The Brown Bulletin

Family, Four, and One Year Old Pictures

2012-02-08T21:30:00.001-08:00

On Saturday we had our family pictures taken by the very talented Doranda. Sophia and Kenton both had colds, but I could not pass up the weather. It was beautiful and I love outside pictures! She took a lot, but here are some of my favorites...Enjoy!

Kenton boy= 1 year old

I had to bring a ball because he is crazy about them!

This one cracked me up because he wouldn't hold the sign right in front of him. He either had it on his head or upside down...typical boy!

I know I'm his mama, but look at this boy...my heart melts for him!

Sophia = 4 years old!

She loved her picture taken. You can tell here that she's trying to not have squinty eyes, hehe.

B-E-A-UTIFUL!

Sophia strike a pose...She's a natural poser;)

What can I say...I am blessed to have a hot husband and 2 beautiful kids. I love them so much!

Kenton Boy is O-N-E

2012-01-31T21:25:00.000-08:00

One year ago Kenton Curtis Rickie Brown entered our lives. It was a Monday morning at 2am when I started having contractions. We went to the hospital at 6am and he was born at 9:26am 2 weeks early. He weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long (can you imagine how big he would have been 2 weeks later???...sheesh...obviously he had no more room). I was blessed with an easy and fast delivery. It was love at first sight and I still can't get enough of him:)

LOVE HIM!
Here he is a little more cleaned up. He had very skinny long legs and huge hands.

So handsome

This was the best moment when Sophia came to see him. I still remember the moment she walked in the room. She said, "Where is he?" right away. She was definitely excited and ready to be a big sister. She is amazing with him.

He is ready to go home with us! Let the adventure begin:

And here he is! This is an official 1 year picture on his day!!!! Sophia seemed to keep her same look, but Kenton has changed quite a bit. Super dark, straight hair to light curly hair and his eyes are a brighter blue!

I love it when he does this. This is his "I'm so funny" face. His face scrunches up and he gives a fake laugh.

We had his birthday party on Saturday (post to come), so we just went to Red Robin to use his free birthday coupon. He was not too sure about them singing and clapping. Every time someone started singing to him today, including me, he would get all bashful.

Yummy cool whip...

Here are some of my favorite things:

1. He says mom, dadda, uh-oh, hi, and ball

2. Loves to climb the stairs and yells for help when he wants to come down

3. Starting to walk (10 steps at the most so far) and can balance for a long time

4. Loves balls

5. Does not mess around with food. He has not put 1 thing in his mouth that he doesn't like. He eats more than Sophia some nights.

6. Hears music and starts to dance

7. Starting to bug his sister (gets into the things she is playing with. She often says, "Mom can you distract Kenton, ha!)

8. Likes to tackle (whenever we are on the floor he will crawl quickly over with a "I'm gonna get you scream" and dog piles)

9. Tilts his head to say hello to you with a huge smile

10. Picks up the phone, puts it to his ear and says, "hi" but it sounds like "eye". If I'm talking on the phone and he doesn't have one he will put his hand over his ear and say, "eye".

11. Loves his blanket

12. Starting to get mad and throw mini tantrums..the testing is beginning

13. Smiles a lot (his dimples work me over)!

There is much much more, but I think that list is long enough. He is a good boy and is quite busy, but I love every minute. Today has been a very reflective day for me. When Sophia turned 1 I was excited. I think because she was my first, I was more eager for the "next stage", but with Kenton I just want the time and him growing up to slow down. I am amazed that he is 1 already. Him and I have always had a close bond that I treasure. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENTON BOY:)!

SNOW DAYS

2012-01-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

I love snow, probably because we don't get it very often, so when we do get it, I love it! This has been an amazing week of family time and stay at home time, which we all desperately needed. This has been our week so far:

Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday- No school

Tuesday: Wake-up, get ready to go to work, get a call from the school district-no school (we have NO snow at our house).

Tuesday night: Do the snow dance to get snow. Jealous of everyone else playing in it.

Wednesday: No school- WE have snow:)

Thursday: No school- Lots of snow/freezing rain

Friday: ????

I know we're going to have to make up those days later in the year, but right now these snow days have been total bliss:) This is Kenton's first snow!

When we went out on Wednesday, it was pretty windy so the snow kept slamming us in the face.
They are ready for a ride. Daddy forgot to tell Sophia to hold on to Kenton. He gave a push and out rolled Kenton face first in the snow (not the best first impression for him, haha). When TJ picked him up his binky was covered in snow and his eyebrows and face were covered in it too. So sad, but quite funny at the same time.

So as you can imagine, that was it for Kenton for that day. His face was cold already, but now it was frozen and bright red. Way to go TJ, haha!

Since Daddy did it, he went in with Kenton and I stayed outside to play with Sophia. We did some more sledding, threw snowballs, well kind of balls, and built a little snowman. Our snowman is totally edible!

We went out again the next day to play some more and give Kenton a more positive experience!

Kenton is ready!

We forgot to make a snow angel the day before, so we made sure to do it today!

He didn't mind sitting in it, but had so many clothes on that he couldn't really move.

Look how I tell Sophia to hold on to Kenton, hehe:) Who says you can't use boogie boards in Washington? They make great sleds!

I think Kenton was having flashbacks because he looked very worried and was not too sure. When he went down with me, he wanted to hold on tight around me:)

Thank you snow for the fun times and good memories:)!

Hello Kitty Partay!

2012-01-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

To be perfectly honest, Sophia's birthday snuck up on us this year, so we kept it simple and invited just her cousins and had it at home. But one thing Sophia knew was she wanted a HELLO KITTY theme! We had her birthday party Friday night after school, so we decorated the night before. I don't want to brag, but I loved how these Hello Kitty puffs turned out.

I made her cake. Looks cute and was one of the easiest ones I have made:)

If you don't know, I am not a fan of characters on clothes. I guess Hello Kitty is not as bad, but my mom found this lovely dress. She knew I would never buy it, so she did to torture me and she knew I wouldn't say no because it goes with her birthday theme. Isn't it tacky??!! haha. Sophia loves it and has actually worn in multiple times since.

Sophia wanted corn dogs, polish dogs for the adults, vegetables, and chips for dinner. PERFECT menu for kids!

Can't leave the big boys out at the little table (funny how that worked).

After dinner, the kids did a craft. The girls decorated a bow to be like Hello Kitty and the boys decorated door hangers.

Next was "pin the bow on Hello Kitty." Sophia had to watch her cousins do it first and then she finally warmed up to the game. Miles won and got his bow the closest!

Present time! She got decked out on Hello Kitty stuff and lots more! She was definitely spoiled.Most kids love pinatas right? Well Sophia does not usually like to participate when there is a pinata. She mentioned she wanted one and I said no at first. She reassured me that she would do it because it would be at her house. So we got one. Not thinking it totally threw because it was dark and cold outside and we didn't want it in the house. To the garage we went (don't mind the mess..haven't organized that yet). TJ stood on a ladder and had the kids swing. Sophia actually did it! That was the good part. The bad part is that the pinata ended up in tears by the birthday girl. When it was popped open all the kids clobbered the candy. There was not much space, so Sophia just started crying. We will just say that there probably won't be a pinata at her party again, ha!

Her bad attitude continued as we sung her Happy Birthday (she has never been a huge fan of that though). This is such a classic picture. Plugged ears and a pout face. She wouldn't blow out her candles either...what a party pooper;) That actually reminds me of myself as a kid. I hated that attention.

She got happier when it was time to play "kitty". Look at all those cute kitties listening to the directions of the game.

They had an eating contest, but had to eat like a kitty. They ate goldfish and were very entertaining doing it. Tyler was the fastest eater and Jackson was the most determined to finish!

Kenton played too, but made up his own rules:)

Overall, it was a fun party. The kids enjoyed themselves and were all tired when they left. Thank you to all her cousins and family for coming! It made her party great:)

Sophia is 4!

2012-01-19T09:39:00.000-08:00

Why does 4 sound so much older than 3? I know it's cliche to say that it feels like yesterday Sophia was born, but it really does. She weighed 8lbs, 8 oz and was alert since the second she was born. She is still very alert and aware of everything around her, which makes for some great conversations. She is sassy, but loving, is a great big sister, and fun to be around. She was so excited for her birthday. Every day she would say, "Is it my birthday?" We made a chain count down to help her keep track. We surprised her with a decorated door the morning of her birthday.

And balloons in her room (they are always a hit)!
She helped me make confetti sugar cookies on a stick for her preschool friends

For dinner we went to Red Robin to use her birthday coupon and some family joined us:)

Nama, Aunt Nancy, and Grandma/pa Brown bought some presents.

When Sophia was at Walmart with my mom one day, they walked by the fabric and Sophia immediately spotted Hello Kitty fleece and asked her to make her a new blanket. She did and even got a pillow too.

I interviewed Sophia for her birthday on the video camera and this is how it went (picture her dancing while answering the questions):

1. How old are you?----4

2. When is your birthday?----January 12

3.What's your favorite color ---- red, yellow, orange, green

4. What's your favorite thing to play outside? -----basketball

5. What's your favorite food?----broccoli (I said, "what") then she said----spaghetti

6. What's the theme of your party----Hello Kitty

7. What do you like to play the most at preschool?----Playing kitchen

8. What's your favorite song----Just Dance

9. What's your favorite thing to play----Just Dance on the Wii

10. Who loves you?----Mommy and Daddy and Kenton

11. Who's your best friend----Jackson Bergdahl

What can we say...WE LOVE HER AND ARE BLESSED TO HAVE HER AS A PART OF OUR FAMILY:)

Christmas at home

2012-01-18T17:52:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas is over and done with, but I didn't get a chance to post about it before we left for Hawaii, so bare with me. Sophia had her annual Christmas preschool program. Just to think 3 years ago, she was scared and didn't want to leave my side so I had to hide so she couldn't see me and this year, she was standing up there proud and singing loud. My girl is growing up (it hurts my heart a little)! Her best friend is Jackson on the end (Santa)
Santa came early to our house (1 week early). I almost forgot about cookies for Santa. At about 7pm Sophia said, "Mom what about cookies for Santa?" Thank goodness for the sugar cookie mix. And she picked out the Santa mug for the milk.

Right when she woke up she asked if Santa came. At our house Santa doesn't wrap the presents, he leaves them out on the coach for the kids to see right away. Here they are checking out what they got...Aren't their PJ's cute (thanks Nama)

(oh shoot, it didn't rotate) This was her big want. She got it! A Hello Kitty clock (Hello kitty is big at our house right now).

They also got a new kitchen that fits better in our new house...Kenton had a phone call.

And Kenton got one of his favorite things....A BALL!

Then we went to my parent's house to celebrate Christmas with them. Boy did we get spoiled once again!!! Sophia was so excited. If you notice she got a high back booster seat that she can wear a seat belt with and a big girl pretty doll.

And TJ was a happy boy too...NEW CLIPPERS! He used these that night.

Kenton also got a fun car track and clothes, which he was in need of!

Sorry, none of the pictures got rotated for some reason. They showed me that they were until they got uploaded...weird! Anyway, we had another wonderful Christmas, early and all!

Kenton's Eye Update

2012-01-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

I realized that I have not updated my blog about Kenton's eyes. In November we went to Portland to the OHSU hospital where Kenton was able to see a specialist and have a ERG (electro-retinal graph) done. OHSU was so big that it had a gondola! My dad, mom, and sister came with us. I wanted my dad there for the eye lingo, my mom for support, and sister to help play with Sophia. Anyway, it was a long day, but Kenton was a trooper. When we first got there Dr. Pennisi looked in his eyes for any discoloration and the nurse dilated his eyes and put numbing medicine on his feet to get ready for the IV. We waited about an hour (and I tried very hard to stay calm) and then they called us back. We then sat in a pitch black dark room with Kenton for 30 minutes to let his eyes rest. It was so dark that you couldn't see ANYTHING. The first 15 minutes he sat on my lap and we sang and bounced and the last 15 minutes he fell asleep. When our 30 minutes was up, the anaesthesiologist had us lay him on the table. She explained that when she gives him the medicine to fall asleep it will only take 3-5 seconds before he goes out. She said that was normal and not to be startled. Well, Mr. Kenton took about 2o seconds. He kept trying to sit up and fight it. After he went out, he was so still, which was weird to see. We left and they started the procedure. We met with the genetic specialist. She asked us about our family history in depth. The ERG took about an hour. We were there when Kenton woke back up. We had to wait a bit until he was a little more with it to feed him a bottle (he hadn't eaten since the night before). At this point I was anxious for the results. We were called back into the office and Dr. Pennisi and the genetic specialist explained the results:

Kenton has idiopathic infantile nystagmus. Dr. Pennisi said that this type is a milder type of nystagmus and is a genetic type. He said that Kenton's retina's look healthy (phew!). He saw NO NO discoloration, NO degeneration, or retinal detachment (yay!). He said most likely his eyes will improve or stay the same, but not get worse. There is no way of knowing if he'll need glasses until he gets a little older. His eyes do still move back and forth but not nearly as much as they did a few months ago. He told us to watch for head tilting because sometimes people with nystagmus do that to compensate for it. We asked if there was a specific gene linked to nystagmus and they said that there was not at this point.

