The Cincinnati Browns

Samantha loses her first tooth!

2012-01-25T07:50:00.000-08:00

Samantha has been sick with strep throat. She has been watching a lot of movies. I mean A LOT! On the first day home from school, while watching some Barbie show, she suddenly announced "I just lost my tooth." She had been working on it for a long time and had finally gotten it out. Then the second day home from school she was getting frustrated as she had some trouble getting the second loose tooth out. When Nathan came home from work she asked him to look at it, something that usually makes us both queasy, but he grabbed onto her tooth with a kleenex and pulled it right out. Samantha was happy because she said it was easier to eat with the teeth out than with them so wiggly. She has decided she would rather keep her teeth for a while than turn them in to the tooth fairy. That's a first for us! Usually the kids are so excited to get money!

Tyler turns 12!

2012-01-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

How did this happen? Our oldest, Tyler, turned 12 on Jan 7th. It seems like he just turned 8 and was baptized! He is such a great kid. He is responsible, trustworthy, intelligent, handsome, polite and so fun to talk to. He makes pleasant conversation with any adult, almost better than kids his age, and makes us laugh. We celebrated his birthday in Utah, letting him pick out his gifts at the BYU bookstore. We had a cake with all our Utah family at Grandma's house, which was something we've never been able to do before. Tyler also had 2 of his friends over and went laser tagging with them here in Cincinnati. Then we planned to celebrate again with our Ohio family on the day he was ordained to the priesthood. We made it through the ordination, which was a beautiful blessing, thanks to Nathan. Both Nathan and I were sick that day so we didn't have everyone over for the dinner we'd planned. Thankfully though, everyone came by for a piece of cake and to congratulate Tyler. It is amazing to see a boy so young given the responsibility of holding the priesthood of God. I know it will help him grow and serve others in many ways. I am excited for him to leave primary and join the Young Men's organization. Scout camp...now that's a different story. I am most apprehensive about letting him go off to another state with a big group of boys, trusting he'll be ok and come home all in one piece. This Sunday Tyler will pass the sacrament for the first time....let's just take this new stage one step at a time.

Congratulations Tyler! We love you.

Utah Fun

2012-01-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

While in Utah for a week we got to do some fun things. It was great to be able to spend some quality time with our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Some of the highlights were four wheeling with Uncle Jake, skiing with Uncle Jed and doing a ropes course at Provo Beach Resort. The girls even got to do crafts with Aunt Claire and go shopping with Aunt Melissa. It is fun to see these cousins because we really don't see them often enough. Everyone is growing up so fast! Thanks guys for such a fun time! We miss all of you so much!

Andy and Bethany's Winter Wedding

2012-01-21T06:19:00.000-08:00

On Dec 29th we flew to SLC for a visit with Nathan's family and to attend his brother's wedding. Andrew Brown and Bethany Pinnock were married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 4th. It was a lovely wedding and as you can see the children got to wear some snappy looking clothes. I think their favorite part about this wedding was the dancing at the end of the wedding dinner, something they had to wait a LONG time for. We are so happy that Andy and Bethany found each other and are excited to get to know our second "Aunt Bethany" better.

Christmas at Home

2012-01-21T06:03:00.001-08:00

Christmas was so special this year. It was our first in this house and the second one to fall on a Sunday since we've had our kids. I just love waking up and going to church before opening presents. It really sets the tone and helps us remember the true meaning of Christmas. It also makes the gift giving last longer, which I am always sad to see come to an end. We had family over for a Christmas Eve dinner and Nativity here the night before. Then we attended church at my parents ward where Dad, Michael, Doug, Nathan and Heather sang. By the time we got home the kids were DYING to open their presents. It was around 11:00 by then! We had a great time together. Everyone seemed genuinely happy-- no tears....that is until Tyler opened his iPod, which Samantha cried about for a half hour. She said that is what she had wanted Santa to bring her! We drove up to mom and dad's that evening and opened gifts with the rest of the family. Once we got home we were all exhausted and trying to get to bed. Samantha finished the day off by getting sick and barfing all over her room, new books, and WHITE pillow her aunt lovingly made her. Oh well. We aren't striving for perfection here. I was just so happy the rest of the family slept and that was the only vomit mess I had to clean up!

Christmas Pictures

2011-12-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

Before church one Sunday I tried to get a good picture of the kids for our Christmas cards. I figured it was the one time I would have them dressed nice and without food on their faces/hair, etc. I also really wanted to send out a picture that showed the difference in Tyler and Audrey's smiles. They both wore braces and had oral surgery this past year and I love the results.

The Quest for the Perfect Tree

2011-12-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

There is a Christmas tree farm within a half hour of our house where you can pick any tree you want for $38.00. We decided to make this our new tradition and try it out. So we drove out there on a sunny Saturday after Thanksgiving. I don't know if it is a "man" thing or if it is just Nathan, but we had to walk and walk and walk, making absolutely sure we had seen all the trees and had found just the right one. I wouldn't have thought this was a big deal, except I had Lila in the back pack and I got pretty worn out. We ended up finding a tree that was "just right". The challenge then was to cut it down, lay it on a tarp, and haul it up this big hill to the place where they bale them. We had to stop and rest a few times and there were some emotional outbursts, but we did it. I think it will be really cool to watch the kids get bigger and better at hauling a tree year after year. We are excited to make this our new Christmas tradition!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

Since I never took any pictures of Halloween last year, I vowed to do better this year. I don't remember exactly why we have no pictures of last year's Halloween festivities, but I think it had something to do with Audrey getting strep throat and me spending two days cleaning vomit and taking care of a nursing baby.

