39 weeks tomorrow!!!

Well, the homestretch is here. Tomorrow marks 39 weeks. I made it! Unless God has other plans, the baby will be here Wednesday morning. 2 whole days. I think I can make it!!
Things have been pretty laid back around here, that is until this morning. Rob woke up & couldn't open his eyes. They were mattered shut, really watery & really red. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain. I called Dr Billars office, (my eye Dr) to see if they could get Rob in today. They were booked, but told me to bring him in & they would see him in between patients. Good thing we took him in. He ended up having to have surgery on his eye this morning. Somehow, Rob got a piece of metal embedded in the cornea of his right eye. Dr Billars said that had we not been in & gotten this taken care of, Rob would have ended up in the hospital within 2 days. That could have been a small issue! Anyway, he isn't sure how it happened, only thinks that when he went to the leaf drop yesterday, it was super windy & he got something in it then. He said yesterday a couple of times that his eye was bugging him & asked me if I could see anything in it, but I couldn't. He's home now & says it feels a bit better. I'm pretty sure that it still stings quite a bit and it's still pretty watery, but at least he can open it in a dark room. Dr Billars said that he should be feeling much better tomorrow.
Well, that's the latest in a nut shell. I don't know that I will post again before the baby. Rob & I have to be at the hospital on Wednesday morning at 5:30am. We'll keep everyone posted!

38 weeks 1 day

Well, I met with Dr Scott again today. Still having contractions, but nothing more than I've been having since I was sick. The baby's heart rate was in the 120's today. My BP was 128/72 which is EXCELLENT and I gained another pound. Things seem to be going well & I'm supposed to keep doing them just as I am. We're still planning on next Wednesday, unless the big guy says differently!
I'm doing well over all, not much to complain about, ha ha! The baby's still moving around, kicking like crazy at times & then not at all other times. I found out the other night, that if I'm sitting in a chair and Elleh comes up to me, stands between my legs & asks for a kiss, that I can bend over to give her one. Something about a belly getting in my way! Who'da thought!!! I could use a little more sleep, but that will come to.
My bag is packed. I had a flu shot today, Rob gets his tomorrow & the girls get the flu mist tomorrow. After that, there's a few cleaning things to do, (that darn maid is slacking!!!) and then we're as ready as we're going to get.
I'll keep everyone posted!

36 weeks 6 days

Update on Baby/Laura:
I'm still here, still pregnant which is a good thing! I'm feeling OK. Still having contractions, some are worse than others, but still nothing to worry or be concerned about.
I met Dr Scott today. She is the Dr that will be delivering the baby for me, now that Dr Gaetze has left for the Holy Land. She is a very nice lady & I am very happy to be in her care! We had a great visit this morning. The baby is doing well, measuring right on, & his or her heart rate was 145bpm. I am up 2 pounds, so I'm now 1 lb heavier than when I got pregnant. My BP was good today, but is starting to creep up. I'm still on bed rest, but am still able to work 3 - 4 hrs per day which continues to be my saving grace! No changes there.
Now for the BIG news that everyone has been waiting for, ESPECIALLY me!!!! Unless God has a different plan, the delivery is now scheduled for..........

~ ~ ~ Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 ~ ~ ~

I was hoping for the week before, but the longer the baby can remain inside, the better for the both of us. Oh well, what's waiting 7 more days right?!?!

Mollie, Ava & Elleh are excited for the baby, and now that we have a date, we're going to make a chain for them to help put things into perspective. They will get to pull off a link each night until the date! I have my stuff, and the babies stuff ready to go, now to get the girls' stuff ready for Grandma's house! I think that project will be the weekend before. I think I'm going to try to make some meals to freeze this weekend. Sounds like it's going to be a good weekend to start the oven & heat the house!

We'll keep you all posted! Thanks for the love & prayers!

36 Weeks 3 days

Still here. Still pregnant. That's a good thing. At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself of. Not to complain, there are people out there that have it much worse than I do, but I really wish that I had just a little bit more room! I'm to the point where I'm uncomfortable 100% of the time, I'm not sleeping worth a hoot, and every time I eat, I feel sick to my stomach. Hope no one thinks I'm a bad person when I say that I'm glad to know that this is the last time I will be doing this! I love the kids that God gave me. They are my world, but I really don't care to be pregnant EVER again. I have never understood those women who LOVE being pregnant. I used to enjoy feeling movement, but I don't enjoy that anymore either. It's seems to be constant, and it is literally painful. Oh well, as my dad keeps saying, the minute this baby is born & I hold him or her, it will all be worth it!
I'm going to try to get some things done over the weekend with the help of my mom, so that I feel a bit more prepared & ready. The rest of the weekend will be spent laying down. They say that it's going to be nice this weekend. Might have to pull out the reclining lawn chair & enjoy.
Monday is my next appointment. I'll keep everyone posted.
Have a great weekend!

