WOO-HOO 2 Weeks in a row

Wow. I'm proud of myself. Posting 2 weeks in a row! I just jinxed myself!

Well, I survived my week as a single parent! I'm glad he got to go, and I'm happy he had a good time, I'm happy that he got his deer, (even if it is a bit small) but I'm even more happy that he's HOME! It's funny. I had these plans to get all kinds of scrapbooking done while he was gone & guess what.... I didn't even look at my scrapbooking! The house was cleaned, the kids were fed & bathed, I played referee & stopped LOTS of fights, played Barbies, Polly Pockets, little cars, beauty shop & read TONS of stories. Oh yeah, we watched a few movies too. UP is a great Disney/Pixar film. All 4 of us were really glad to have him home on Sunday night. I'm not sure who missed him more. Me or the girls! Now to plan a MOM's night out!!

Everything else is going well! Mollie has been busy with school. Her class is taking a field trip to one of the Nursing Homes next Tuesday. They will be singing some songs, (did you know that there's an Albuquerque Turkey?) reading some poems, and giving each of the residents a turkey that they made. Mollie finished hers last night. It was supposed to be a family project, but it turned out to be mostly mom & Mollie working on it.

Ava had a bit of a fever last night. I gave her some Tylenol & within a few minutes, the fever was broken & she was back to her ornery little self. We call her "Tink" for a reason!

Elleh is moments away from crawling. I haven't decided if she's going to crawl or walk first. She scoots backwards, hasn't figured out the forward part yet, but she would rather hold onto your fingers, stand up & try to move forward that way! Little stinker. I found out this morning, that if something is sitting in front of her, that she isn't supposed to have, and you push it just out of her reach, she gets mad. It's funny. "Ggggrrrrr" she says!

I'm trying to get a picture of the 3 of them for Christmas Pictures. That's easier said than done! I'll post some of the funny ones!

The holidays are right around the corner. I can't believe it! Thanksgiving next week, Christmas will be here before I know it.

I'm AWFUL at this!

Hi Everyone,


So, I'm not Super woman. I sure get myself into a mess of things, thinking that I'll be able to accomplish everything & I'm proving very quickly that I can't. It's been forever since I've updated this Blog. (No thanks to my husband, who offered to help I might add. Haha)


First things first.....All of the Browns are doing very well & have managed to fend off the "plague". So far, knock on wood, we're all healthy. All 5 of us had the first dose of the H1N1 vaccine last Thursday. Elleh was the only one that had to have the shot, the rest of us were able to have the mist. What a relief! The kids have to have a 2nd dose in 30 days.


Here's a little update on each of us.


Rob~Work is going well. He's getting ready to head out to the Hills for Deer Hunting on Wednesday. He's so excited, he's worse than a kid on Christmas morning.


I'm working, trying to be a mom, & wife, doing Girl Scouts with Mollie and trying to keep up with everything in between. Two Fridays ago, I was able to go out with my friend Michelle to a Scrapbooking overnight. I had a blast. It was the first time I've scrapbooked in over a year and a half! I have the itch, just need the time to sit down & do it!


Mollie~She is busy at school, and doing very well I might add. We had our very first Parent Teacher confrences last week. It's really hard not to scream "YES" when the teacher tells you that your daughter is the most polite 5 year old she knows. Mollie loves school & I am AMAZED at everything she has learned so far! She's still in Sunday School, but soccer is done for the season. I think that she & Rob had a really good time doing that together this year. Mollie & I started a Girl Scout troop together this Fall. She seems to enjoy it & is making new friends. Look out, we'll hit you up for cookies in February!


Ava~ Surgery went very well. The recovery took a bit longer than we expected. She had to stay an extra day in the hospital because she wasn't taking any fluids & her oxygen levels would drop while she was sleeping. They got both of those under control & we were able to go home on Saturday. She has healed up nicely & is eating better & better everyday. She was super excited to go back to Char's after she was healed up. I think that mom's, dad's & Grandma's are fun, but other kids are always best!

Elleh~ 6 months already! Where does the time go?!? We have 2 pearly whites that poked through on the bottom over the weekend. I caught her up on all fours the other day. It won't be long. She is such a happy baby. Well most of the time. When she's teething, has wet pants, or is hungry, look out world!

Well, that's our story in a nut shell. I'll update more as often as I can! I hope that everyone is doing well & is happy & healthy!

Love to all!

Update

Hi Everyone~

Well, first off, I have to start by letting you all know that my husband said that he would start posting things if I gave him the log in information. Well, he has the info........ (Haha. Had to give him some grief) but seriously, he said that he will help with the postings, so I'm going to hold him to it.