This year Halloween was significantly better. Lila could walk and no one was sick! We went to our ward trunk-or-treat party, where Audrey won the award for the "Most Creative Costume". Needless to say, I was very proud. I am a little sad that this is probably the last time one of our children will dress up in this adorable witch costume. One day I'll be that mom looking at pictures of our three daughters in the same costume, wondering who is who.

I think Tyler is getting a little old for this holiday as he was very difficult to come up with an acceptable costume for. At nearly 12 years old, he is beginning to care a lot about his image. I know what you're thinking....just you wait....you have 3 daughters!!!

Samantha had fun wearing makeup and pink hairspray, dressed up as a "rockstar". I learned that she has amazing eyelashes that should be illegal and that she is my closet actress. She could be so great on stage if I could ever get her over her fears.

We had a lot of fun trick or treating with the cousins this year. We went to the Wilson's neighborhood where they have the awesome tradition of sitting out on their driveways to pass out candy. Many neighbors even bring out portable fireplaces and have them lit while they sit out together. We loved it! Here's some photos of our Halloween fun...

Fall Fun

2011-11-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

The best word to describe our fall season would be BUSY. Since the kids have started school, things have really picked up around here. Between baseball practices and games, gymnastics, piano lessons, scouts, church callings and more, we've been able to squeeze in some family fun here and there. We took our annual trip to Shaw Farms with Popi and Nana, the Wilson and McIntire families. Everyone had a great time enjoying the sunny weather and fall colors. We picked out some great pumpkins to take home, pet animals, and took a hay ride too.

Samantha's Birthday Party

2011-09-23T09:33:00.001-07:00

Samantha turned 6 this month. She really wanted a "Tangled" birthday party. Since every girl needs at least one princess party before she outgrows this phase, we went with it. My wonderful sister made all the decorations and gave me the ideas for everything else since she had already done a party for her daughter with the same theme. Thanks Linds!!!
I think the kids all had a great time. We made Pascal party blowers, played pin the pan on Flynn, and all sorts of fun things. The cake was fun to make as it was just donuts stacked up on a dowel with a muffin and upside down ice cream cone for a tower. I guess I didn't follow the instructions very well though. Once the cake settled overnight, the donuts smashed into each other and separated from the tower part. Cake donuts not glazed ones. Oh well. I get an A for effort, right? The important thing is that Samantha and her guests all enjoyed the festivities.

Back to School

2011-09-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, the rest of you have been back to school for 2 weeks now. Today was our first day. It was wonderful for a couple of reasons:
1. The heat is gone-- yah 70 degrees!
2. Everywhere we went the last couple of weeks we had the place to ourselves-- no waiting in line at coney island or kings island.
3. Extra time with no crazy schedules to follow.
4. It took the whole summer, but these kids finally started playing together a little better. I'm not saying there was no fighting, just less. Audrey and Samantha even made up a little "sister" handshake with a song to go with it about being best friends.

So now here is my list of negatives about school starting:
1. It is just too quiet in the house. I would be SO sad today if I didn't have Lila to keep me company.
2. We now have 2 schools and no bus. So lots of driving for us.
3. Tyler's middle school STARTS at 7:15am. Ridiculous!
4. Usually I rejoice in the return to schedules, structure, routine, and some quiet time for mom. For some reason this year I just miss the kids and can't stop thinking about them. I feel a little lost for some reason.

We have had some struggles with school here in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, Tyler and Audrey can remember school in Arkansas and that is all they have to compare it to. If they could, they would both go back to what we had there in a heartbeat. Last night Nathan gave us all priesthood blessings to help us have the right attitude about our new school year. I finally felt some peace and I think the kids did too. They all woke up and seemed genuinely excited this morning.

As my kids get older, it is just so hard to let them grow and "stretch their wings", trusting they will be ok if I'm not always there. It is hard for me to send them to school with so many people with different values/morals. It is hard to send them into sometimes hard situations and not be there to protect them. I have prayed so hard lately that this will be a good year. I am going on faith- faith in God and faith in my kids. They aren't really alone because I believe the Lord is watching out for them. They can learn to make good decisions and set a good example for those around them. I have to believe that these experiences will make them stronger, more faithful, and better able to cope with real life later on.