A few days after his appointment, the genetic specialist called us. She said that after we left, they did more research and felt that there could be a specific gene linked to nystagmus. She wanted to know if she could use Kenton in a study (they already took his blood, so she could use that). Usually a research study costs thousands of dollars, but she said she could do it for $350. I thought that it was weird that we had to pay, but I know there is a lot of people and time that put a lot of work into such studies. How could we say no if it could possibly help Kenton down the road and other nystagmus patients? There was no guarantee of any new information being found, but we were willing to risk it.

A few days ago, the genetic specialist called and said they found a specific gene linked to nystagmus! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? It is the FRMD7 gene. Every one has the gene, but for those with nystagmus, the gene has a mutation. There is nothing that changes for Kenton right now. The gene cannot be removed, but having this new research finding can possibly help in the future. Sophia can choose to be tested for this gene when she is 18years old to see if she is a carrier. I think that it's pretty neat that because of Kenton, it inspired these doctors to look more closely at nystagmus and that Kenton was a part of new findings. His eyes are not perfect, but they are healthy and I'm grateful for that!

Really..Did that happen?

2012-01-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Based on a true story:

Once upon a time there were 2 girls. One was named Anna and the other was named Hollie. There was also a boy named TJ. They all were all in Maui together. One morning Anna got hungry so she borrowed a frying pan from TJ's parent's room. She made her eggs, washed her pan and placed it on the counter. Later TJ was going to his parents room so to be kind his wife handed him the pan to take back for Anna. As he was walking, he was swinging the pan. Meanwhile, Hollie was walking to TJ's parents room at the same time as TJ. TJ is a funny boy, so he decided to pretend to smack Hollie with the pan. All of a sudden, the pan handle flew off the pan which caused the pan to fly in the air and hit the windshield of the wicked witch of the D condos.

THE END!.........................................

Well it really wasn't the end of the story, but I had to write it like a fictional story because it was so comical and dumb that it happened. It was one of those moments that I wish we could rewind. The owners of this car have not been happy with us the whole trip and have made complaints about us. Apparently they don't like kids, scooters, or laughter and go to bed at 7:30pm, so this was like the icing on the cake.

TJ was responsible and let the owners know right away what happened. She was mad and was blaming TJ for this. He was like, "Yes lady, I got a pan and threw it at your windshield because I thought it would be fun...SERIOUSLY LADY?" She also told TJ that we have not been considerate and he responded with, "We are just enjoying our vacation and if I wasn't considerate I would not have come and told you." TJ is really good at staying calm, but firm with his words. Anyway, TJ got on the phone right away, set up a place to fix their windshield ($500 later for us). They then saw a dent in the car and wanted to file with our insurance so we canceled the windshield. They were trying to claim it like a car accident and called the cops too. The cops were laughing at them! To end the story, our homeowners insurance is taking care of it! My sister-n-law said this whole situation is like one of those All-State commercials. Hahaha!
After that fiasco, we went to the beach. The waves weren't too bad, so Sophia got on the boogie board and took a wave. It almost swallowed her (look closely, she is on the board), so one ride was enough, ha!

This made my day! Sophia was holding Kenton in the kid pool and bounced him up and down. Every time she tried to give him back to me, he jumped toward Sophia and hung on to her:)

Hula

2012-01-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

We wanted to take Sophia to a Luau, but she didn't seem totally excited about it so we didn't want to spend the money if she wasn't going to enjoy it all. At the same time, we wanted her to see hula dancers, so we went to a free show at the Cannery Mall. We took Mollie with us of course. The show was absolutely perfect. It was free. We got front row seats. It was an hour long and they went through the different dances.

Sophia told me when to take a picture
He was so cute and really good. On one of the dances he was suppose to have a serious face, but he couldn't help but cheese it up.

There were 2 other ladies dancing, but of course Sophia asked me to take a picture of the purple and pink girls.

This is when the show took a turn. The teacher of the dancers explained that in their culture they scream or laugh when they are stressed. On one of the dances, they screamed a lot, so the girls covered their ears.

This was the New Zealand dance (the war dance). The guys came out with paint on their face, loud voices, hitting their bodies, and their tongues sticking out. This guy got right in TJ's face with his tongue out and a scowl on his face. I'm not gonna lie...he was scary!!! After this dance, Sophia came over and said, "I want to sit on your lap." I don't blame her though.

Like I said before, it was perfect for the girls and they got to experience the different types dancing.

Black Rock

2012-01-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

We hung out at the Black Rock beach all day. It was a beautiful and probably one of the hottest days and of course this is the day I forgot my camera...ugh! Thank goodness Janice took some pictures so I borrowed from her. Sophia said she wanted to swim out to black rock and jump off the lower part. TJ and I were shocked that she said that, so of course we had to do it. She swam out with TJ, climbed up on the lower part of the rock, but once she got up there she wasn't so sure. TJ kept counting to 3, but she was not ready. The line behind them was backing up so TJ counted to 3, held her hand, and pulled her out to jump. The jump looked really good. Once they both came up, Sophia screamed bloody murder and whacked TJ over the head. SHE WAS SO MAD! I guess she wasn't ready to jump! Although she wasn't happy about it, I told her I was proud of her to try and do something that was scary.

After the jump, Sophia spent some time playing on the beach. Her and Jackson dug a hole.
I love how Janice got this candid shot. Kenton was belly laughing at both of us.

Uncle Zac joined them in the sand fun

This beach was quite calm so it was good for swimming and snorkeling. We saw some pretty fish and some saw a turtle (look at Zac's face behind TJ).

I had to post this one too because now look at Zac. He totally knew the picture was being taken and it made me laugh when I saw it. Very funny Zac!

After the beach, we did some shopping at Whaler's Village. Hollie opened a pearl and got a silver pearl. Since I got my pearl, TJ has been wanting to get Sophia one, so she picked out her oyster and it had a yellowish shell.

She was a little nervous about hitting it 3 times and saying aloha (notice her hugging my leg), so I helped her out.

Waiting to see...She got a white pearl which means happiness and purity! That's the color TJ wanted her to get:)

She picked out a fish cage to put it in and wear as a necklace, so that way when she gets older, she can pick a setting for it to be put in. VERY SPECIAL:)

This is a random picture, but got a laugh out of it. Caleb was messing with Kenton:) Our kids sure to love him.

Friday

2012-01-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

We spent our day swimming. It is amazing the amount of confidence Sophia has gotten while being here and swimming everyday. Putting her face in the water was not her favorite thing and now she's a little fish and does not like to wear her life jacket.

She comes up for a breath and then keeps on going. This motivates me to put her back in swim lessons when we get home. I don't want her to lose what she has gained here.
And for Mr. Kenton...Every time we go past the pool or ocean, he tries to dive bomb out of my arms to get to the water. One night the kids went swimming and I just took Kenton to watch and he was so mad. So now he is always in his swim suit and ready too!

Later that night we went out with Kevin, Hollie, Caleb, and Anna. Zac and Janice were kind enough to watch our kids. We ate dinner at Bubba Gumps...You know, "Run Forrest, Run!"It's a pretty restaurant right on the water. I had soup and salad and TJ finally got to eat some seafood (since I don't eat it).

TJ played golf one day with his brother, which was one of his "big" things, so I thought about what I wanted to do or buy for my "big" thing. I watched someone open an oyster and decided that's what I wanted to do. I wanted a pearl and wanted to pick a setting for it. Once I decided that, finding a setting was a little more tricky. I love rings so I knew I wanted a ring, but all the settings had thin bands or were like $400 (and I wasn't going THAT big). A man at the Pearl Factory was SO nice. He took a pearl off a setting I liked, so I could set it with the pearl I picked. Sorry about my face in the next picture, but that's seriously how I felt. Everyone watching kept saying, "Pick a good one" and once I did, they said, "Are you sure?" MAN, talk about pressure...

I had no strategy other than finding a fat one

I went with my original choice and felt good about it, but was still extremely nervous. My heart was beating hard and I was sweaty, hahaha. I mean come on, I wanted a good one, especially because the setting I picked needed a big one:)

I got to tap on it 3 times and say, "ALOHA!" as the man rang a bell

And the moment arrived...It was a big one and gold color, which meant prosperity. TJ was happy too because I guess he was fist pumping behind me.

The last thing I got to do was make a wish!

I'm glad I did it and love my ring (sorry I forgot to take a picture of it mounted and complete).

Sugar Cane Train

2011-12-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

So the scooters were a highlight, the Sugar Can Train was definately not. Our total to ride was like $64 and so not worth the money. I imagined going through the sugar cane fields and learning the history of it...well not the case. We road one track to Lahaina and the same track back. Same scenery going and coming. The kids liked it, but most of them fell asleep at some point. TJ had riden it when he was a kid. I asked him why he let us waste our money and he said, "It was a lot different when I was 6!"I will just say that I've done the Sugar Cane Train and don't need to do it again.

This was the most exciting part...whoa a bridge! ha!

North Shore

2011-12-30T16:58:00.000-08:00

We rented scooters to drive North Shore, but before we left we gave all the kids a turn.

Here is the real scooter gang (Zac with Janice on the back, Anna, Caleb, Jason, TJ, and I). I felt like we needed T-shirts or something.

As we scootered up North Shore we stopped at some look out points that were beautiful. Here are some of the sights:

The boys...

This is what we scootered up. It was funny because TJ and Jason could fly (65mph) going on a flat road, but once they hit a hill they were passed by all. It was so funny to watch them putt up the hill. Mine would only go 45mph on flat road.

It was so windy up at the top that Zac was being held up

The highlight was the blow-hole and I loved this sign. It was very clear and to the point.

But you can tell the boys don't know how to read

After getting close to the blow hole, they had to peak over the edge and get wet

This is where we had to climb down to close to the blowhole. It was fun in flip flops and Caleb's sandal got broken!

I definitely have to say that the scooters were a highlight and favorite of the trip. And the best thing was that after having them all day, when we went to fill the tanks with gas it was only $2.60. Very tempting to get one for TJ to drive to work:)

More Swimming

2011-12-27T23:57:00.000-08:00

The waves weren't as big, so Sophia gained some confidence going deeper in the ocean. She had a few tumbles. She would forget to stand up and the wave would crash on her. She would stand up with big eyes, but she kept going out:)

Kenton has been loving balls lately, so he played with daddy in the sand

Like my float? The kids let me borrow it, so Kenton got to go out deep too. Notice Mollie and Sophia together again!

Some of Sophia's cousins were getting buried, so TJ started a hole for Sophia.

Sand monsters...

When Sophia escaped from her hole, she had sand tights on her legs.

TJ and his brother Kevin were sitting here. Hollie and I saw it at the same time and ran for our cameras. Cute picture!

SHOPPING

2011-12-26T23:43:00.000-08:00

Shopping day in Lahaina! We had to stop at Cheeseburger in Paradise before we started. We were so full that we didn't even eat dinner that night. TJ got the souvenir changing color cup.

I had to take a picture with a pineapple because we have a picture like this of Sophia about 3 years ago. He loved it, but kept biting huge bites off so he got mad when I took it away.
Sophia had fun posing with the Banyon tree. I will spare you all the pictures she wanted me to take of her. Here are some of my favorites...