I have an update on Ava this time. As many of you know, when she was born, she took in a lot of fluid & had to be taken to the NICU after she was born. (Hardest & longest time of my life!) As she grew, she was always very raspy & snored really loud, louder than her dad. We visited with Dr Carlson about it & she said that it was due to the fluid that she took in & that she would grow out of it. When we went to her 2 year check up, Dr Carlson gave her a clean bill of health & then asked if we had any other questions. My first question was, "When is she going to grow out of this raspyness?" "Huumm" Dr Carlson said, "she should have grown out of that by now. Let me take a look." She looked in Ava's mouth & referred us to a Specialist for her tonsils.

We met with Dr Cink at the Ear Nose & Throat clinic. He visited with us & said that he doesn't like to do surgery until the child is 3 - 4 years old, (Ava is 2) and most of the time, when he sees a child, their tonsils are between a 2 and a 3. (Tonsil sizes are determined on a scale from 1 - 4. 1 being the smallest, 4 the largest) He said that he would take a look & we would go from there. He took one look in her mouth and then in her ears & said, "well, they are a 4+, we'll do surgery and remove both the tonsils & the adenoids". There is an opening in the back of her mouth that is about the size of a fingernail, that half moon shape. He asked us if she snored, if she quit breathing in her sleep, & how she ate. We haven't witnessed her not breathing while sleeping, but the other two are definitely things she has issues with. Anyway, surgery is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at Avera. Thanks to Grandma Lynne, Ava will have the best surgical team & the best care the hospital can offer.

I'm OK with the fact that she will have surgery. I know that in the long run, it's the best thing for her. What I'm having issues with is the fact that it's my little girl & that they will be putting her under. I know that she will be in great hands, it's just the "worry wart" mom in me. My head tells me she'll be fine, my heart says, "that's your baby".

I'll keep everyone posted on how everything goes! Wish us luck & send lots of prayers please.

~until next time~

We made it!

Well, WE made it through the first week of Kindergarten & are nearing the end of the 2nd week. Mollie really seems to like school. She talks about her teacher, all the other kids, the things they do & her favorite part, recess! Ava can't figure out why she can't go to school with Mollie!

Her teacher's name if Mrs Andresen & seems to be really good with the kids. We had a curriculum meeting with her last Thursday night. WOW! They have these things called a "Smart Board". What an awesome teaching tool. It's a big white board attached to the wall & a projector on the ceiling that is run through the teachers PC. The lessons are projected onto the board. You touch the screen to make it advance from picture to picture, you can draw pictures, shapes, letters, etc on the board with your finger or use specific pens for it. It's the coolest thing, and my explanation doesn't do it justice. I told Jill, if we had access to those when we were in school, we would all be a lot smarter! Technology is AMAZING!

We walked the kids to school the first day, I had a tough time on the walk to school, but Mollie didn't see it. She was so excited to be going to school. After that, Jill & I took the little ones to the zoo. It was the perfect day for it. It was cool & mid-morning, so the animals were out & about. Very active. After the zoo, we had some lunch, very short naps, then it was back down to the school to meet the girls. It was so nice out, that we hit the pool with the kids after that. The water was a tad bit chilly, but we had a blast anyway.

I called Dr Cink's office, the Ear, Nose & Throat specialist, & set an appointment for Ava for next Wednesday to have them look at her tonsils. Poor thing is miserable. Hopefully they will have a quick & painless solution! Keep your fingers crossed for us! She is LOVING the fact that she gets to go to Char's every day to play with Eyan & Brody.

Elleh is rolling all over the place. Look out world! Here she comes.

Mollie had her first soccer game last Saturday & scored a goal again! She also started Sunday School on Sunday. We keep her busy. Mollie & I are starting a Girl Scout troop together. I'm excited. I think it will be fun for us. If you need cookies, let me know!!!

Have a wonderful weekend! Post you later!

Well hello there~

It's been a while again. This time, we've been busy preparing for Matt & Rachel's wedding.

Things got done & they were married on Saturday night, August 1st, 2009. It was a beautiful ceremony. Pastor Nate gave a wonderful sermon. Rachel was stunning as usual. Matt cleans up pretty well himself! Katlyn was a little princess, and Eyan, well he was a very quiet 2 year old. He had Jill & me nearly rolling in the pews. What a ham! The reception was a ton of fun. Even with all of the fun, I'm glad it's over. Rachel is a wonderful addition to our family! We're excited to have her!