Chicago

2011-08-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took the kids and our trusty old minivan and headed to the windy city. The kids have been talking about the Lego Discovery Center and the American Girl Store there ever since we moved to Cincinnati. We really haven't gone anywhere this summer so we decided to brave the car ride with all four kids. I had thought it was just four hours but it is really closer to six, plus add an extra hour for downtown traffic due to the Lalapalooza concert. It was fun though. The girls and I had "afternoon tea" at the American Girl place. We had a great time talking and enjoying girly things. The Lego Discovery center was fun for all the kids and Tyler was able to get a neat Harry Potter lego set with his lawn mowing money. All three big kids had some money saved up for this trip. They have been selling golf balls and lemonade in the back yard all summer.
Lila did fuss a lot in her car seat. I just want to know how other families take babies clear across the country in a car. Even my easiest baby was not happy to be confined for so long and had a hard time falling asleep in her seat. These parents must either be very good at ignoring crying for long periods of time, not require seatbelts, or drive all night instead of during the day. I just can't figure it out!

Funny things...

2011-07-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

The other night I was putting Samantha to bed. This is no easy task mind you, and it must be done with large doses of patience. I was laying next to her scratching her back and she turned over to snuggle up to me. As she did so, she said "oh I love my snuggly mommy, you are just so squishy." Now normally I would take offense to this, thinking to myself how I need to work out more, since "squishy" is a negative thing to be, right? Well I have been thinking about it and I actually think that "squishy" is a wonderful thing to be. Everyone needs their soft place to fall, their comfort zone so to speak. Samantha is a delightful child who keeps us on our toes and always going. She is very intense. She doesn't often show me affection or say nice things to me at all really. So for her, she was telling me how much she loves and needs me. And I am finally learning as a mother to hear what she is telling me.

Boy Scout Camp

2011-07-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Tyler had the opportunity to go to Boy Scout Camp as an 11 yr old this summer. He didn't spend the night but went up all day for one week. Let me tell you it is exhausting and I didn't even go! They do so much and it is all outside in the heat and humidity. Tyler had a great time and learned a lot. The families were invited up for the evening on the last day and we took some fun photos. The girls liked watching the boys dressed up like indians sing and dance. They were very disappointed that they couldn't go camping there after seeing the facility. It reminded me of the boy scout camp that we used to go to as a family when I was young. They opened it up to families for part of the summer. I learned to shoot a rifle, ride a horse, and sail a little sailboat there. What fun memories!

July Fourth

2011-07-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

It was amazing to me to see how much the kids have grown this past year. For some reason I was thinking about it on the 4th of July. Last summer Lila was just a newborn and the kids hadn't even lived here for an entire school year. So much has happened since then and it is crazy how quickly children grow up! Tyler will be receiving the priesthood in 6 months and Audrey got her ears pierced. Samantha is almost 6 and Lila is turning into a toddler.

For the holiday we were pretty low key. Fourth of July was Tyler's first day of scout camp and we were tired after a busy week with the Burnetts, our awesome Florida family. So we took the girls out for a pizza lunch and over to the mall to walk around in the air conditioning. That evening we lit sparklers and smoke bombs, then made a campfire for s'mores. The kids seemed to be happy with that. It was nice not having to fight any crowds. Tyler enjoyed his scout day camp and I'll post more pictures of that later. Enjoy!

Lila Turns One!

2011-06-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

First of all, I feel terrible that I don't blog more often. It is my only record of these busy, yet joyful, child raising years of life. I know I will regret not having written down more of the funny things the kids do and say, as well as my feelings as a mother. Once a month is just not enough. I will do better!

Second, I cannot, simply cannot, believe that my baby Lila is a year old! Never has the first year with any of my babies flown by this fast. I think it has been a combination of her easy going nature and the busy life with three older kids. She has been such a blessing to our family. When I found out I was pregnant with her I just prayed for two things: that she would be a good sleeper and that she would bring joy to our family. The Lord has certainly blessed me with that and more. I definitely feel that she has increased the joy around here. She is always smiling. She waves at us and dances for us and just generally aims to please. The kids love her, even Samantha, who has struggled getting used to being a big sister. I just can't imagine our family without her.

On Lila's birthday we had family over for dinner and birthday cake. I was surprised to see Lila dive into her cake the way she did. She really hasn't had any sugar yet and I wasn't sure what she would think of the taste. In no time at all, she decided it might be better to just stick her face down into the cake rather than try to get it in her mouth by hand. She obviously liked it. She seemed excited about her new found freedom until she realized her hands were dirty, which was not fun for her. Then, just as quickly as she enjoyed it, she was done with it. Comical.

Here are a few photos of her happy day. Sorry they are in reverse order. I guess I haven't figured that out yet.

April Travels

2011-05-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

We took two trips during the month of April. The first was to Naples, Florida for a legal conference Nathan was invited to. Thanks to my sister and my parents, Lila and I were able to accompany him for the long weekend, leaving the three older children at home. I have to say the beach was gorgeous, the weather perfect and the accomodations amazing. The view from our room brought a smile to my face every time I walked in. Nathan says I am spoiled now after having stayed at the Ritz. He is right.
Our second trip was to Monterey and San Jose, California. We took the whole family to the beach this time! We were there for my cousin's wedding and to see my grandparents, aunts and uncles who live in the area. We had a couple of great days on our own in Monterey. We explored many beaches and took the kids to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Then disaster hit. Lila started vomiting and having diarreah just before we moved to our hotel in San Jose. Audrey and I then got sick shortly after. Nathan came down with it just a day after us. To make a long story short, Tyler and Sammie escaped it, but Nathan got so dehydrated we almost had to take him to the ER. Thanks to a wonderful priesthood blessing, he was well enough to fly home. I guess this trip turned into one of "those" vacations that you barely endure and then laugh at years later. I'm still not laughing! I was so upset to be sick and miss out on the wedding festivities and Easter Sunday with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. That is a long way to travel only to spend so much time cleaning up yuck in a hotel room!