I took this one myself

Sophia took this one for us

One more...

Sophia had saved her money since the summer and saved $50 to spend. She had fun picking things out for her cousins, aunts, nama and grandpa and she knew what she wanted to get them when she saw it. I would give her ideas and she would say, "nahhh"! She bought one thing for herself at the very end.

Merry Christmas One More Time

2011-12-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

It was funny, I wrote "Merry Christmas" 3 times and every time the waves would wash it away before we could take a picture. Finally, the 4th time was a charm.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS (I think...)! I only say that because we celebrated our Christmas before we left and when it's warm and sunny it doesn't exactly feel like Christmas. We started off with breakfast at the Gazebo again.

See it is Christmas...Sophia has a candy cane.

TJ and I wrapped a few little presents to bring with us. She got the Toy Story Gang.

(Sorry, I forgot to flip the picture) We then went to Flemming Beach where the big waves are to do a little boogie boarding.

Mollie and Sophia are quite the buddies. They liked to jump the waves, but not going to far without holding a hand.

Yesterday Kenton didn't like the sand on his hands, but he got over that today.

He loved the water and would yell at it every time a wave would come.

Having no fear...crawling right in.

Kenton even got a turn to boogie board

Yummy! (He already gave us a sandy poopy diaper)

Another perk of Hawaii is their fresh fruit. TJ picked some lemons off the tree at our condo. They smelled heavenly!

And bananas...We have our very own monkey!

I will post our Christmas at home when we get home (it takes too long to upload the pictures here). MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Hang Out Day

2011-12-24T21:30:00.001-08:00

This was the last picture taken yesterday, but somehow I deleted it from my previous post. I think this is my new favorite picture, so I had to post it again.

Another one of my favorites, but kind of random. Sophia loves to hold Kenton's hand in the car. I find it absolutely adorable and such a precious moment when she does it. I know it won't last forever, so I had to make sure I document it:)
Today the weather was not so great. Don't get me wrong we are all still wearing shorts, t-shirts, and swim suits, but there were a lot more rain showers throughout the day. But the rain definitely didn't stop us. We hung out at the beach.

Kenton warmed up to the ocean. He still didn't really like the sand on his hands, but liked to walk into and sit in the waves.

This is definitely a picture moment...LISA (TJ's sister) is actually in the water and the ocean water for that matter (kind of an inside joke b/c she hardly ever goes swimming). All the kids had fun playing with her:)

That wave that came in was a pretty big one so the look on Kenton's face says it all...whoa...not too sure about that one!

Chillin' with Aunt Hollie and Grandma so I could go swim with Sophia.

After the ocean was the swimming pool. Kenton was a mad man. He loved to splash and kick!

Sophia has turned into a little fish. The past couple days if she's not sleeping or eating, she's swimming. That's my girl! I am so glad we packed her life jacket. It's nice that she can wear that and have more freedom around the pool.

This picture is a little blurry, but it was raining pretty good. The rain didn't stop her and her cousins from more swimming!

Later tonight we lost power in our condo, so TJ had to run out and get us all flashlights. In the meantime thank goodness for cell phones, computers, I-Pads, and anything electronics for light! Hopefully the rain and wind is over with and blue skies ahead!

I love Kenton's hair in the humidity. His whole head is covered in ringlet curls!

Wedding Day

2011-12-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

Last time we were in Maui we got a pedicure, so we had to do it again. Something about being in Hawaii makes me have to put a flower on my toe!

TJ's brother Zac got married, so this day was focused on being ready for that. Mollie and Sophia were the flower girls, so we got them all pretty and ready to go.

It didn't take much for them to strike a pose!

TJ was in the wedding too...2 of my favorite people:)

When Sophia walked down the aisle, she took 1 flower out of her basket and chucked it down on the ground and walked fast, hahaha. At least she did it right?! Thank goodness Anna watched Kenton for us, so I could help the girls and video tape. Anna did good work and had Kenton sleeping the whole time.

The ceremony was nice and sweet. Here are all the brothers after the wedding. Seriously I don't know how 1 family can look SOOO much alike. Everyone is mixing them up this trip (even their own kids, haha)

The Brown Family

Day 1- Gazebo

2011-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

We had to wake up and go to the Gazebo for breakfast with Caleb and Anna..white chocolate chip macadamia nut pancakes..yum!

Our first family picture in Hawaii!

Here we go...

2011-12-24T11:34:00.000-08:00

Flying is not my favorite thing, especially really early in the morning, but we did it and made it. The kids were extremely good (I think better than me). TJ sat in the middle to help with both kids, so if I needed to close my eyes I could...thank goodness! Sophia yelled, "yay!" when we took off and liked to look out the window.

Kenton got a turn to look out the window when sister went to the bathroom. I love this picture:)
I am very grateful to be on the ground!

Dear Santa

2011-12-17T22:44:00.000-08:00

I love Macy's Santa mail set-up. It's so cute and classy! Sophia started to write and then got frustrated and said, "Mom I don't know how to write Hello Kitty!" So she told me what to write.

There it goes...

As we went into mall we strolled by Santa, but she still didn't want to sit on his lap. Actually the closest she got to Santa was at Walmart this year. She sat next to him on a chair, but I had to be in the picture too. Has anyone been into Walmart and seen their Santa's??? I say Santa's because there were 3. You could choose the ethnicity of your Santa: black, white, or Filipino. I AM DEAD SERIOUS! When I saw all 3 I almost died!!! Gotta love Walmart!

NEW HOUSE

2011-12-15T22:33:00.000-08:00

I won't go into too much detail seeing as though I just did in my Christmas card. Ignore me if you have already heard this story. We weren't planning on buying a house this year, but an opportunity arose for us to buy this house. We prayed and felt like it was meant for us. TJ's grandfather built this house and many other and it fit our family. We are so incredibly thankful for TJ's grandparents and the opportunity we have to own a home. We feel like big kids now;)

We love it!
Our house is definitely not put together yet. I still can't park in the garage because everything is everywhere. Slowly, but surely we will get there. We fell in love with this mirror and fabric from IKEA, so we rolled with it and LOVE it. Kenton and Sophia seem really comfortable in our new home, as do TJ and I.

Lots to be thankful for that's for sure:)

Christmas Tree Shopping

2011-12-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

Every year we have a tradition to go chop down our Christmas tree and this year it was sunny and beautiful. I am quite picky (my mom trained me to be that way) about my tree, so it takes us awhile. My parents and TJ's brother's family joined us this year and we were the last ones to find our tree (like every year, hehe). Sophia found hers right away...

Kenton found his too! He wasn't quite sure what was going on and didn't like to touch them at first, but warmed up to that.
About an hour into searching (told ya I was a little particular) Sophia was done. Thank goodness for this big puddle. Her rain boots were on, so we told her she had to cross the river. That helped her change her mood for a bit.

We finally found it! Isn't she lovely?!

There's my manly man cutting it down (isn't his outfit awesome?!)

The tree made its way inside and TJ went to work on the lights. I am so picky that I can't do the lights because I'd be there all day, so TJ does them and I have to deal with his job. He does a good job though.

Sophia had fun getting out all her ornaments. It was neat to talk to her about the ornaments and when/where she got them. I told her that she needs to spread out all her ornaments, but she said that she needed to put all hers in one spot! I also had to strategically place nonbreakable ones towards the bottom for the busy and curious boy.

(don't mind Sophia's hair...we hadn't gotten to that yet;)...Sophia also has her own special tree and little presents to put under it. Each day in December she gets to open a present and put the new little ornament on her tree.

O CHRISTMAS TREE, O CHRISTMAS TREE, HOW LOVELY ARE YOUR BRANCHES!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Before I go into Halloween, here's a quick snippet of pumpkin carving. Kenton was happy as can be hitting the pumpkin with a spoon. We put his hands in the pumpkin guts, but he didn't care for that.

Sophia was all into scooping the guts out all by herself. We didn't take a picture of their finished masterpieces, but Sophia wanted her pumpkin with circle eyes, triangle nose, and teeth smile. She then painted hers and Kenton's. She made Kenton's pumpkin look like him with blue eyes, nose, and mouth.
INTRODUCING PINK AND WHITE POLKA DOT MINNIE MOUSE!!!! My original plan was to sew her dress, but my mom started it for me and then finished it, hehe. It turned out to be a good thing because she had to do a lot of alterations to it because the pattern was huge and I would have had no clue what to do. We think someone took the child pattern out of the package and left the adult part because her small 4/5 was huge at first! Good job mom!

DON'T FORGET ABOUT MICKEY MOUSE!!!

This was probably one of the easiest costumes I've done. I bought a $1 black beanie, added felt ears, cut out felt white circles and glued them to red shorts he already had. Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself:)

Oh how they love each other:)

We did the annual "trunk or treat" at our church parking lot. It is absolutely perfect for the kids. Here's the gang (cousin's on the Brown side...only missing a few):

Mickey and I walked together for awhile. He was a good sport but I think he was wondering what the heck was going on ,haha

Miss Sophia knew what to do...She was done after an hour, which was perfect for me:)

The fun didn't stop. We went over to Grandma/pa Uffens house for pumpkin shaped pizza (thank you for Papa Murphy's) and they got more goodies there...

He was excited about his books

Check out her loot! It filled a gallon sized bag and I'm trying my hardest to stay out of it!

Look what Kenton got. He didn't need anything to eat, he just loved the noise of the wrapper. I didn't have him fill his pumpkin with candy because we didn't need anymore! Oh and check out his pumpkin. My mom did a good job there too! Now he has one like sister (but his is a boy one)! Happy Halloween...now onto more holiday fun:)

Thanksgiving and Christmas I am totally excited for you!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

We had to take advantage of the nice sunny weather and go to the pumpkin patch. We didn't make it over the weekend, so we decided to go on Monday. It wasn't the most exciting pumpkin patch I've been too, but it was just right with the time we had. Plus Sophia gets to go to another one with her preschool:)

I think this is the cutest farmer I've ever seen...

And sunflowers...
Sophia was our leader through the corn maze and we searched for letters for the code. As we continued to walk Sophia would say, "ohhhhh this is getting spookier!"

This was Kenton's first pumpkin patch. He loved sitting with the pumpkins and patting them.

Averie (cousin) wanted in on the fun too. Aren't they cute?!

It's something about holiday stuff and memories made that make me love my family that much more!

Church Carnival

2011-10-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

Introducing....MINNIE MOUSE!

On Friday we went to our church carnival, but we weren't totally prepared with the whole costume. Let me give you some background. Sophia is a girl who has an opinion with things, so I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween about a month ago and she said she didn't know. She thought about it and told me Minnie Mouse and brother could be Mickey. Super cute and good idea right? We went to JoAnn's and I pointed out red and white polka dot material and she said, "No mom, I want to be pink and white polka dot Minnie!" She even found the fabric. BUT...years ago my niece was Minnie and had saved the red and white polka dot costume. My sister-n-law brought it out. Sophia thought it was cute, but she still wanted to be pink and white Minnie. My mom tried to talk her into it and said that Minnie is not pink and white. Well, Miss Sophia found a picture of a pink and white Minnie and showed it to her grandma. SEE GRANDMA! How can you argue with that?! I love that she has an opinion about stuff like that because it makes it more fun.

Because our church carnival was early, I did not have "Pink and White" Minnie's dress finished. Even started for that matter, ha! So she was red and white Minnie and had fun.
Mickey's costume was not finished yet either, so he wore his ghost shirt to be in the Halloween spirit!

A little cake walk action! Sophia was a little nervous (notice the finger in her mouth) because she couldn't read all the numbers, but I told her I'd help her, so she did it until she won. Lucky #6!

Ring Toss

Basketball Action

There were more games: fishing, face painting (which I can't get her to do), football throwing, donut eating contest, obstacle course, etc. At every game she was able to win a prize and had fun putting them in her pumpkin.

STAY TUNED FOR PINK AND WHITE MINNIE MOUSE...

8 MONTHS

2011-10-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

My Kenton boy is 8 months old now! He is totally starting in a new stage and baby stage is going away way too fast. Last weekend we put the swing, floor play mat, and bumbo seat away and got out the standing play table. I don't know if I'm so emotional about all these changes because he's my baby or what, but I am full of different emotion...I'm excited and sad all at the same time. Seriously, look at him....man... he's got me hooked!

