been able to go for a single bike ride! It's sunny & warm today, hopefully that will stick around for a while & we'll be able to break everything in.

David & Janet were able to make a quick trip back to Sioux Falls for her mother's 90th Birthday. We had a great visit. Mollie & Ava were very excited to see him.

We have 2 family reunions this year, one of them out in the Hills, so we're making a mini vacation out of that. I'm excited to take the girls out there. I think they will have a blast.

No babies yet, but both Jill & Rachel are doing well. Jill has been put on bed rest, but only to make sure that she stays pregnant. Both Jill & the babies are doing well.

I should get back to getting my list of "to-do's" done. I'll update again as soon as possible.

Boy oh Boy!

So, I'm really AWFUL at keeping up on this!

Here's a bit of a run down on what's been going on since the LAST time I posted.

Elleh & I went to see Dr Todd, an Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist. After 4 severe ear infections in less than a month, (she had one while we were seeing him by the way,) he said that it wouldn't be a matter of if, but when she would need tubes. He told me to talk it over with Rob & let them know. There's wasn't a whole lot of talking to be done. It needs to be done. Now we just need to get it scheduled, but need to have her ear infection/antiobiotic free first. Hopefully we're on that road & can get it scheduled soon. She has 8 teeth now, is on the verge of walking & will be 1 in less than 3 weeks! I can't believe how the time flies!

Rob & I made a trip to Kingsport TN in March. We got to spend some great time with family & I FINALLY got to see a race at BMS! It was amazing! Everyone should experience it at least once. We went to the Nationwide Race on Saturday (and picked up a nice sun burn), and the Sprint Cup Series on Sunday (wearing our poncho's & long sleeves, trying to stay dry & warm). Our seats were great & we got a smokin deal on tickets thanks to my husbands crafty skills. We paid $50 for the pair of tickets on Saturday, (box office price was $80 for one), and we paid $80 for a pair of tickets on Sunday (box office price of 1 of the tickets was $120)! WOO-HOO. Although, he wasn't very impressed that we paid $30 to park on Sunday, then walked another 2 miles to the track! We had a great time seeing Grandpa, Grandma, Mike & Jake. It's BEAUTIFUL out there. The weather reminded me a little of good ole' South Dakota. It was sunny & 70's on Saturday, low 50's & rainy on Sunday & then 37 & snow on Monday. I wasn't planning on snow for my birthday!

Ava wants to be outside or at Grandma & Grandpa's 24 hours a day. She doesn't understand why she can't go to Sunday School, play soccer, and do all the other things that Mollie does. It's really hard to understand that you have to wait until you're 4 to do those things. Especially when you're only 3! Four is a long time away! She loves to be my "Big Helper". I think she's getting a bit excited to ride a big girl bike, but still a bit scared!

Mollie lost her first tooth! She was bound & determined to pull that tooth. She went to my dad & said "just yank it out Grandpa!" They tried & tried, but no luck. I jokingly said to her, "Mollie, why don't you tie a string around Ava's remote control car, the other end around your tooth & then make the car go!" Wouldn't you know it, Mollie disappeared & 5 minutes later came back with the car, floss tied around the axel of the car, the remote for the car, and asking my dad for help tying the other end of the floss around her tooth. They worked & worked at getting the floss tied around her tooth & finally, it "popped"right out. Dad didn't know that it had come out. We had to look for it & found it in the cushion of the couch.

Mollie & Daddy started Spring Soccer. They really seem to like it! Their first game was last Saturday. The weather was beautiful. Girl Scout Cookie sales are done & Mollie did a great job! She sold 116 boxes of cookies. Her goal was to sell 50 boxes. What a little salesman! Maybe a future in Insurance, haha!

We are putting a new roof on the house next weekend, and sometime after that, we will be putting new tile on the foyer. We got a piano & when it was moved in, it cracked a few of the tiles that are down now, so it needs to be replaced. Rob wants to build a snadbox around the playset for the kids, put a fence up & do some landscaping. Should be a busy Spring/Summer for us. Expensive too!