Lila Grace

2011-03-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

Baby Lila Grace is growing like crazy. I can hardly believe she will be 9 months old in a few days. She is just such a delightful baby. She has certainly brought joy to our family. She has finally learned to sit up without falling over and is so happy to be able to see what everyone is doing. She makes funny faces just to get us to laugh at her and gives big open mouthed kisses on our cheeks. This baby certainly gets plenty of attention with three siblings fighting over her. She lets her older sisters play dress up with her and loves to grab at Tyler's braces. My what a blessing, our little Lila girl!

A Sunny Day at the Zoo

2011-03-01T05:53:00.001-08:00

We had a lovely sunny day on a Friday when the kids were out of school. It was so nice to get outside after all these cold winter months. I took the kids to the Cincinnati Zoo with my sister and her two boys. We had a great time and are now very ready for SPRING!

Audrey Turns Nine

2011-03-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

Our darling daughter Audrey had a birthday in February. She decided that for her birthday party she wanted to have an American Girl theme. We had a party game based on the Kit Kittredge doll and decided to use it. The girls all dressed up to play a part in the "mystery" and we had a great time solving it together. There was a lot of giggling and screaming and in the end they just wanted to play hide and go seek in the basement. Everyone had a great time and it was nice to see Audrey so excited for something. She has had a very hard year at her new school and we haven't seen here smile around her much lately.
Happy 9th Birthday Audrey!

Our Utah Christmas

2011-01-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Utah this Christmas. Nathan's little sister got married on the 28th in the Salt Lake Temple. We had such a great time seeing all the family we haven't seen in over a year and introducing our little Lila Grace to everyone. We felt so blessed to have no sickness and relatively easy travel this time. The wedding was beautiful. I think one of the benefits of being the oldest is that our children are old enough to participate in and remember their aunts and uncles temple weddings. It has become a great teaching opportunity and always special for Nathan and I to remember our own wedding almost 12 years ago. Here are some photos of our trip...

My Tyler Boy

2011-01-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

So on January 7th, our oldest turned 11. Yes, only one more year till we're out of primary and becoming a deacon. Wow. It feels like just yesterday that he was baptized. We felt so bad for him this year because he got strep throat for his birthday. Really. We had planned a bday party that had to be postponed. Looking on the bright side though, it provided him with a day home from school, which he enjoyed even while in pain.
Tyler is a wonderful boy. I sure enjoy what good company he is. He will talk your ear off if you get him alone. He is a great help when he wants to be, as he is growing quite tall and strong. He has a desire to always do what is right. He is a leader and influences others around him for good. He is also becoming very perceptive. Just last night I was crying in frustration after trying for 2 hours to get my 5 year old to bed. As I was folding laundry he came up and gave me a big hug, telling me that everything would be okay.
Happy Birthday TyTy Boy! Thanks for being such a great kid!

Samantha Joy

2010-11-29T17:58:00.000-08:00

I have decided to write a separate blog entry about each child so I have a record of them at this age. Sammie is such a funny girl. Whenever I download the photos from my camera to the computer, I find hilarious self portraits of her. There are pictures of her with pretzels in between her toes, pictures of the inside of her mouth, and close up shots of her face from every angle. I have a hard time deleting them because even if they are blurry, they make me smile.

Samantha has had a difficult time adjusting to the new baby. I guess she was the baby for too long because she has said that she doesn't like being a big sister at all. She recently had surgery to remove her adnoids because since she was a little baby she has had trouble breathing through her nose. When the doctor talked to us after the procedure, she said that Sammie's nose was about 80% blocked off. Poor girl. We really thought she'd be able to sleep through the night on a consistent basis once her nose was clear. Not so. Now she is suffering from intense nightmares that have disrupted sleep for all of us. Sometimes she doesn't get back to sleep for an hour or more. It is hard to have such a great sleepy baby and not be able to enjoy it because your 5 year old doesn't sleep well. Some lady at church told Sammie that a black widow spider bite will "kill ya" and that caused nightmares and strange hallucinations that lasted for 3 hours! And that one happened when Nathan was out of town!

Samantha is also extremely bright. She brought home a book today and read the whole thing without any help. This coming only 3 months into kindergarten, from the youngest girl in the class. She asked me yesterday if she had to go on a mission to get to heaven. Nathan told her we were going to "trim the tree" and she asked him, "with scissors?" Although she can be a real handful right now, we can't imagine our life without our Sammie Joy, aka S.J.

Two Blogs in One

2010-10-27T06:41:00.001-07:00

Audrey, back when she didn't care so much...