September was a crazy month for me and my family, so I didn't take as many pictures, but here is a list and a couple pictures of things he did during his 7 month!

Kenton started:

- saying his b, d sounds, especially dada

- crying when he has to get out of his bath

- going to Ms. Shelby

- eating snacks (the Mum-mum rice cracker)

- scooting around on the floor

And he got his top 2 teeth. I forgot how big the top teeth are! (Sorry this is a creepy picture...Sophia had to help me, haha)

Back to School

2011-09-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm...where to start? Tomorrow is my first teacher contract day and my students come on Wednesday. I have a lot of mixed emotions. First I will say that I'm grateful! I'm grateful that I have an amazing job, teaching the most amazing kids and I'm grateful that I get to be a mom. But I would be lying if I said everything is just "peachy." Having 7 months off with my kids has been an unbelievable memory and experience (so to all the stay at home moms, don't take it for granted). 7 months sounds like so long, but it wasn't. TJ and I keep saying that it feels like yesterday that I had Kenton. But I guess with time going by so fast, it will be next summer before I know it right?! I've decided that if I could have Sophia and Kenton with me in my classroom, I would be one happy girl. It would be the best of both worlds! I planned it all out. Kenton can be in the baby carrier and Sophia can be my helper. I'll just have to inform my boss of that plan, ha! I know that once we get in a routine, I will be fine. I know that Sophia and Kenton are in a good place, but it's still a big deal letting someone else care for them other than me. It's almost 11:00pm and I know I should be going to bed, but I think I'm stalling because I know my alarm clock is going to wake me up. I don't know if I'm ready for this, but ready or not right?! Positive thoughts! Once my students walk into the room, they will make it all worth it because kids have that special spirit about them! So, I guess I am a lucky girl because I love teaching and I love being a mom!

7 Months Old

2011-08-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

This was seriously the fastest month ever!

Kenton is doing new things every day and it has been so fun watching his personality grow too. Here is a list of new things he does:

- Sits up by himself

- Eats all veggies, except for peas

- Eats the fruits so far

- Plays bashful

- Babbles with new sounds

- Starting to wave "hi"

- Thinks he should hold anything I am holding

Kenton is now 7 months old!

Enjoy his 6 month pictures taken by the very talented Doranda. This is just a taste of them...thought putting all 50 would be a little excessive, but seriously they are so cute. She really captured his looks!

I had to get a picture with him because he is a TOTAL mamma's boy right now:)

Check out his teefers!

These 2 love each other:)

Sophia wanted some pictures taken of herself too. What a natural:)

I've decided I need to put a slide show of the pictures on my computer at school to keep me happy!

Fair Day

2011-08-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

TJ and I are dorks because we LOVE the fair and it was such a nice warm day to go. Yesterday, it was free to get in before noon, so my sister, my kids, and I met Auntie Hollie and cousins there to enjoy the rides with their ride bracelets (TJ got an amazing deal on them) during the day and then come back with the dads for dinner. So, we got our bracelets and off we went.

It's fun to see Sophia's braveness (is that a word?) grow every year because last year she cried the whole time on this roller coaster and this time she loved it! (I barely fit and I was telling TJ about it and he said he wanted to go on it with her. I told him he wouldn't fit, but he didn't believe me. I belly laughed watching him trying to squeeze in. Picture Tommy boy, "Big guy in a little coat!" Well this was big guy in a little cart! hahahahha...I was right...didn't fit)!
I got a bracelet for myself because they make the parents pay to ride too, but it was nice for Sophia to have her cousins to ride with and not always me:) These 2 girls are becoming quite the friends:)

(oops, it didn't rotate) My sister came with us and was a help with Kenton. She would watch him while I went on the rides with the kids. Kenton was a trooper in the stroller and actually took a couple naps:)

The classic carousel. This is the one ride in the entire fair that parents can go on with no tickets!

Nana gave each kid $5 to spend at the fair, which was a great surprise and totally sweet. They were so hot that they took a break from rides. They all spent some of their money on a slushy to help cool them off!

This was the hot air balloon that they got to spin. Miles had Sophia cracking up during the whole ride. It was fun to watch!

Notice all 3 kids together, well there's 1 missing...

Jackson! He cracked us up because he wanted to ride by himself on every ride and would get mad if someone tried to go with him. He also wanted to ride on all the rides but was too small for some! Next year he's going to be all over it:)

Once again, last year Sophia was too scared to go down the slide, even with me. This year all the kids trucked up to the top with no problem. I double checked to see if Sophia wanted me to go down with her, but she said no. Here she is at the top. Mollie had gone down and started crying at the bottom, then the two boys came down and had no problem. It was Sophia's turn and looked like she liked it until she got to the bottom and started crying too! A little too fast!

The girls went on it again, but wanted me to go with them after their experience by themselves, ha! You do get some air on that last bump!

We had packed our lunch earlier, so we could go back with TJ to eat yummy fair food for dinner and ride more rides (we definitely got our moneys worth and more on these bracelets). Earlier in the day this ride wasn't running. It's one that takes you up high and then drops you. Jackson definitely wanted to go and we talked Sophia into it. Mollie said, "no way!" And adventually Miles went on too. I was explaining to Sophia that it will feel like butterflies in your stomach like when you go super high on a swing. I was trying to prep her because I wasn't sure how she would do. Well, she loved it and went like 4 times in a row! She said that one was her favorite...That's my girl:)

Sophia spent the rest of her money on a game and won a blow up hammer!

We stayed super late, but look who got to take his first ride....KENTON BOY! We were standing there letting the kids do 1 more ride when she asked if I wanted to take him on. She said he could go as long as he could sit and put the seat belt around him. That was really nice of her! He liked it too:)

Thank you fair rides, thank you weather, thank you fair food, thank you cousins. You did not disappoint! Friday will be the rodeo. I know what you're thinking......

I told you we were fair dorks:)

Cart Shopping

2011-08-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Uh-oh...Look who's a big boy!

Kenton is totally sitting up on his own so I thought it was time for him to experience the cart with a cover of course (plus his car seat carrier is getting very HEAVY)!

He thought he was so cool and talked all the way through Target!
I'm not too sure how Sophia feels about Kenton sitting in the front because now she's either walking or kicked to the back. I guess it's just one of those things!

6 MONTHS OLD!

2011-08-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

When I posted Kenton's 5 month, I told time to slow down. Well guess what? It didn't!

Kenton is 6 months old!

He weighs: 17lbs, 13oz (50th %tile)

He is 27.5 inches long (75th %tile)

Although he is right on track he is one solid boy and everyone comments on how big he is!

Kenton loves playing with his sister and is really aware when she's around!
He also is starting to sit up on his own (only for 30 seconds or so). He likes to lean forward, but loves it more than being on his stomach.

He is a TOTAL mamma's boy and I'm not just saying that because I'm writing this. For example: my parents have 7 grandkids and have never had to call the parents to come home, until Kenton. Kenton was screaming so bad that my mom and dad had to tell us to come home. The second I took him he smiled and jumped up and down. Another example is when we had a softball game. 5 different people tried to console him and it didn't work until I finally took him. He's a stinker, but I love how he loves me!

During his 5th month, he also started watching me eat/drink. He tries to take anything I'm holding and dive bombs for the cups with his mouth wide open. He knows what to do!

Because he was opening his mouth when I used my fork and cup, I knew he was ready for rice cereal. About 5 1/2 months he ate rice cereal for the first time and thought he was hot stuff! We did rice cereal and oatmeal for a couple weeks and on his 6 month b-day he had sweet potatoes and loved them:)

Here is a summary of his 5th month:

* Watched me eat/drink

* First 4th of July

* Ate rice cereal for the 1st time

* Ate oatmeal for the 1st time

* First boat ride

* Got his 1st bottom right tooth

* One week later got his bottom left tooth

* Started splashing in the bath

* Started getting excited when sister and daddy were around

* Hates his stomach

* Loves to bounce up and down

We love our Kenton boy!

I am totally soaking up this month being with him until shhhhhh....don't say it!

Haircut

2011-08-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

Sophia has had one other haircut, but after time and weeks of swim lessons, her hair needed a good trim. If you know TJ he is a little (I mean a lot) crazy when it comes to Sophia's hair. He loves it long! Her last haircut he had to go with me just to make sure only 1cm got cut off. This time the appointment was scheduled while TJ was at work. He REALLY didn't want her haircut. Me and many others kept telling him that it's healthy to cut girls hair, yadda yadda and he would literally throw a fit and whine like a baby. I told him that I was going to have 2 inches cut off and that's all. I guess he didn't trust me because guess who showed up at his lunch break? Yup...TJ!

Last time she was too scared to use the sink to get her haircut, but not this time!

2 inches and a little shaping later...ONE PRETTY GIRL!

Doesn't she look so grown up!

Camping Trip

2011-08-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

We didn't have any big trips planned this summer because TJ is saving his vacation time, but we were lucky to go to Long Beach for a weekend trip with my parents and sister.

I guess we really can't call it "camping" because we stayed in a cute little cabin. We got there around 5:30pm, unloaded the cars and then headed down to the beach. There was a pathway walk to the beach from the campsite, which was great not having to drive there. This is the only picture I got with Kenton in the backpack awake. Every time we put him in it, he would pass out (maybe I should wear it around the house for his nap times??)!

It was a beautiful warm night, so we whipped out the kite. Sophia loved running around with it.

The tide was out, so there were little pools of water that were fun to run in. Sophia was jumping the waves and took a little swim with her clothes on (not on purpose)! She was not too excited about it when her clothes got all sandy. I had a nice laugh!

She could not handle the wet sandy clothes, so we stripped her down for the walk back to the cabin!

As we continued to explore, we saw this sign posted by the bathrooms...There was no late walks for me!

I think this animal was out late and the bear found it! haha j/k. My mom was walking ahead of us and yelled, "There's a body!" I immediately thought that we were going to be part of an NCIS episode or something. We are thinking it was a seal....so sad!

On Saturday we went into town and Sophia and TJ went on a go-cart ride! She obviously thought it was loud.

TJ also read something about riding horses on the beach and called about it. Sophia has been wanting to ride a horse for 2 years now at the fair. Every year she talks as if she's going to do it, but when it comes down to it she never does. So, it was a big deal when she said she would ride a horse with daddy. I told TJ that I would just video tape (because I have only been on a horse once in my life and I didn't find it that fun), but he insisted that I go too for the "MEMORY"! And boy was it a BAD memory!!! TJ and Sophia's horse was named "Manny" and Sophia surprised all of us on how brave she was.

And this is ShyAnn! I have known a few "ShyAnn's" in my life and all of them are feisty, including my horse. There were about 15 of us who went on a ride and before we left 2 horses started nipping at each other, which made me a little nervous. I kept telling myself to stay calm, but it was hard. As we started off, the horses are suppose to walk single file through the brush to get to the beach. Miss ShyAnn started off great. I didn't even have to kick her to get going, UNTIL she made a right turn to go to her baby who was in a pen. She was NAYING so loud and her baby was doing it back which is really intimidating since I don't speak horse. There was a trailer that I was getting smashed against and I thought I was either going to get bit, get thrown into the pen, or jump over the gate. The cowboy was yelling at me to turn her around. I had to pull her so hard but then she went right back. TJ's horse was walking so nicely in line. I looked at him and mouthed, "I'M DONE!" And of course he just smiled. The cowboy had to fight with ShyAnn to get her coming. In the meantime we were behind the group and then ShyAnn decided to trot quickly to the group! AHHHHH! ShyAnn continued to try to turn around and I had to be rescued multiple times. Once she was on the beach she did okay. And when we got back, I told the cowgirl to get me off first because she wanted her baby. I was so glad to be walking on my own 2 feet!!!!

TJ had to take the picture because there was no way in HELL (sorry) I was going to take my hands off Miss ShyAnn. TJ tried to trot with Manny, but Sophia didn't like it because it hurt her legs.

PPPPPHHHHHEEWWWWWW! After that we went into town and got ice cream. Ice cream is much more my style! Beat that Baskin Robins...48 flavors and they make their own cones!