We have been busy helping Jill & Patrick get their house ready to put on the market. Lots of removing wall paper, painting, packing, cleaning & storing! Hopefully they can have their house on the market sometime next week & will have a quick sell!

Matt is about finished with the walls in dad's lower garage, so hopefully they can get the electrical done before the permit expires at the end of the month. They also bought cupboards, cabinets & counter tops for the pantry & will be installing that sometime soon. It's going to be a busy summer!

Dad is running for re-election for District 11 House of Representatives. He has a Primary in June & then the General Election in November. Wish us luck! If you're looking to volunteer, I could sure use you!

Oh MY~ More exciting news. Not only is Jill having twins, but Matt & Rachel are expecting a baby in October! Christmas is going to be so much fun this year!!!!

~Until next time~

I'm SICK of SICKNESS!

LORD HELP ME!!!

Well, Mollie didn't get to go to her Birthday Party that I talked about last time. She wound up with Strep. That was only the beginning.... We got her the antibiotic for the strep, got her healed up, then found out that Elleh had a SEVERE ear infection. It was so bad that the Dr was worried that her eardrum might burst. Got her an antibiotic & healed up.















She healed up just in time for Ava's 3 birthday party. That was a BLAST. Thanks to my in-laws, and my mother-in-laws connections, we went to the Ramkota Hotel & had a swimming party. The girls had SO much fun swimming with all of their friends. Ava wasn't happy when we told her that she had to get out to eat something, but could get back in later. She wasn't buying it. We had her family party on Sunday, her actual birthday & she was spoiled beyond belief!

















Then the following week, back to the Dr. Tink & I both wound up with Strep. Back to the Pharmacy. I had to laugh when the Pharmacist asked me if I had any questions about the antibiotic. The two of us healed up just fine.

Today, after 4 days of dealing with Elleh being miserable & things only getting worse for her and a temp of 102 under her arm this morning, we took her back to the Dr. I was near panicked. She had such a high fever & was so lethargic. I was scarred that they were going to tell me that she had RSV & needed to be hospitalized. Dr Carrie ran the RSV & Influenza tests, both of which came back negative thank goodness. That's the good news. The bad news is that Little Miss Elleh has a double ear infection, a sinus infection, bronchitis, two bottom teeth poking through & diaper rash from hell! That little thing is so miserable. Mom & Dad are too! Dr Carrie gave her a stronger antibiotic & set us up with an appointment to see Dr Todd, an ENT specialist to see about tubes for Elleh. Please say some prayers that whatever she needs done, happens. What ever is best for her.
Hopefully we're on the road to recovery..........
Here's hoping that all of you are happy & HEALTHY. Bring on SPRING!!!
Until next time~

~TGIF~

Well, it's FRIDAY! Thank goodness for that. I'm done with this week. It' seems that there's always something going on & never time to just relax!
Monday night, Rob & I had our Dave Ramsey class, Tuesday night Mollie & I had girl scouts, Wednesday & Thursday Rob and I took turns being home with a sick Mollie, and here we are at Friday already! I'm going to make up for the hectic week this weekend though! Tomorrow Mollie has a birthday party to go to, then Mom & Dad are having a Chili Bowl/Birthday/Valentine's Day party at their house, then Sunday, we are having a DAYTONA 500 party at our place. YEAH NASCAR!!!! I can't wait. The truck race is tonight, Busch race is on Saturday & the 500 is Sunday!!! WOO-HOO. Can ya tell I'm excited!
Mollie is out of school until Tuesday of next week. President's break. She wasn't very impressed about the break from school, but had a GREAT time at the Valentine's Day party at school.
Ava hasn't caught the bug yet. Keep your fingers crossed for me! She's still as ornery as ever. Her birthday is next week. I can't believe she'll be 3!
Elleh is teething & not very happy about that. She has 2 on the bottom & 4 on top. I'm not sure where the other ones are coming through just yet, but she is drooling non-stop, chews on everything, had a low grade fever, diaper rash & teething tablets are our best friends! Poor Baby! She's also found that she isn't very good friends with the stairs at the house. Going up is alright, but she can't understand why she can't "fly" down them like Mollie & Ava without getting hurt. Man does she get mad & scream when that happens.
OH~OH~OH~OH I finally get to share some exciting news! My sister Jill & her husband Patrick decided that they would add to their family. Little did they know that they would double the intended #. Yep. Jill is expecting twins! The little Glovers are due August 31st! Aunt Laura is VERY excited, but then again, I'm not the one going through it!
Well, that's all for this week.
~Until next time!