Have I mentioned that Lila is growing up way too fast? She is a funny baby. She smiles constantly but is a tough one to make laugh. And believe me we are all trying, daily. She likes to stare at her hands like she can't believe they are actually attached to her body. Now she has mastered the skill of getting the two middle fingers on her left hand into her mouth. She used to have to be on her tummy to find them, but now she can do it any old time. Just watching me make lunch for Sammie, she sucks them. I have to pull them out of her mouth to nurse her a lot. I remember Audrey doing that with her thumb.
Speaking of Audrey, she has had a lot of anxiety lately. She feels so worried about messing up, getting in trouble, or ever making a mistake of any kind. I really didn't know she was such a perfectionist until this year! She says it isn't anything her teacher says/does. She watches the "naughty" kids get in trouble and feels terrified she'll be next....for something as small as forgetting a homework assignment. She is also experiencing test anxiety. Nathan says she's "psycho like her mother" and I disagree. It is not "psycho" to worry about remembering things for a test. I am concerned though because I did not experience this until high school. Poor girl. She's much too young for this.
So we've been talking things through every night before bed. Like "what is the worst that could happen"? Ok now, if that happens, will your family still love you? Will you still wake up and eat and breathe all day long? This kind of logic seems to be helping a bit. I even told her, which I'm sure you can't say to every kid, "all I care about is if you do your best- you can get an F and if you did your best, I'll be ok with that." (She is a straight A student so I felt I could say that.)
I sure hope this phase is over soon. Some phases the children go through are easier for me to deal with than others. It is hard to see your child cry every night for whatever reason, but especially because 3rd grade is so scary. If only our adult lives were as hard and scary as 3rd grade!

Cheeks!

2010-10-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Boy does this baby of mine have adorable, kissable cheeks! She has gotten so chubby and is almost always smiling. I just love to squeeze and kiss those yummy soft cheeks of hers. I have been feeling sad lately as I realize how quickly these last four months have gone by. The longer I'm a mom, the more I see how fleeting this time is that I have with my children. I am enjoying baby Lila so much but I wish I could just stop time so she'd never get any older. I feel so blessed to have been given yet ANOTHER beautiful, healthy, wonderful child.

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

At this time of year we usually like to take a little trip to the pumpkin patch. I remember last year almost getting lost trying to find a little farm in Arkansas. This year we went to Shaw Farms in Cincinnati with some members of our extended family. Popi and Nana were there, as well as Aunt Jo and Aunt Heather with their families. The cousins had a great time running around outside. It has been a very hot and dry summer here and I am craving fall weather. It was still a little bit warm while we were at the pumpkin farm, but we had a good time anyway. I told Nathan that the big pumpkin we bought for carving is my all time favorite. It is tall and skinny with a really great stem. I'll add photos of it later this month when we carve it. Happy Fall!

Lila's Blessing Day

2010-09-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

Our baby Lila Grace was blessed on Sunday, September 5th, 2010. What a special day! We had Nathan's parents and his two brothers Jed and Andrew fly in from Utah for the event. My parents and two of my sisters and their families were also able to attend. We sure missed the rest of our siblings and grandparents that weren't able to be there. It always seems like these kinds of days are whirlwinds and I have a hard time remembering details. But when Nathan, my dad, my father-in-law, Uncle Jed, Uncle Andy, Uncle Michael and Uncle Doug all stood up in sacrament meeting to give Lila her blessing, I felt so touched. What a blessing for this baby to be born into a family with the gospel and all this priesthood support! I felt so grateful to Heavenly Father for sending this sweet spirit into our home. I felt confident that having this healthy, happy baby was kind of God's way of blessing us after some pretty tough trials. I am so grateful for goodly parents and supportive grandparents and siblings. What a blessing to be part of an eternal family!

Two Faces With Braces

2010-09-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

This week my two oldest children got braces. WOW! They are in pain and no one is eating--well, except for macaroni and cheese and milkshakes. Tyler has an expander on the roof of his mouth, in addition to the braces. No fun. He is quite unhappy with us. He says he doesn't care if his teeth are crooked. "No one makes fun of me at school and I'm pretty athletic, so I don't need straight teeth," he says. Audrey is a little bit sore and tempermental, but doesn't complain. She is more self-conscious and wants straight teeth.
I think the braces make them look older, which makes me a bit sad. Where does the time go? I honestly feel like it's only been a few years since they were my babies. Oh well. Someday our kids will be grateful for their beautiful smiles, no matter what they say right now.

Samantha Joy is Five!

2010-09-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

We can hardly believe this girl of ours! Oh how we love her! She is brilliant, funny, always full of energy, and definitely keeps us on our toes. It is hard to believe that she is five years old and headed off to kindergarten. Where has the time gone? We had fun decorating a special cake together today, eating at Sammie's favorite restaurant (McDonalds) and playing with cousins. (Thanks Austin and Andrew for the gifts and the company!) Of course the cake was chosen and designed by Samantha with a little help from me.
Now if she could just sleep through the night on a regular basis. Believe it or not, there are many nights when our 3 month old baby sleeps better than our big 5 year old!