By the time we got back to the cabin, the sun was out and there was not much wind, so off to the beach we went! Grandpa and Kenton had matching hats and Kenton got to go on many walks with Grandpa which he liked.

We made a sand castle village and swam in the ocean. The water was actually really nice and even TJ got all the way in it (he's usually chicken in cold water)!

Sophia also wanted to be buried, so TJ got to work.

Even Kenton liked the sand:)

After the ocean we went swimming in the pool and had a nice evening. We left Sunday with smiles on our face and glad that we went!

Good-bye ocean!!!

Catch-Up Stuff

2011-07-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago there was a local circus in town and thought that would be fun to take Sophia to. We were going to go as a family until we walked up to the booth. They were charging $22 for an adult ticket and $10 for a kid. TJ and I both looked at each other and said, "Heck no, we are not paying $44 dollars for both of us to go!" So, TJ took Kenton home and Sophia and I had a girls date! I luckily had a coupon and got $2 off my price and Sophia was free ($20 much better, but I still don't think it was worth it, ha)!

I've never been to a circus before, but this one seemed pretty cheap and I was kind of bored at times, hahaha. It definitely brought an interesting crowd out! I think I was more entertained by the people, than the acts!
Although I was not too entertained, Sophia enjoyed herself and I'm glad we got some girl time together:)

Last weekend we found a new park and got out to enjoy the sun. It is Salsbury Park (out towards Hood Canal). It is right by the water (rocky though), has picnic benches, grassy area, and a park. TJ's parents, our niece and nephews and our good friends met us there. I love this picture:)

Ahoy Matey!

There were also swings with a long chain. The kind that makes you get butterflies. It brought back memories when my dad would push me so high that I would get butterflies in my stomach. TJ and Grandpa Brown got Miles going pretty high and scared him! Love finding new parks, especially when it's a nice day!

New Lesson Learned

2011-07-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

I have never had to baby proof anything or hide markers, etc because Sophia has never gotten into anything, but she is definitely not perfect! The other day she had a "not perfect" moment. She had gotten a place mat that you can color on with markers (thank you Aunt Sarah) and had it on my bed while I was getting ready. Well during her coloring she managed to color a large area on my bed sheets. It was clearly not just a little accident where she ran off her mat. These were long color strokes. This was definitely out of her character. I asked her about it and she said she did it with a little smirk. Being the first offense of this type I had to think about a consequence. I had her scrub with spray n' wash on the sheets, take them off the bed (with my help), and put them in the washer. I explained to her that if the marker didn't come out that she had to pay me some money out of her wallet so that I could buy some new ones. Sophia got the sheets out of the dryer to check to see if the marker came out. Well, the markers were not washable (thank you again Aunt Sarah, hehe). She went and got her wallet. At first she was going to give me a penny, but I told her that I needed a dollar (ouch!). She was not too excited about it at first, but then gave it to me. This is one of many lessons, but I hope she learned something.

Gotta Love Sisters!

2011-07-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

I love how I can trust Sophia with Kenton! She has good mama instincts and is gentle with him. I went to get in the shower this morning and usually take him into the bathroom with me, but today Sophia wanted to watch him so I went with it. As I got out of the shower I heard her giggling and telling me to come here. And guess what I found???

ONE PRETTY BOY!

She was quite proud of herself and Kenton rolled with it too. I told her that Daddy was not going to be a fan, hahahaha!

It actually looks pretty good with his curly hair, ha!
Well Mr. Kenton, you better get used to it...That's what big sister's are for:)!

HOMER!

2011-07-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to have great roommates in college and MaryAnn (aka: Homer) was one of them. Not only did we live together, we also slaved together in our education department and are Kappa Delta Pi sisters! MaryAnn is also a teacher but lives in Juneau, AK. I am just lucky that her dad lives in WA so that she still visits. We got to play with her at her dad's lake house.

Sophia swam off the dock and we all got to go on a boat ride (Kenton's first)!

As you can tell he loved it, even with his life jacket swallowing him.

Love the wind and fresh air! (Dad you seriously have to get your boat out...I miss it!!!)

We are just missing Jason, MaryAnn's hubby who also was a roommate of mine!

I love how we just pick right up when we see each other. Wish we lived closer, but I love the visits! MISS YOU HOMER!!!

COME BACK SOON:)

Yay Sun!

2011-07-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

We lived by the words of Sesame Street this week...

"Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away!"

Thank you Point No Point and great friends. We went to enjoy the sun with Lacey, Malynda and their boys! Mr. Kenton boy got to wear his swim suit and put his feet in the cold water for the first time.

Sophia enjoyed jumping the waves
And making sand castles with the boys

Although the water was cold, my little fish loved boogie boarding...that's my girl:)

The sun was definitely out, but there was a constant breeze so it didn't feel super hot. I didn't put any sunscreen on my legs and boy did I pay for it the next day. It hurt so bad to walk, but yes everyone I learned my lesson! I told Sophia that I got a sunburn and asked her what she got. She said, "I just got brown!" And that is SOOO true. I'm so jealous of her gorgeous skin:) Sun, please stay and continue "Sweeping the Clouds Away!"

Red, White, and Blue

2011-07-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

Sophia and I started off the festivities with a little red and blue action. My nails were painted like that too! Our day was planned out, but it didn't go as planned at all. TJ went out with his G-pa and brother at 6am to pick up the crab pots they had left the night before. TJ was thinking he would be back around 10ish so we could go by fireworks, make the macaroni and cheese to take to a friend's BBQ, etc. Well, when the boat ran out of gas it kinda put a kink in our plans. That 10ish thought turned into a 4ish time. Yup, so Sophia, Kenton, and I did everything by ourselves and finally went to the BBQ without TJ. He finally made it there about 5. It's one of those times where you can't get mad because it's not like they wanted to run out of gas, but I had a couple "ugh" moments. I am just glad they got home safely. While waiting for him I took a lot of pictures of our kiddos in their USA colors!

Sophia was so excited to wear her red, white, and blue and was decked out in it from the top of her head, down to her toes. She picked the classic pink tank top from Old Navy and even wanted to wear it the next day too!
I love this picture. They obviously aren't looking at me, but both are looking at the same thing. What is it? I don't know...

I had fun taking pictures of Kenton on his first Fourth of July! A family friend gave us this outfit before he was born. They must have been in tune with what size he was going to be because it fit him perfectly!

Uhhhh ladies, watch out! A little wink with those dimples and he will be melting some hearts:) Well maybe not if he's grabbing his crotch at the same time. Such a guy!

My good lookin' boys! I just love them!

Had to get Sophia in the picture too. I love her too:) What do you think. Do they look like their daddy?

This is Kenton's newest cousin, Miss Ella (a little over a 1 month old). Kenton will be her protector...he looks huge next to her (okay, I think he looks huge next to any baby because he IS a big boy).

After the BBQ we went to my parents house to celebrate our nephews 9th b-day and have the firework show. Sophia started plugging her ears when her cousins did.

She loved the sparklers. I think she did both the bundles we bought all by herself!

Although the day didn't go exactly as planned, it was still fun:)

Pre-4th of July

2011-07-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Poulsbo fireworks is a must for us every year. We have been going for so long that we have our favorite parking spot and spot down by the water. This year we took Christine and her kids for the first time and met TJ's brother and his family!

Still waiting for the fireworks. The show started about 10:15pm

I love holidays, but having kids makes them that much better. Sophia was so excited through the whole show, saying, "ohhhhh, ahhhh, that's pretty!" Her favorite one was the pink one (of course)! And Kenton wasn't scared at all. He actually liked looking at them:)

5 MONTHS OLD

2011-06-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

OKAY SERIOUSLY...CAN THE TIME STOP GOING SO FAST???

Kenton is 5 months old today!

It has been a fun month watching Kenton grow and develop. And he is a big boy!

During his 4th month he:

Continued smiling and giggling (it doesn't take much to get him to smile)!

He continued to love his big sister
He found his feet and loves to take his socks off

He started rolling over from his back to his stomach and moves himself around

He started liking his saucer and slowly moves it around to play with all the toys

He has been reaching and grabbing for things even more. He loves to put everything in his mouth and the other day he grabbed my paper plate off the table. Watch out now!

DEAR MONTH OF JULY, ALTHOUGH IT IS FUN WATCHING MY BABY DO NEW THINGS, I'M NOT READY FOR HIM TO GROW UP SO FAST, SO PLEASE SLOW DOWN!

It's a boy thing

2011-06-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

I know grabbing your crotch is a guy thing, but I didn't know it started this early...

Just makin' sure it's still there!

The Big 3-0

2011-06-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

My hubby turned 30!!! That is really weird to even say, seeing as though we started dating when he was 18 years old. I know 30 isn't old, but TJ was having a hard time with it and I was having fun rubbing it in because I am still in the 20 club, ha! I wanted to make this birthday a special one, so I planned 30 different things for his 30th birthday. Here they are (man the list takes up a lot of space, hehe):
1. 30 minute massage
2. Target for goodies
3. Watch Cars 2
4. Ferry ride
5. Lunch
6. Opened present (Mariner's shirt)
7. Played new game on ferry
8. Went to team store (bought new hat)
9. Ate yummy baseball food
10. Watched game (they won!)
11. Road trip to Kent for softball tournament
12. Played softball game
13. Ate favorite snacks
14. Lunch at South Center Mall
15. Played another game (left the tournament early and boy was I harassed)
16. Crab Pot for dinner
17. Hotel
18. Swam at hotel
19. Late night dessert
20. Opened Cards
21. 30 spankings
22. Breakfast at hotel
23. BBQ
24. Visited with family
25. Opened presents
26. Blew out candles
27. Played Corn hole
28. Played Bacci ball
29. 30 kisses
30. Put kids to bed

PICTURE HIGHLIGHTS:

I think he was a little unsure when we first pulled up because he's never had a professional massage before, but he came out nice and relaxed!

MARINER'S GAME: Felix pitched and they won!

CRAB POT

We went to the one in Bellevue. It was a really pretty restaurant and ambiance.

I felt bad because he really wanted to get the bowl of seafood that they dump on the table, but you need 2 people to eat it and I'm not a fan. So instead he got his own sampler. Next time we'll have to go with people who actually like seafood.

HOTEL STAY

My brother got us an AMAZING deal! I was going to make it just us, but I didn't think it was fair to ask someone to watch Kenton since he still wakes up during the night. Sophia was the most excited. She loved the pool!

Good Morning Birthday Boy!

30 Birthday Spankings

TJ didn't want me to do anything for his birthday, but he finally said that he wanted a family BBQ!

Happy Birthday hubby and here's to joining the 30 club! Let's make it a good year!

Father's Day

2011-06-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

TJ's Father's Day started off Friday night when we surprised him with a ticket to play golf at the Washington National Golf Course with his brother, some golf balls, and a new golf outfit. They went Saturday, rain and all. TJ hadn't played for like a year, but he ended up winning...luck? or skill?

Sophia made her daddy breakfast in bed. We had to keep it simple because we had to go our new niece's baby blessing and we needed to be on time. Sophia made him peanut butter toast, half an apple, and some slices of cheese. She also picked out a card for him...notice it's Mader!
While he ate, he opened another gift from Sophia and Kenton. My mom found white ties you can paint on, so together we stamped the kids hands on it and then I painted the stripes. I thought it was a little corny, but it actually didn't turn out too bad and TJ loved it! He loves to dress up and looks good doing it!

This is the famous trick that TJ would do with Sophia when she was little. Kenton is actually a chicken when it comes to flying in the air, but he is starting to do "the trick" so TJ is very happy! Many moms/grandma's can't handle this trick and usually can't watch, but I love it! Check out Mr. Kenton's little man outfit too:)

After the baby blessing, we went to TJ's families house to eat brunch with his Dad. It was nice spending time with him and the boys put together his new BBQ. Time for nice weather now so we can go over and use it!!! Then we headed for my house to have dinner with my dad. It is always extremely hard to get my dad a gift because he doesn't open them and use them. He keeps them nice. For example, my mom found dress shirts in his closet, un-opened and she wrapped them up for Christmas and he was "ooooing and ahhing" over them and had no idea that they were from his closet (we were laughing so hard). Anyway, so what to get my Dad that he'll actually have to use? Hmmmm...He is a nut when it comes to sunscreen. He makes sure he won't get burnt, so he lather's it on thick all over his face and ALWAYS manages to get some in his eyes. Then he walks around squinting because it stings. SOOOOOOOO....as a joke, we got his some sunscreen and tanning goggles to put so he won't get it in his eyes!!!!