I jinxed myself!

Well, I said it in the last post. I jinxed myself. In my defense, not entirely my fault. As many of you know, my dad's youngest brother Jeff was diagnosed with cancer at the end of July. He fought so valiantly, but on December 2nd, Jeff's 46th Birthday, he took a turn for the worst. He passed away with his family by his side. I have to thank Rachel! Jeff's fiancee Rachel was our Angel! She is one of the most AMAZING, loving, caring & gentle souls I have ever known. I don't know what any of us would have done with out her. She is a blessing to all of us & I think that I speak for my ENTIRE family when I say that she & her kids are a PERFECT addition & fit to our family! Willie & I were pretty close while I was growing up. I always wanted to spend time with him & do everything that he did. I'll never forget my 6th birthday. He gave me a ride on his new 4 wheeler, and we melted my brand new moon boots. We grew apart the older we got, but the bond was never broken. NO matter what...... Willie NEVER forgot my birthday. He called me every year on March 22nd, the conversation always started the same...."Hey Little Willie! Happy Birthday!" This year is going to be tough! I miss him deeply & think of him often. Jeff loved so many people & so many people loved him!

December came & went in the blink of an eye for us. It was tough to get back into the swing of things, but slowly, we're getting there. There isn't a whole lot to report on Rob & me. Oh wait, there are 2 big things for us this year.

The first: Rob is taking me to Tennessee in March for the Bristol Spring race! Happy Birthday to me. I've been to NASCAR races & tracks before, but never an actual race at Bristol! I can't wait!!!

Second: Rob & I are going on a Caribbean Cruise with the rest of his family in October of 2010 to help celebrate some milestone birthdays. I won't mention the actual number just in case my in-laws read this, but let's just say that I'm excited the temperature will be over 50 degrees!

Mollie: LOVES school. I am amazed at how much she has changed in such a short time. Back in January, over Martin Luther King Day, she was upset with me because I wouldn't let her go to school. I couldn't convince her that no one would be at school because of the holiday. We have 3rd quarter conferences tonight already. Before I know it, summer break will be here. She's making all kinds of friends and is having a blast with Girl Scouts. Any one interested in cookies??? She's also decided that she wants to play soccer again this Spring, bible school, swimming lessons & golf this summer. No wonder the kid doesn't gain any weight! I wish running after her & her sisters had that effect on me!!

Tink: She's a spitfire! We're gearing up for her 3rd Birthday! I can't believe it's here already. I'm not real sure what to get for her birthday. Tink loves to play with little Matchbox cars, Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shop animals & put puzzles together. She also loves to read. I found her this morning reading a story to Elleh when she was supposed to be getting dressed. She keeps asking when she gets to go to school & Sunday School. It's hard to explain to a 2, almost 3 year old that she can go next year!~

Elleh: Well, Elleh is nine months old today & mobile! She finally figured out how to crawl, forward I might add. She pulls herself up on everything & if she's in her walker, watch your ankles! She's on a mission. She has more hair than both of the other two girls combined at this age, 4 teeth on top & 2 on the bottom and has decided that baby food is NOT an option for her anymore. She says "da da dad" & gets SUPER excited when she sees Rob or the girl's.

That's us in a nut shell over the last 2 months. I will do my best to make sure that I post on a regular basis in the future. I hope that everyone is happy, healthy & doing well.

~Until next time~