One Long Summer and Back to School

2010-09-08T12:41:00.001-07:00

This summer has been especially long since our school district was trying to have extra time for the completion of two new elementary schools. We ended in May and didn't start back until September 7th. It was a very busy summer with a new baby and adjusting from three children to four. We spent most days at home or at the pool near our house. It was hard in some ways and wonderful in others. Yesterday was Tyler and Audrey's first day back at school and today was Samantha's first day of kindergarten. Just like anything else, there were some smiles and some tears, but we made it. I had a quiet house with just baby Lila for the first time in three months. I enjoyed the quiet but I also thought/worried about my kids while they were away. It is still quite hot outside and the school has no air conditioning. I felt guilty that I was able to stay cool while my children sweat in their classrooms. We are all hoping for cooler fall temperatures very soon. Here are some photos of the kids on their first day back to school.

Thanks Mom for the cute dress! Sammie loved it so much she wanted to wear it on her first day of school. Aunt Claire-- thanks for the adorable little hair clips and purse from Anna for Sammie's bday. She also wore the pink clip on her first day. So adorable!

P.S. Baby Lila was also blessed this weekend....pictures to come soon.

What happens when Mommy's not watching?

2010-08-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

This morning I asked Audrey to watch Lila while I took a shower. I told her she should sing and play with the baby since she had just slept, fed and been changed. These photos show you what I found once I returned to check on them. The girls had decided to play house/dress up and Lila was obviously the baby. I guess she kind of liked the attention because she never cried and went right to sleep in the cozy little basket Audrey and Samantha had prepared for her. Oh the blessings of being the youngest...I'm jealous.

Changes...

2010-08-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Samantha got glasses today! We have known her eyesight isn't perfect since her 4 yr old check up and thought it would be good to get it taken care of before she starts kindergarten. I can't believe how grown up glasses make her look. She picked them out herself and was sure they had to be purple. She has also requested her very first real ponytail, which for someone who is very fussy about her hair, is quite an accomplishment. In an effort to look more like her older sister, Sammie has decided to grow her hair out, bangs and all. I am not too thrilled about the long months of ragamuffin hair during the growing out phase, but when that girl decides something, it's nearly impossible to convince her otherwise.

I think becoming a big sister hasn't come so naturally to Samantha. She has told me at least twice this week that Lila has "taken my parents away." She goes between wanting to "give that baby up for adoption" and strangling her in her efforts to give love. I thought with nearly 5 years between them it would be easier. Instead, Samantha seems to be reluctant to give up her youngest child status in the family. After all, she enjoyed it longer than any of the other kids.

Lila Grace is coming into her own these days. She recognizes us and is smiling easily now. She has DEFINITELY filled out...weighing nearly 13 lbs at 2 months old. She is a really good baby and Tyler and Audrey are great with her. They really help out a lot. I am actually a little worried about how I'll handle things once they go back to school. Both Ty and Audrey are getting braces next month. It's amazing that they are growing up so fast. I'll post pictures of the big kids in braces when the time comes. Meanwhile, here's the girl in glasses and the chubby baby....

The many faces of Lila and her siblings...

2010-07-07T17:20:00.001-07:00

Lila is a wonderful baby. She eats, sleeps and poops very well for a one month old. Unfortunately though, she has increased the fighting at our house, as her siblings always want to be the one to care for her. I am hoping that this improves with time-- like getting bored with a new toy. She was making the funniest faces while sitting in her car seat the other day. And in the photo with the big kids all decked out for 4th of July, you will notice her little tongue sticking out. She does that often as well!

P.S. I am so proud of those chubby cheeks!

Baby Update

2010-06-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Baby Lila is now over 7 lbs, hooray! She may be our third thumb sucker too. It seems my children come into this world with a crazy tendency to suck something. Tyler and Audrey sucked their thumbs. Samantha was a fanatic for the green binkie they give you at the hospital. So of course, Lila is showing she fits the Brown mold!

Welcome Baby Lila Grace!

2010-06-07T13:23:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little baby decided to make her arrival a bit of a surprise. Baby Lila Grace (pronounced "lye-lah") was born Saturday at 5:20am weighing 6 lbs. 13 oz and measuring 19.5 inches long. We weren't expecting her for another 2 or 3 weeks, as my due date wasn't until June 25th. But on Friday I just didn't feel good. I was all swollen and exhausted so I just layed around the house all day. We took Tyler to his Webelos camp out and then went swimming with the girls. I just floated in the pool to relax, then went home and took a shower. Nate and I settled down to watch a movie and the contractions started around 9:30pm. For an hour they came every 10 minutes and I wondered if they were real. Then the next hour they came every 5 minutes, with a little more pain, especially in my back. I called the doctor on call since my doctor was out of town. He said I should come in so they could give me something to stop the contractions. By the time we got to the hospital I was already 6 cm dialated, so they said they wouldn't be stopping the labor. Baby Lila was quick in coming, although I was able to get an epidural. Once I felt ready to push, she came out easily, probably since she was such a tiny little thing. How special it was to see her and touch her on my belly! The nurses gave us quite a while with her after birth. I was so relieved that she didn't have any breathing problems due to coming early.