I am lucky to have a dad that has always loved me, supported me and provided for me no matter what.

I am lucky to have a father-n-law who raised a wonderful man with great father instincts.

I am lucky to have a husband who is amazing with our kids, who loves them and tells them that he loves them all day! TJ, you are the best and I don't know what I'd do without you! To infinity and beyond!

4 Months Old

2011-06-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

KENTON IS 4 MONTHS OLD!!!

This is my new favorite picture of him. He's not smiling but there's something about those eyes that melt my heart!

His Stats are:

-26.5 inches long (90th percentile)

-15 lbs (50th percentile)

-Head circumference (50th percentile)

I am loving this stage. His personality is really starting to show. He is still a mamma's boy and does not mess around when it's time to eat! It has been fun watching him reach for his toys and play a little more. I have a feeling everything is going to go in his mouth, which means lots of DROOL! He tries to swallow his hands (ha!) and notice his tongue working the ball:)

Saturday Sun

2011-06-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

I love the sun! It puts every one in a good mood and allows us to wear cute sandals! I forgot what Sophia's toes looked like and Kenton has never gone without socks...Cute huh?

(Look at their color difference, hehe)

First we went to Kids Day at the Pavilion. It focused on safety. Sophia got a helmet fitted to her head and got lots of goodies at all the different booths.
She also got to sit in the fire trucks

And sit on a city bus, which she has always wanted to do (it's better with no people on it, haha).

Then, we went to the lake and enjoyed the sun even more. We had a picnic...

And played in the sand and swam in the water.

We ended with BBQing steaks at home and realized it was 8:00pm when we sat down to eat. That's what happens when the sun is out!!!

IDAHO

2011-06-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

The plan was to head to Boise from Moses Lake for a graduation, but that didn't happen because TJ ended up not getting the time off (we found out LAST minute). TJ was not going to let me drive alone, so I asked my mom if she would go on a road trip with me. I am very thankful for her because she helped entertain the kids while I drove. It took us about 9.5 hours with 2 stops. I think that's pretty good. And why is the speed limit only 65 in Oregon???? KILLER!!!

Brittany (I started babysitting her when she was 4) surprised everyone and was able to come from college, so it was great to see her too!

I feel really young, but when the girl I started babysitting when she was 2 years old is graduating high school, it kind of ages me a bit! This is Jessie, the GRADUATE!!!!! So proud of her:)

At the graduation

We stayed for a couple more days and played...

We tried new restaurants. This was at a burger place called, "Iceberg." The onion rings were HUGE and the mini milkshakes were the size of a large anywhere else!

Got a little baseball in. Trey (who I babysat since he was born) is now 14 and as tall as me!

Sophia loved playing with him. It is neat watching the kids I used to babysit play with my own kids! Ahhhhhhhh, and we hot tubed...

We love you Rutters! Thanks for the fun:)

Memorial Day Camping

2011-06-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Moses Lake for our traditional softball tournament/camping trip. TJ's men's team played and he plays with his brothers and close friends, so it's a lot of fun. I was worried about the 4 hour drive because Kenton does not like the car, but we lucked out. He slept till Ellensburg where we stopped for lunch and then he slept the last hour...phew!

We also rented a little Aliner trailer. I love it! Me and the kids slept on one side and my future sis-n-law and her baby slept on the other side. It's perfect because it has heat, so we didn't have to worry about the kids being cold!
Kenton sat in the stroller like a big boy and watched Daddy's game

TJ pitched...his mask reminds me of a mask from a scary movie, but I'm glad he wears it because I do love his face:) I won't mention that they played 3 games and lost them all...shhhh!

The kids needed a little entertainment during the games. Aunt Hollie brought some bubbles to play with.

Saturday night we went to a night parade in the town. It was little, but neat. The kids got lots of candy thrown to them and there were some pretty lit floats, and little marching bands that played.

We had to leave Sunday because I was going to head for Boise, Idaho on Monday. We didn't want to go, so we packed up slowly and hung out for a bit.

We ended the weekend with a "Corn hole" tournament. TJ ditched me for his brother Caleb, so I paired up with Caleb's girlfriend. Both our teams made it to the semi-finals! The concept of this game is so simple, but it's quite entertaining. I want to get one!

Another fun year in Moses Lake!

Cabbage

2011-05-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Did you know that cabbage has multiple purposes?

I've learned something new about cabbage, but before I tell you what it is I'll explain something first. I hope this isn't TMI for you, but seeing as though all my readers are majority (or all) girls I think it will be okay.

Nursing...

With Sophia I was not a huge fan of it, but did it anyway. I couldn't do it for very long because I went back to work early. I knew that I was going to nurse with Kenton because it's better for him, yadda, yadda. This time around I actually really enjoyed it. I felt very bonded with him and felt very important that I was the only one who could give him this nourishment. A couple weeks ago Kenton started going backwards with his sleep (waking up every hour, etc), so I was wondering if I was giving him enough. Talking with my mom made me realize that maybe my body was not making enough for Kenton because of the "stress" or "worry" I have been dealing with him. I don't necessarily feel stressed, but maybe that's how my body is handling it. So I started the hunt for the bottle and formula (sad face inserted here).

So what does cabbage do?

Cabbage can be used to help with engorgement and stop the production of milk. I don't have enough milk to fill him up, so it is the end of breast feeding for me (I keep telling myself that it will be okay!) Yes, I am sitting here with cabbage in my bra to let my body know that it can be done making it. I will never look at cabbage the same, haha!

P.S. Kenton slept 5 hours straight last night, so I think he's a much happier and fuller boy with formula!

My Kids

2011-05-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

Mr. Kenton is starting to get stronger...

He is enjoying sitting up...

He is also scooting and wiggling around...I have to be careful where I leave him laying now. I can't leave him on his bouncer chair without using the buckle. He moves quick too!
I can't get enough of brother and sister pictures...What's even cuter is that Sophia asks to hold him all the time and asks me to take a picture:)

Sister was playing cowgirl and included brother too...yee-haw!

I love my kids and love being their mom:)

Kenton's Challenge

2011-05-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a hard couple last days because we have been worrying about Kenton's eyes. First let me give you some background. There is an eye condition that runs in my family called, Nystagmus, which is involuntary eye movement from side to side, which effects eye sight. The women are the carriers and it skips every other generation. My great grandpa and his 3 brothers had it and my uncle had it. Well, because it skips generations my brothers didn't have it. I'm a carrier and we found out today that Kenton has either "congenitive motor nystagmus" or "congenitive night blindness" (which is in the nystagmus family). Either one he has, the treatment is the same (glasses, surgery, etc).

About a month before I was due with Kenton my mom and dad talked to me about this condition and told me the possibility that Kenton would get it. They said that I would be able to tell right away if he had it. As a newborn, Kenton's eyes did not act abnormal, so I thought phew, he didn't have it. At his 2 month check up I expressed my concern to his pediatrician about his lack of locking in on objects or people. He would respond to them, but not follow them. Kenton was not making eye contact. She said that it could be still developmental, but to watch it. A couple weeks later I noticed still no locking in and noticed more eye movement from side to side. For example when people see his eyes they say, "Wow, look at him, he's trying to take it all in!" Basically it looks like he's over stimulated. Feeling that "mama" feeling, I called his pediatrician and explained what was happening. She referred me to a pediatric opthomologist. We got an appointment and of course had my dad come with me (my dad is an optomotrist for those of you who don't know).

So...today was the appointment (thanks to others cancelling and letting me get in early). The opthomologist did different eye exercises with Kenton. Some Kenton responded to, some he did not. He also dilated his eyes and told us that his eyes developed correctly and are healthy, which is a great thing. He also said that Kenton is seeing (I knew that though) but probably not as good as other babies his age. How much less, we don't know due to his age. He referred us to a doctor in Portland to do a "ERG-Electric retinal graph" on him. No one in this area does it on young babies. This test can possibly show us nothing, but it could also show us something. The way I see it, the test results are a starter point. It can be used to compare as he gets older to see if changes or what changes take place. Once we go, have the tests, and results, we will meet with our opthomologist to see the next steps. Being proactive parents, TJ and I wanted to know what we could do to help Kenton right now. Is there any exercises we could be doing? But, unfortunately there is not because he is so young. Do you see a trend??? It's hard to find things out on babies! But it's also hard for me to do nothing! I guess my job right now is to do more research because I am still learning about it.

Also, the thing to do right now is to love him and not treat him any different! I know he sees and responds to people he knows! His smile, babble, and giggle has me hooked. I have friends that are dealing with FAR WORSE things with their children, so I can't help think, "Emily, if this is all he has to deal with, then you can't complain!" BUT, he's my baby. I want him to be healthy. I don't want him to have to struggle in life. TJ reminded me that Kenton chose this life. He knew what we was going to go through, which is why I pray that he will have a strong personality. TJ and I are his parents. We are positive people and will do what we can to help his succeed.

(p.s.-I can't help HATE my genes right now!)

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

I love Mother's Day. I love that TJ makes me feel special and tells me that he is so lucky that I am the mother of his kids (he tells me other days too). TJ and Sophia made me breakfast in bed and brought flowers with it too. We were late to church because of it, but it was worth it. They also surprised me with diamond stud earrings! I usually have an idea what my gifts are, but this time I was totally shocked...so shocked that I just can't wear them yet. I know that sounds crazy!

I feel extremely blessed to be a mom. I know what love feels like, but never knew how much I could love someone the second I saw them. It's a love that I would never exchange for anything. I love Sophia and Kenton so much and I'm learning that I am one protective mama, so don't mess with my kids, ha!

And of course, I can't forget my mom. I think I love being a mom so much because I have the greatest example of what a mom should be like.. a wonderful one! My mom is loving, involved in our lives, willing to help out with anything, and makes things fun! I owe my "mom" qualities to her! Mom...I love you! I also can't forget TJ's mom. I am also lucky to have her in my life. I especially like her jokes, hahaha (TJ will roll his eyes at the comment;).

3 Months Old

2011-05-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Kenton is 3 months old already!

He found his hands!

His newest tricks are: eating his hands, clasping his hands together, and belly laughing.

He is a lover of: his mommy, eating every 3 hours at night, being in the Baby Bjorn, smiling when talked to, and having a conversation:)

He Hates: the car.

(I put a video of him belly laughing and talking with me on facebook because it wasn't working on blogger, so check them out there...If you're having a bad day I guarantee they will make you smile...pretty dang cute!)

Little Swimmer

2011-05-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

Proud moment:

Sophia passed her Preschool level swim lessons and graduated to ADVANCED PRESCHOOL! Oh yeah! She has a new teacher and is still excited about it so we are keeping her in to get more practice.

Easter Day

2011-04-27T14:13:00.001-07:00

The night before Easter we had a lesson on the true reason we celebrate Easter. My sis-n-law had a great kid movie that showed/explained the resurrection, which engaged Sophia and prompted her to ask questions! I love how she is trying to understand everything.

Now on to the Easter bunny stuff...Sophia woke up at 7:30 and came into my room. The first thing she said was, "Can we go down stairs to see if the Easter Bunny ate all the carrots?" And sure enough he did, except for some nibbles!

The Easter Bunny got Sophia Tangled and some other goodies and he almost forgot that I had another kid, hahaha. Notice the 1 toy in his basket (I know Kenton isn't aware, but Sophia would have wondered why he didn't get anything)!
This was Kenton being part of the Easter egg hunt at our house. The Easter Bunny hid an egg on his swing:)

Nama and Grandpa's House:

It's tradition in the morning to gather on my parent's bed and wait to see what the Easter bunny brought. It's so fun to experience "firsts" with Kenton. His first time on the bed! Doesn't he look so excited?!

Now the famous hallway picture. Sophia and Tyler are in the ready position and Kenton wanted a ride. Ready, set, go and they all ran down the hallway!