Baby/Laura Update 36 weeks, 2 days

Hi Everyone,
I am really horrible about making sure that I make phone calls or send e-mails to let everyone know how I'm doing & what's going on. I know that you are all wondering & are concerned and praying for us & I really appreciate it. The prayers have worked so far, Thank you. That being said, I am going to make it a point to update this Blog as often as I know anything. I'm shooting for daily, but we'll see what happens. I will try to remember to send out an e-mail to let you know I've posted. If you see that there is someone that should be included, that I don't have on the e-mail, please share the link to the blog for me. Here goes what I will try to make a brief Blog, but yet update you on everything.
As most of you know, Mollie got sick on September 6th & was hospitalized a week later for a week. We took her home on a Friday & got a call from Char, our daycare provider, that we needed to come & get Elleh because she was sick. She was sick for a week, then Rob & I got it. I ended up getting really dehydrated, and after 2 different trips to the hospital for fluids, they put me in so that they could get me re hydrated & try to keep me from going into pre-term labor. I was admitted on Wednesday the 28th of September and was able to go home on Saturday, October 1st. After that, we all seemed to get over the bug. Due to the dehydration and the loss of 11 pounds, I started having contractions and was put on bed rest when I was released from the hospital. I have not had much fun with that & have to admit that I'm not the most honest patient when it comes to that. I try really hard, but laying around doing NOTHING all day everyday was starting to drive me NUTS!! There's only so much daytime junk to watch on TV, I have read all my magazine's, and made all kinds of lists. The hardest part is when the girls' come home & want me to play barbies or babies & I'm not able to. So instead, we read lots of stories & color. My parents let me borrow their laptop, and Rob got the wireless router hooked up, so I am able to "surf" the Internet & dad has saved some stuff for me to do & I'm able to work from home to kill some time. I have been seeing my Dr every week since I was released from the hospital. I was finally able to convince her to let me go to work for 3 hours a day, which is so nice! I get off the couch & out of the house for a little bit each day, and get to go the the office so that dad gets a break each day also. I'm probably better off at the office anyway, but for medical reasons, she will only let me be up for 3 - 4 hours a day. Hey.... I'm not complaining. I'll take everything I can get. At my appointment on Tuesday, Dr Gaetze put me on the monitor as usual. The baby's heart rate was in the high 130's to low 140's with accelerations into the 160's which is great. He or she moves around quite a bit & according to the Dr, is very happy. I was having contractions about every 2 minutes that were about 30 seconds in length. My blood pressure is starting to creep up, it was 129/82, which is still GREAT for me, but creeping up from where it was. I still weigh 2 lbs less than before I got pregnant, but according to Dr Gaetze, the baby is growing & taking everything it needs to be healthy before I get it, so the baby is doing fine which was my main concern. She did tell me that if I go into labor on my own, anytime from here on out, she won't do anything to stop it. If that happens, I'm to get to the hospital ASAP & she will meet me there to deliver. So, anytime from here on out, there could be a baby whenever God decides it's time for him or her to make their debut.
Dr Gaetze is leaving for the Holy Land next week, and won't be back until the 14th of November, so I won't see her again until after the baby is here. I have a very good recommendation, and will be seeing Dr Scott on Monday next week. At that time, we plan to schedule the c-section, sometime around 38 - 39 weeks, if the baby doesn't decide it's time before that. I'm really hoping to make it to 38 or 39 weeks. The more time inside, the healthier the baby will be. As soon as we have something set, I will let everyone know & hopefully, things go as planned.
Thank you so much for all the thoughts & prayers. We really appreciate them!
I have to say a HUGE thank you to Rob. He has been absolutely AMAZING through all of this. What a trooper. He has put up with my emotions, getting me through everything, has taken care of the girls with flying colors, cleaned, scoured, disinfected our house from top to bottom, cooked meals, done laundry, given up opening weekend of pheasant hunting season, you name it, he's done it and still tells me how much he loves me & how beautiful I am. What a guy! I am so truly blessed. I also have the best family & friends in the whole wide world. You guys are the best & I love you all so much!! Thank you to those who have brought us meals also. It's been a HUGE help!
I'll do my best to keep you all posted from here on out. I promise!
Love to you all~

Yummy Pasta

If you haven't tried the new Philly Cooking Creams, I highly recommend that you do! I had seen them on TV, in magazine ads & had a coupon for $1.00 off. I decided that I would try them. I went to the grocery store, and they were out. I went back a few days later and they were still out. After a few weeks of trying, I finally got my hot little hands on some. I picked up the Garlic and the Classic one.
I decided to try the Garlic one first. I cooked some shrimp in a bit of olive oil, then added some bacon (fully cooked & cut into small pieces), peas, diced tomatoes, penne pasta (cooked & drained) & the cooking sauce. I heated all of it until it was heated all the way through. We had the pasta & some garlic toast for supper. The kids asked for seconds (which DOES NOT happen at our house) and Rob had the leftovers for lunch. They all raved about how great it was. It made me feel wonderful, and was super easy to prepare.
I now know why it was so hard to get my hands on some. It's a meal that we will be repeating!

New Year, New Start! (Hopefully)

Hi Everyone,

So, I'm going to give it another go. Updating this is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Darn kids & husbands..... they keep me busy & on my toes.

Here's a quick break down of where we're at.