What a wonderful surprise! I am so grateful for this baby- she's whole and healthy and absolutely wonderful. And although she came when I was not prepared, when my doctor was out of town and when my mom was gone helping my sister in Florida, I am relieved that she is finally here. I can hardly believe it....we are now a family of SIX!!!

The Quest to Catch the Racoon!

2010-06-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

We have a wonderful shed in our backyard. It is a nifty place to store yard tools and things. We were excited to have it when we bought the house. I'm not so sure anymore. It turns out, a mommy racoon has made herself a nest up in the eves of the shed and had babies. We, or should I more accurately say, Nathan, has been working hard to figure out how to get them out and keep them out. By blocking their entry/exit, we think we have gotten the mother out. The problem is she keeps coming back and trying to chew or claw her way back in. Nathan finally bought a trap and with cans of tuna fish and honey soaked celery ribs, has so far caught and released two baby racoons. Tonight we will re-bait the cage and see if there are any more babies in there. We hope we can get the whole family out and keep them out, as they are ruining our shed! Not to mention the fear we all feel at the idea of opening the door to get the mower out! I always picture this rabid wild animal jumping out at me....

We are also getting nearer to my due date. I can' t wait to get this baby out! About 2 more weeks I think, but we'll see. I'm posting this gigantic belly shot for all to see so that after birth, no matter what I look like, I'll know it is smaller than this!

For Grandma...

2010-05-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Just for Grandma, and whoever else may be interested, here are some photos of our refinished deck. Our whole family spent Saturday staining it...just in time to dry before the rain came. We are excited to sit out there and enjoy the beauty of the trees this summer. There is also a photo of Audrey's art project. Enjoy!

What have we been up to?

2010-05-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to? Let me tell you... We've been eating popsicles under the trees on sunny days. We've been unpacking our books in our new navy blue study. We've been taking pictures of cherry trees and framing them for the baby's room. (More photos of that later) We've been going to school plays and kindergarten orientation. We're trying very hard to come up with a name for this June baby, but still haven't decided. Any ideas?

I am so tired of being pregnant. It seems like you feel awful with the nausea and exhaustion, only to have maybe 2 good months before you're big as a whale and hurting all over. I have to keep reminding myself that this is going to be "worth it" in the end. I am now having issues where I can't even go for a walk without a lot of pain. I know it is just one more month, but right now, that month feels like FOREVER!

P.S. Sorry for the complaining!

Spring Break

2010-04-11T18:17:00.001-07:00

We have had such beautiful weather for spring break! The daffodils and tulips have been blooming, as well as the trees. It is so fun to see our landscaping and try to figure out what kind of trees and shrubs we have. After all, we bought this house during a very snowy time of year. Nathan's parents came and stayed with us. What a wonderful visit we had with them! We went to the zoo, to the park, and out to dinner at Montgomery Inn, a famous Cincinnati ribs place. They also helped us paint the study, clean up the yard and fix up the house. Thank you Byron and Jennifer. Here are a few photos of our week...

Audrey's Baptism on Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, we baptized our lovely Audrey. We had a joint baptism with a wonderful family from our new ward. It was wonderful to have Nathan's parents fly out to Cincinnati to be here. I also felt blessed to have my parents and my two sisters and their families attend. Audrey was so excited for her baptism and loved her beautiful dress, made by my mom. While changing into dry clothes immediately after being baptized, she said, "Mom, I feel so special." We talked about what that means and I found myself tearing up. It seems so recent that she was my sweet little baby with the dimples and big smile. I started thinking how quickly the years will go by between now and the time I help her into her next white dress on her wedding day! So we have two baptisms down, and two more to go!

We had a quiet Easter at home watching conference with Nathan's parents. I am so grateful to be able to listen to such inspired speakers. I was so touched by so many of the talks. I especially enjoyed the counsel given to mothers and daughters by Elder Ballard, I think. Now that I am only 2 months away from having THREE daughters, I feel I need all the help I can get! It is such a blessing to have such specific guidance given to us as mothers as we do our best to prepare the next generation for the years ahead. I just hope I can be the kind of mother the Lord needs me to be to these four wonderful spirits He has/is sending me.

Moving

2010-02-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

I have mixed feelings about this big change we have recently made. Moving to Cincinnati from Arkansas has been exciting and we all love seeing our family members more often. It is a city with a lot more to offer than our little corner of Arkansas. My house has SO much more space, for which I feel grateful every day, especially with baby #4 coming. But today as we sang the opening song in Relief Society, all I could think about were the faces of wonderful friends in our old ward. I miss them. I miss knowing people's names and feeling a part of things. I miss knowing how to get places without a GPS. I miss the way people in Arkansas are a little more laid back. I've already been yelled/honked at twice for driving too slow. "Hello..I don't know where I'm going and am trying not to miss my turn", I wish I could yell back. Not to say that we haven't been warmly welcomed in our ward and at the kids' new school, because we have. It all just feels so strange still, foreign somehow. And the saddest part of all is watching your children go through the same thing. They just aren't as happy as they were before. We have a lot of tears over little things and find out later they just miss their old school, friends, life. They are stressed too. Samantha keeps saying to us at night, "when are we going home?" No matter how many times we tell her this IS home now, she keeps asking. Tyler is scared to ride the bus, even though it picks him up on his driveway, drives one mile to the school and back home again. Audrey thinks she's going to get all Fs because they are doing fractions in her class that she hasn't learned yet. It is hard seeing them so sad. I know it takes time. I know we need to reach out and do our part to make new friends. I also know that this is where the Lord wants us right now. But that doesn't mean the transition is a piece of cake. Hopefully things will improve soon. Little triumphs is what we'll celebrate. One day at a time is how we're going to make this our new home. In the mean time, we miss you Arkansas!