Mollie is getting anxious. School starts in a little less than 2 weeks. She has started to mark off the days on the calendar in her room. She can't wait for school to start, but isn't very fond of the early to bed & early to rise times. I'm excited for her, but a bit sad also. Knowing that my little girl is starting this new chapter in her life pulls at my heart strings. I sometimes wish that I could freeze time & she would stay my little girl forever.

Ava is LOVING the fact that she gets to go to Char's more & more every week. She likes to play with the kids & apparently throw sand. If there was a way to collect what I wash out of her hair every night, we would have a sand box the size of our back yard I think.

Elleh is 3 months old today. I can't believe how time flies. She is sleeping through the night, as long as she's in the swing, and is a very good eater. We tried cereal for the first time last night. It wasn't a huge hit, but wasn't a disaster either. I don't think she was quite sure what to think of it. She has a "bumbo" seat that she loves to sit in. It sits her upright & helps with posture. She tried to get out of it the other night! Scared the bejeebers out of me!

I would like to ask a favor of all of you that read this blog. Please say some extra prayers for my uncle Jeff. My dad's youngest brother was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last week. He is going to be facing some pretty rough times in the weeks ahead & could use some extra prayers. It has metastasized to his liver, bowels, spine & bones. He has said that he's ready to fight this thing with all he's got! Jeff has a 12 year old son, Hunter, that he is fighting for!

Well, I have a 3 month old little girl that thinks I'm starving her. I suppose I should help her out!

Take care!

Oh My!

I have NOT been very good at keeping this up to date & for that, I apologize. WOW. 3 kids & a husband are a lot of work! Here's just a few updates.

On Monday, May 4th, 2009 @ 7:45am, we had another little girl! Elleh Rebecca weighed 7lbs, 9 ozs & was 21 inches long. She had dark hair believe it or not! We're both doing great. Poor Rob! 3 girls....Karma. It's a WONDERFUL thing! Elleh is a great baby & Mollie & Ava LOVE being big sisters & little mothers. Poor Elleh.

Mollie played soccer again this Spring (I may have mentioned that before) She seems to really like to play. Gymnastics is done for the summer, but will start again next Fall, about the same time as kindergarten. She went to VBS @ church in May, and did swimming lessons again in June. She will start Golf lessons this month! She's a busy kid. She turned 5 at the end of June & had a great time at her birthday party. Daddy took her to see Dr Carrie for her kindergarten appointment. He said that she did really well with the shots.

Ava is having a blast going to Char's on a part-time basis. She loves to play with all of the other kids, although she & Eyan seem to have some major issues. They have a LOVE/HATE relationship. She will start going to Char's full time when Mollie starts school & Char has a full time opening.

Elleh is such a good baby. She has her days & nights figured out for the most part, loves to nurse, and has begun to smile & coo at us!

We just got home today from a very impromptu trip to Tennesse to help Rob's grandparents celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. It was short notice & at first, was just going to be Rob flying out with his mom & Mike. After thinking about it & visiting with his mom, then me, we all decided that this occasion was to BIG to miss & we would attempt to drive to Tennessee with the 3 girls so that we could all be there. AMAZINGLY, it went great. The girls were so good & real troopers. The ceremony was so beautiful & very special. I can only hope & pray that Rob & I make that same goal in 44 years! His grandparents have set such a wonderful example of what true love really is. We will cherish the memories of being able to witness such an amazing accomplishment that too few get to experience any more! The visit with family was wonderful, but way to short. Lynne's sister Sharon (Shay to all of us) was there from California & her other sister Janet was there from Texas. Of course her brother Mike & his little guy Jake were there too! I got to meet some distant cousins & other relatives. We missed those that couldn't be there for whatever reasons, but know that they were there in spirit. We'll just have to get together sometime soon. While we were there, Rob & I took Mollie & Ava to BMS (Bristol Motor Speedway) & took some pictures. They thought it was pretty cool. Ava kept saying "boogity boogity boogity"! It was halarious!

Well, I suppose I should keep unpacking, putting things away & do some laundry. I will do my best to keep this up to date & post some pictures.

I hope that everyone had a WONDERFUL 4th of July. We sure did. Thank you to everyone for the sacrifices they have made so that I can live the wonderful life I live! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Out for now!

T - 2 1/2 days

Just a short note. I'm posting 1 more time before the next little Brown arrives. It's getting to be the end of my last work day before this little one joins us & the nerves have SET IN. I'm pretty certain that I haven't been this nervous with any of the kids yet & I'm not sure why this one is any different. Anyway, just wanted to tell everyone to have a great weekend & I'll post some pictures next week!
Later~