Rob: Still at Avera HME, keeping really busy. They have a new manager at the store, finally, after being without one for more than 4 months. Rob applied for the job, but it was offered to another employee from another Avera location. I think he wanted the job a little bit, but was relieved when it was offered to someone else. If he had been offered the job, it would have meant that he wouldn't be working with the patients anymore. He truly loves that part of his job & wouldn't be happy if he wasn't able to do that anymore. It was a great experience for him.

He is still President for the East Dakota Chapter of the NWTF & is busy getting things ready for this year's banquet on April 1st. He seems to be enjoying this! If anyone wants tickets, let him know. He'll be sure to hook you up!

Laura: Still at Farmers, going on year 11! I'm manning the place by myself right now. Dad's out in Pierre playing Legislator! I'm so glad that there are people out there that want to do that job. You couldn't pay me enough to put up with all the grief that he's putting up with. I'm a bit embarrassed for the people of SD. No one wants the State in debt, but NO ONE wants the cuts to fix the problems! What a mess! Anyway, nuff about politics & back to ME! Things at work could be busier, hopefully that is in the works for me! Marketing, marketing, marketing! Elleh has started going to daycare 3 days a week & loves it. It's bittersweet for me because I get so much done when she's there, but having her with me only 2 days per week is really pulling on my heart strings!

I'm still leading Mollie's Girl Scout troop, and we're busy selling cookies right now. If anyone would like some, give us a shout!

Mollie: is a FIRST grader! We are so proud of her! She loves school & it shows. She is doing so well. She is having fun in Girl Scouts & will be playing soccer again this Spring with daddy & uncle Patrick as her coaches. I'll be sure to post her schedule for anyone that would like to check out our little rock star on the soccer field!

Ava: Tink will be 4 this month. Hard to believe! Time flies when you're having fun. She has decided that she wants to have an Ariel (Little Mermaid) birthday party. I'm super excited about the cake I plan to make for her. If all goes as planned, I'll post some pics at the end of the month! She hasn't given us any ideas as to what she wants, but I'm sure that will come the closer we get. She did get her ears pierced for her birthday. She did great, and cried just a smidge! The ice cream from Grandma & Grandpa made it all better!

Ava is loving Sunday School & can't wait until next Fall when she gets to play soccer!

Elleh: Miss "E" is your typical 1 year old going on 16! She is so much fun. Her little personality is really developing. She loves to tease. Her favorite thing right now: (mommy) "Elleh, are you ONE?" (elleh) "TWO!" then she comes at you with wiggly fingers saying "tickle, tickle, tickle" She thinks she's pretty funny!

Well, I sure hope that Punxsutawney Phil is right! I'm ready for Spring. School was called off today because of dangerously cold wind chills. - 43 predicted for today!

I'll do my best to keep this as updated as possible. Hope everyone is doing well & staying warm & safe.

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~

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~

T - 6 days

Hi Everyone~ Well, I'm on the "OFFICIAL" countdown! 6 days until delivery. I was at the Dr yesterday & Dr Gaetze told me that Monday's the day! WOOHOO. I managed to keep my blood pressure down, stay off of bed rest, and just stay healthy. Dr Gaetze would have liked to see me gain more than 12 pounds, but all in all, I am so proud of myself! I was a little worried, (so was my dad) about my blood pressure for a while there. We're on the home stretch & before all of us know it, we'll be letting you know if the next little Brown is a boy or a girl. Mollie informed me yesterday, after asking for a brother all along, that she has changed her mind & now wants a sister. Lord help us!
Through all of this, I can't THANK my husband enough for being so great! I know that's cliche, but it's true. Especially this last month or so. I have been really uncomfortable, not sleeping well at all & CRABBY! I complain so much that even I'm sick of hearing it. I don't know how he puts up with me, but thank goodness he does. He still loves me too! Ha ha.
The other person I need to Thank is my dad. He's been awesome through all of this! My Dr's appointments have never been an issue. He's worked around all of them, and even put his fun plans on hold for me. He's supposed to be at Lake Erie right now trying to land the "BIG ONE", but decided to stay so that if he needed to be here, he was. I'm feeling bad that everything is going so well & that after it's all said & done, he really could have gone & had a great time, but I thank him the same for sticking around for me! (I still think I'm his favorite oldest daughter) I have a feeling that next year when this trip comes up, I'm going to owe him BIG time. Wink wink!
My parents & my in-laws have been great. Between them, they kept the kids for us most of the weekend so that Rob & I could tie up a bunch of loose ends & get things done around the house. I still need to pack the girls & us, and get our hands on a new car seat, but that's the easy stuff. My plan is to have that feat taken care of tonight so that I relax & enjoy the rest of the time with no worries. Mollie & Ava are both so excited to have a sleepover at Grandma's house! I hope Grandma & grandpa are ready for them!
Wright & Evelyn made it to Sioux Falls last week. It's so good to see them. The girls are LOVING all of the attention!
I'm off early today to go take a tour of JFK Elementary School with Jill, Mollie & Grace. I can't believe that it's almost time to begin this new journey with Mollie. It will be nice to share this with Grace & Jill. I think it will make things easier on all of us!
Well, the next time I "Blog" will be with fun & exciting news. I can't wait to share it with everyone!
Post you soon!