My family grew up with macrame (sp?) baskets and my mom made Kenton, Sophia, and TJ one this year to match! Grandma and Grandpa spoiled us once again.

All of our baskets with our loot. Notice Sophia checked hers out immediately! I think my mom is suggesting we get to work in our yard with the gardening stuff, ha! It needs it bad though!

We had an Easter egg hunt at my parents house too. They hide real eggs and the kids found all 36 eggs. We always put our names on 1 egg, so here is Sophia's egg.

And Kenton's egg

Once again...A very cute bunny!

After church we headed over to TJ's brother's house to celebrate with his Nana and family. It was nice to see everyone and eat yummy food. I had to get some pictures of our outfits. Our family one is at the top of our blog. Here are my boys with their matching ties. I love making ties because it's one thing I can sew all by myself:)

Sophia wanted to hold brother standing up...yah I couldn't let go all the way yet...

Isn't she lovely? She picked out the dress with her daddy and did a great job:)

We had a wonderful Easter with family and friends. I am very blessed to know that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that he was resurrected so that one day I can live with him again.

Pre-Easter Events

2011-04-25T21:42:00.001-07:00

Ms. Shelby, Sophia's preschool teacher invited Sophia to come to their Easter egg hunt (Sophia isn't going there now since I'm on maternity leave). Each kid had a partner and Jackson was buddied up with Sophia. They held hands and waited for Ms. Shelby to say, "GO!" She was tricking them by saying, "Ready set...Bananas!" Once "GO" was said, they were off. Sophia was trying to follow the directions of staying with her buddy, but Jackson was off and running, so Sophia started crying. I explained that it was okay to let go of hands and find eggs. What can I say, she's a rule follower....at least at school, ha! She got over it real quick.

And she's off to find 12 eggs!
Checkin out their loot

After the hunt was play time!

Red light, Green light Easter bunny style

Next was EGG-STRAVAGANZA on Saturday on the base. And can I tell you that I loved, loved how nice it was! I didn't want the day to end! I even put a sun hat on my little white boy and he was adorable!

They had a table where kids could get a small Easter basket and fill it with all sort of goodies.

Check out how many eggs! Thank goodness the egg hunts were organized by age group, but it was still crazy. It was the parents who I wanted to attack because they were pushy, so I told TJ to take her on the hunt because I might take somebody out, ha!

Waiting for her time to go! And once again...it was so nice that we wore SUNGLASSES! It's the small things that excite me:)

Phew! She made it out alive! I think she was proud of the what she got.

Here is something she picked out at the table! Cutest bunny ever!

Next was... EGG DYING! Of course she dyed her eggs pink and purple.

She was the first one at the table ready to dye and the last one to leave.

Lots of fun...Ready for Easter!

Sunday Best

2011-04-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

We all know TJ loves to get dressed up for church and I have to admit, he always looks good, so Kenton will have no choice but to look good on Sundays too. This is one of my favorite outfits Kenton got (thank you Aunt Sarah).

My little preppy boy!

Gotta Love Girls

2011-04-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

I walked upstairs and look what I found...

A ROCK STAR!!!

SWIM LESSONS

2011-04-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Sophia is in swim lessons! She has them twice a week for a half hour. We talked a lot about it so she knew what to expect, but I got a little worried when there was a boy screaming in her class. I was thinking, "GET THAT FREAKIN' BOY OUT OF THERE!" I didn't want Sophia to get nervous because of him. She had a nervous face for a couple minutes, but she pulled through...PHEW. She did everything her teacher asked! TJ and I were so proud. He turned to me and said, "This is why I'm a parent..for moments like these!"

BUBBLE TIME FLOATING ON HER BACK

SHE DID IT! Proud and cold girl after her lessons. Lesson #2 she went under the water and handled it good. She has been on a swim high all week. She woke up this morning asking if she had swim lessons. I told her no and she was bummed. I think we have a fish in the making...THAT'S MY GIRL!

P.S. We got her a "Speedo" swim suit and a towel robe to get her excited too. I think it worked.

2 Months Old

2011-04-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

Our baby is 2 months old!

Kenton is starting to:

SMILE when played with

(he likes head shoulders knees and toes and clapping his hands together)

He is starting to Talk/Babble

Sister is also becoming quite the mommy. She loves to hold him. Kenton started fussing, so she asked me to give her his binky. She put it in his mouth and starting rocking and singing to him. And guess what? He stopped fussing. She is good!

His hair is brown and strawberry blonde and has big curls. And is eyes are still BLUE! Both his hair and eye color can still change, but I hope not.

He is starting to fill out and get little leg rolls

He is starting to cheer for the Huskies and wearing 3 and 3-6 month clothes

He is starting to bear weight on his legs. He stands up really straight and good when I'm trying to burp him. Notice the little man jammies he's wearing too...

Sister had to jump in on the picture. I bet he will be taller than her one day...

Other things he loves and not pictured are:

- His mommy (momma's boy all the way right now)

- Zantac medicine for his acid reflex

(ok..he hates taking it, but we love how it helps his tummy).

- His pillow in his bed that slants him up. He is sleeping anywhere between 3-7 hour stretches at night, which is WAY more do-able than the 20 minutes he used to do.

- Being swaddled at night time

- And eating

Other things he hates and not pictured are:

- His car seat and car rides

- Big burps

- His car seat and car rides (yes I mentioned this twice because he REALLY hates it)

- Being held high and then put down quickly (he still startles a lot)

JUMP

2011-04-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

"Jump, jump, Daddy Mac will make ya, jump, jump, Chris Cross will make ya, jump, jump!" Sorry I couldn't resist myself. "JUMP" is a place in Gig Harbor for kids. It is small and has 4 different bounce houses and slides and we got to go with Christine and kids.

Here's a little bit about it:

-$7 for 1st kid, $5 for each additional kids

- 2 and under and parents are free (parents are allowed to jump with kids)

- You can call for reservations because they only let so many in

- It runs every 2 hours because they clean it in between sessions (thank you!)

- You can bring your lunch and there is a room with tables to eat it in

Sophia's favorite was the slide. I recommend long sleeves because we both got burns on our elbows! Yes, I enjoyed it too!

This was the highlight. This shot was taken right before Sophia and Christine flew over the bumper and fell smack on the mat. Christine did a good job protecting Sophia and I couldn't stop laughing!!!!!

This was one of the bounce houses that had things to crawl up on and through

It was fun to do something new and not have to pay a million dollars to do it! Check it out!

We Found a Winner

2011-03-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

I love binky's, but I thought Kenton would never take one. He is such an eater, that I wanted him to take one so bad because I knew it would sooth him. I went to the hospital with the one that Sophia took and he took it for like 10 seconds. So what did I do??? I bought every style of binky there was on the store shelf. I couldn't find all of them for the picture, but you get the idea. Once again, I thought it was a lost cause because he wouldn't take any for more that 10 seconds and he is almost 2 months old.

One day last week I was doing my hair and heard a sucking noise coming from Mr. Kenton. I peaked around the corner and sure enough he found his thumb and was totally enjoying it. I already have one that loves her thumb (don't get me started on that because she loved her binky too) and don't want another thumb lover. So I said to myself, "If he likes to eat, and likes his thumb, then he likes to suck." That made me give him a binky one more time and he took it for more than 10 seconds!!! YAH! The rest of that day I continued to give it to him and now he likes it. DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

The winner of all binky's is...

the MAM Brand!

Thank you Mam Binky. I love you!

Kenton's Special Day

2011-03-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, February 27th, Kenton was given a name and blessing by his daddy at our church. The blessing was very special.

I made matching daddy/son ties, which turned out so cute (thanks to Megan's pattern) and my mom made Kenton's white collared shirt, white pants and Sophia's skirt. When Sophia heard that I was making the boys matching ties, she wanted something matching, so we went with a skirt. Unfortunately Sophia was in a "mood" when pictures were happening, so there is no picture of her matching twirly skirt.

Daddy/Son...precious!

Even though I didn't match, I had to have a picture with my boy! Love him!
Such a little man!

These are the men who participated (Nate, TJ, Mike, Mark, and my Dad)

These next pictures are of everyone who came and supported Kenton and our family. We can't tell them enough how much we love them and appreciate them coming.

TJ's Nana:

4 Generation Picture with GG and my mom

My Parents

Sister-n-law Christine and her family

Brother Nate and his family

Best friend Kim and Mark

TJ's Grandparents

Haven't gotten enough of this cute boy yet? Here's one more picture of our Mr. Kenton. We love him so much and we are very blessed to have him a part of our family!

Family Pictures

2011-02-28T14:26:00.000-08:00

We have always gone to JCPenney's to do Sophia's pictures and needed to do Sophia's 3 year old shots, but was not too impressed with Penney's last time, so I thought of my best friend who likes to take pictures for fun. These pictures are taken by the one and only and very talented Kim Russell. We were her first official "clients" and she did great. SHE IS OFFICIALLY HIRED! Sorry Kim, we're coming to you again:)

Sophia's 3 Years Old

Classic mischievous 3 year old look

Since we were taking pictures of Sophia, why not some of Kenton too.

Kenton 1 Month Old

Proud mama

Proud Daddy

I am one lucky girl to be blessed with such a wonderful family!

Kim you rock and are very talented (get ready for Kenton's 3 month pics, ha). Thank you so much! I owe you big time:)

Some Firsts

2011-02-27T22:00:00.000-08:00

My baby is already a month old tomorrow. I don't know why, but I am really emotional about that. He is already growing so fast! He is growing out of his newborn clothes and moving into 0-3 month. Sigh.

Some of his firsts so far:

He is still sleeping in our room in his bassinet, but I laid him in his crib for a nap one day. First time in the crib lasted about 15 minutes, ha! First time in his bath tub.

He doesn't mind it until he has to get out. He does not like being naked.
First Ferry Boat Ride
The first time Sophia rode a ferry was when we went to my Aunt Sarah's wedding and Kenton's first ferry ride was going to my same Aunt's new house in Seattle.
A couple shots of Kenton at my Aunt's house. She gave him his UW sweatshirt, which says a lot since Craig, her husband is a Cougar:)
Sorry Aunt Sarah, I had a picture of you and him here, but it got deleted some how:(

Sister couldn't be left out

And many more firsts to come...

Love is in the Air

2011-02-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

Since I'm not working for the rest of the school year, our budget is a lot tighter, so we talked about not doing anything for Valentine's Day this year. No dinner, no gift exchange, etc. But then I asked TJ if we could at least get a Papa Murphy heart shaped pizza and he started laughing and said, "I think we could do that!" Oh the little things that excite me. We actually enjoyed the pizza with my family.

My families tradition is the "Valentine's Fairy" where my Dad makes his famous big heart shaped oatmeal cookies and other little gifts and candy are given. The goodies are given when the Valentine fairy doorbell ditches! Sophia got to answer the door to see what she got:)
Kenton got stuff too!

Sophia checked out her goods a little closer.

Kenton's first Valentine's Day shirt thanks to my mom.

This girl adores her little brother!

Our New Addition

2011-02-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce you to the newest member of our family, but first let me tell you "the story of his arrival!" During the end of my pregnancy I was having a lot of dreams about my little man, but one dream stood out to me. In this dream I dreamt that I was going to have him on the 31st of January and thought he couldn't wait 1 day so he could be a February baby (Sophia is already a January baby).

WELL...

The morning of January 31st, 38 weeks pregnant, and 2 weeks early I was woken up at 2:30am with cramp-like feelings. Not sure what was going on I went to the bathroom and went back to bed. Those "cramps" were causing me not to be able to lay down or go back to sleep. At 3:30am I called the hospital and the nurse advised me to take a bath to see if the contractions would either slow down or stop. The bath did nothing, but I still thought it was all in my head because of my dream. The contractions continued to be closer together and more intense as time went on. At 5am I called back and a different nurse told me to come in. I called in a substitute (because remember I was suppose to teach for 2 more weeks) and called my mom to come over. TJ loaded up the car and we got to the hospital at 6am. A nurse brought me into a little room and checked to see if I was dilated. She had a perplexed look on her face and told me that I was already 5 cm dilated, but she wanted to double check. Yup, 5 cm so they admitted me and took me to a different room. TJ and I looked at each other and said, "This is crazy!" The nurse was trying to put in my IV's and blew 2 blood vessels, so another nurse came in and got it right away. That process was probably the longest out of the whole day. I was wanting an epidural, but had to wait to go through one bag of saline for hydration before I could get it, so 30 minutes later I got an epidural. About 8:30am my water broke on its own. At 9:00am my doctor came in to see me. He barely looked at me and said, "Okay we're going to deliver right now!" Once again TJ and I looked at each other and said, "This is crazy!" I was belly laughing too!. At 9:15am I started pushing. I did one big push and his head was out. The doctor suctioned his nose and mouth and told me to do 2 more little pushes. After those 2 little pushes he was out at 9:21am: 6 minutes!!!! I know, I've been told multiple times that women hate me for that. Believe me I feel very lucky and blessed for my birthing hips:)!

And now what you've been waiting for:

Kenton Curtis Rickie Brown

Weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long

(Can you imagine what 2 more weeks would have done?)

At the hospital

Proud big sister moment! She walked in the room and immediately said, "Where is he?" She is in love with him. Little brother gave her her own camera as a present to take pictures and this one is from her camera:)
Forget the hospital beanies that don't stay on, he had to sport the UW beanie (thank you Aunt Sarah)

We kissed him the minute he was born and haven't stopped kissing him since.

Sophia jumped up and helped burp him

Sophia really wanted him to take his binky, but still is not a fan. I'm trying to make him like it because he wants to eat ALL THE TIME!

Going Home:

At Home

Getting ready for his 1st wipe down bath. Check out his skinny legs (sorry I forgot to flip the pictures)

Yah he didn't like it

Still happy at home

Every night Kenton cuddles with Sophia in bed to help tuck her in. The only transition for Sophia has been during bedtime. Because we are all together in the other room, she feels left out causing her not to be able to go to sleep right away.

38 Weeks

2011-01-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

FULL TERM BABY AND ANTSY AS EVER TO MEET OUR LITTLE GUY!!!

MY MIND HAS BEEN COMPLETELY ON THIS LITTLE GUY THE PAST WEEK:

"What's he going to look like?" (because I've had some pretty crazy dreams)

"Am I going to go into labor this time or have to be induced?"

"Is my water going to break while I'm teaching?"

"Is that a contraction?"

"Will today be the day?"

My due date is not until the 12th..2 weeks...yah, so I guess only time will tell! All I really hope for is a nice and healthy boy:)!

The Life

2011-01-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

THE LIFE OF A 3 YEAR OLD...

PLAYING DRESS UP ONE MINUTE (yes she asked me to take her picture and posed all by herself). What a pose!

AND LOUNGING WITH HER LEGS WIDE OPEN LAYING ON MOM AND DAD'S BED, EATING CHIPS, AND WATCHING A MOVIE THE NEXT MINUTE. AHHHH THE DAYS!
DOES ANYONE ELSE MISS THOSE DAYS?!

3 day weekends rock!

2011-01-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

I love having a Monday off (thank you Martin Luther King Jr.): Why?

1. Spending the entire day with Sophia and TJ

2. Going to Toys R Us to spend Sophia's gift card

3. Going to the park because it WASN'T raining or freezing

4. Taking Christmas lights off the house

5. Watching Sophia ride her new big girl bike

6. Dinner with my 2 favorite people at Red Robin and using our gift card

G-ma/pa Brown gave Sophia a new bike for Christmas. We debated between a 12"-16" bike, but she was practically too big for the 12" already and the 16" was a little big, but wouldn't be for very long. She rode the 16" bike in the store, so we went with it. Well, she got the bike and then decided she was scared of riding it, until TODAY!!!!
She rode it in our cold-a-sac, but it has a little hill, so we took her to a big empty parking lot. She started off with wanting me to hold the back and then by the end was telling me to let go if I tried! A little confidence and then she's off....What a pro!

SIDE NOTE: I have learned that girl clothes can truly melt your heart, whereas boy clothes are cute, but don't give the same effect.

BUT LOOK AT THESE...Are they not the cutest little sock shoes you've ever seen? They look like vans! Thanks mom:)

Baby Boy's Room

2011-01-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

Let me give you a little background on the whole crib set. We picked out an animal, primary colored material for Sophia's crib set, which my mom made. We had the whole animal decor, pictures, crib set from bumper pads, blankets, pillows, etc for this reason...WHAT IF WE HAD A BOY NEXT? And wa-la, we are having a boy...Well no problem because our crib set is uni-sex. That is what I thought would happen until TJ found out we were having a boy. Our spare bedroom was decorated with the baseball theme (TJ's love) already and so his brain started ticking. TJ said, "What if your mom made us a baseball crib set?" I immediately said, "No, that's why we did what we did with Sophia's!" TJ didn't take that answer and put a little birdie in my mom's ear. She found some baseball material that was perfect. The background color matched the walls perfectly and off my mom went. All I have to say is TJ is a spoiled brat!

So with a little rearranging of pictures and beautiful curtains and crib set, we have our little boys baseball room. I should have zoomed in on the fabric because it's really fun. It has old school baseball hats, bats, gloves, and pennants.

You'll notice the lovely baby sign from my shower...That will be replaced with a name plate once we decide his name: Easton Curtis? or Kenton Curtis? Curtis is TJ's middle name and Sophia has my middle name. Plus TJ is deciding how to do his name with baseballs.

The bassinet is also set up next to our bed. Nightly I wake up and see it and think, "oh man, it's getting more and more real everyday!" I've officially hit the antsy stage:)

I'm Three and Filled With Glee!

2011-01-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

This turned out to be the best day, not just because it is Sophia's birthday, but because my school was cancelled due to snow and I was able to spend the day with her and TJ had a 2 hour delay into work! THANK YOU SNOW:)

Sophia woke up to balloons in her room, which she remembered we did last year too.

Before TJ left Sophia opened her presents from us. She was sweet and asked why I didn't get any presents. I explained that today was her special day, but I thought that was cute!

The snow was perfect because I didn't have to go to work AND it didn't interfere with Sophia's day. For lunch we ventured out to Red Robin to use her free birthday meal coupon. She wanted the sundae, but not the singing that usually goes with it.

After Sophia took her nap, she came into my room and said, "I'm ready to go to Chuckie Cheese!" The top 2 choices for her birthday party was either Chuckie Cheese or Bowling. Chuckie Cheese made the final cut...

I usually like to make a cake that matches her birthday theme, but this year Sophia knew EXACTLY what she wanted and that was cupcakes. She wanted pink frosting with purple sprinkles for girls and orange frosting with blue sprinkles for boys. Oh, and a Starburst on top and I added the #3 on top.

Sophia had her cousins and best buddies from preschool come to help celebrate, so we had a total of 10 kids...perfect for Chuckie Cheese! All the kids ran around and had fun playing games. Here's Mollie driving away...

Time to eat pizza

Here are her preschool friends. I didn't get a picture of the Brown cousins because they ate so fast and were off to play.

Yes this is how she sat when it was time to sing "Happy Birthday!" hahaha. And she didn't blow out her candles, silly girl! Too much attention on her:) (so like me as a kid).

Opening presents...She got some very fun things.

This was the classic sketch picture from Chuckie Cheese, but I love the look it captured! This picture says, "I'm 3 and I know it!"

It is crazy to think that 3 years ago she came into our lives. It truly felt like yesterday and I replayed that day all day today! Sophia is very aware of what is around her, she picks things up quickly,and surprises us every day with the things she learns. We are truly blessed to have her in our family. Sophia is a fan of: singing songs (making them up lately), dancing (not when too many people are watching), writing her name/letters, playing games, macaroni and cheese, noodles, skipping, being a big girl, and much, much more. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE GIRL!!!

Side note: Our little guy is due exactly 1 month from today!

Baby Boy Shower

2011-01-10T20:08:00.000-08:00

After Christmas I was blessed to have a baby shower for our little guy with close friends and family. Malynda, my friend from way back and Christine threw the shower with food help from others. Can you guess the theme?????

BASEBALL!

(My mom made the lovely sign)

More cute decorations (and I didn't get a picture of the food, but it also had the baseball theme).
We got a video monitor:) TJ wanted one of these with Sophia, but didn't get one, so he's very excited. Sophia and TJ have already tested it out.

We also got spoiled with a lot of adorable boy clothes. My sister-n-law Hollie mentioned that everyone at my shower knew me and my style because I didn't get anything ugly and that is SO true. No Pooh Bear or character stuff...YYYYEEESSS!!! hahaha.

We also got the sit-n-stand stroller that Sophia had to test out every time we went to Target. Sophia rarely sits in the cart or her stroller the whole time when shopping so this will be a perfect ride for her. She has been taking spins around the house!

SIT...

and STAND...

I am very blessed to have such good friends and family! I feel very blessed and we are now ready for our baby boy to join us.

2011

2011-01-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! Here's to happy things for 2011...

We brought in the new year in Seattle. A group of friends went to the Cheesecake Factory for a late dinner and then enjoyed the fireworks:)

While waiting for the Cheesecake Factory we were entertained by this sign. Good ol' Seattle. This sign was made by a bum who shared a joke with us. He reassured us that it wasn't dirty, just cheesy before saying it. What a respectful bum!
Mark, Kim, and Rachel (her and her husband had to separate at the table)

Chris (Rachel's hubby), TJ and me

It was cold, but the fireworks were pretty and the company was even better. I love you guys!

The Day We All were Excited For...

2011-01-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS DAY!

This is Santa's spread...I grew up with Santa's gifts not being wrapped and running to see what I got. TJ went with this tradition because he realized that Santa has a tough job:). Sophia's main things she asked Santa for were a pink guitar, cash register, and baby doll.

Evidence that Santa came to our house. The first thing Sophia said when she woke up was, "Is Santa here?" She seemed a little apprehensive because she loves Santa, but not up close. I reassured her that he wasn't here, but did come.

Yah a cash register!!!

And pink guitar! She jumped up and down with excitement. Those moments were priceless and made Christmas day even more special! Rocker girl:)

After playing and checking out what Santa brought her, it was time to open family gifts. Santa rocks and gives all the fun stuff. Mom and Dad just gave her pj's, game, and movie.

Daddy's turn to see what was in his stocking. TJ's favorite part is the stockings. Santa brought him practical stuff in his stocking this year, hahaha! Notice Sophia is right there to help! She did that with everything:)

Off to do Christmas morning with my side. The Uffens tradition is to wake up and meet on Mom and Dad's bed. The kids are ready to go. Notice the girl matching PJ's...adorable! Those pj's have turned into Sophia's favorite.

Here we are in the hallway waiting to run down and see what we got! (And yes, I still run!!!)

Sophia got loaded up! She got her Baby Alive. She was very particular and pointed to this baby every time we were in a store. This baby laughs, eats, drinks, and poos. Little did I know that I will be changing 2 diapers next month, haha! This baby will give Sophia lots of practice.

Time to drink...What a good mama!

Our day was not over. We went over to celebrate with TJ's Dad side and then back to my parents house for dinner. We are truly grateful for both our families and for everything they do for us, but we were all ready for bed at the end of the night!!!

Merry Christmas Eve

2011-01-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas with TJ's Mom's side of the family at his Aunt Kathy's house. Her house is on Kitsap Lake and beautiful! Alyssa, TJ, Jason, Kevin, and Caleb had a brilliant idea of jumping into the lake after dinner. Mind you, it was raining and freezing cold. The best part is that TJ squeezed into his cousin Alyssa's basketball shorts. Look how tiny she is, haha!

After the shin-dig we went over to Grandma/pa Brown's house to do Christmas with just the immediate family. All the kids were excited and Sophia waited patiently for it to be her turn to open the presents.
What could it be??? I think she was the daintiest gift opener;)

The last surprise of the night was for the girls. They both got new bikes! This is Sophia's first big girl bike with training wheels. She's getting more comfortable on it everyday.

About 10pm we finally made it back to our house. Sophia set up Santa's plate of cookies, milk, and big carrots for the reindeer. And yes, they had to be big carrots! Notice the attack dog protecting Santa's plate. We got that dog during the white elephant gift exchange at Kathy's house. I think we scored!!!

Sophia took awhile to fall asleep that night, but then Santa got to work!