Audrey Turns Eight!

2010-02-11T14:02:00.001-08:00

In the middle of this crazy moving transition time, my wonderful daughter Audrey has her eighth birthday. (There is also Valentine's Day and our 11th wedding anniversary too, but there isn't time to celebrate that!) This seems almost to have snuck up on me worse than when Tyler turned this age. Something about these children who not so long ago were your babies...now are accountable for their choices...they just seem more grown up.

Anyway, we planned a very fun birthday party so that Audrey could celebrate one more time with her Arkansas friends. Her party was at the Crafty Cottage, where the girls had a ball making bracelets and homemade paper out of recycled materials. We sure missed Nathan, who has been working at the new job in Cincinnati. I was relieved that all went well and thank you to those friends who've been helping while my husband is away. Enjoy some photos of the event...

We are moving!

2010-01-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

We are finally making the official announcement that we are moving. We will be going to Cincinnati, Ohio where we have family and a new job. Our years here in Arkansas have been full of ups and downs and we have certainly learned a lot! We have made such wonderful friends during our 7 years here and we will miss you all very much. We hope to keep in touch through blogs, facebook and email.

This is a picture of the new house we should be closing on in February and hopefully settle into by the end of that month. Please let me know if you know anyone interested in buying our old house in Arkansas...a great deal to be had there for sure!

We are excited about this new opportunity and hope the children will adjust quickly. The last time we moved, Tyler was 2 and Audrey was a baby. Now we have 3 children and they all will be attending new schools, making new friends, etc. It's a whole new ball game this time! So I guess this is the year for change....a new home, new job and then a new baby in June. Wish us luck!

Tyler the Terrific Turns Ten!

2010-01-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

So my oldest son has finally reached the double digits! I can hardly believe Tyler is 10! He told me on his birthday that he was sad. I asked him why and he said, "because my childhood is half over." What a boy. He is a terrific kid and we are proud of him.

Christmas at our house...

2010-01-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed our first "white Christmas" in Arkansas this year. It was only an inch or two, but the snow was so beautiful to wake up to on Christmas morning. The kids were so excited! We had a wonderful morning filled with squeals of delight as gifts were opened. My children are still complete "believers" in Santa Claus and said he brought them everything they asked for. Thank you to the grandmas and grandpas for such lovely Christmas gifts! As for me, I was so exhausted after breakfast that I went back to bed for a couple of hours. Nathan even came in and snuck an awful photo of me napping.

As for the new year, I am not very good at making resolutions. Well, the resolution I make every year is to lose 10 pounds, which will be impossible this year due to my current condition. I guess I need to be more creative. Maybe I should resolve to stop yelling at my kids, but this I know I will fail at. I think that's my biggest obstacle in goal setting is that I think I have to be perfect at it for it to count as accomplished. Perhaps I shall just try a little harder to be a little better in all aspects of my life. There. Done. "Perfect" will not even enter the picture.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

It seems like it was just Halloween and we're already 4 days away from Christmas. CRAZY how time flies! For those of you still in the dark, yes, we are expecting baby #4 in June. I have been so sick and exhausted that it has been hard to get excited, but I'll get there eventually. So now you know why you haven't received a Christmas card or any wonderfully baked goods from me this year. I just don't have it in me. I recently went to the grocery store and bought food for the first time in 2 months....that's the level we're working at. Thank goodness I have a husband who is a great bargain grocery shopper and knows how to cook too, otherwise we might all have starved! I took some cute pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits yesterday. The girls got these pretty dresses from Grandma Brown-- thanks again! We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

School Christmas Parties

2009-12-20T11:23:00.001-08:00

The very day after we arrived home from our trip to Cincinnati, the kids all had their Christmas parties at school. Yes, all on the same day. I had to remember a book for the book exchange, candy bar for the candy bar exchange, gifts for the teachers, money for the pizza party, and the camera. I think I successfully remembered it all! The kids had a lot of fun, even if they were a little tired that day.

Samantha was chosen to be "Mary" in the little play at her preschool. We were so proud of her! She did so well and despite being a bit nervous, performed her part beautifully. She held Joseph's hand right on cue and gently placed the baby Jesus in the manger instead of throwing him, which she had been teased about doing. Thanks Tyler and Popi!

Tyler's class had a candy bar exchange. He was disappointed when the Canadian chocolate was stolen from him by a classmate. Audrey had fun doing crafts and a book exchange with her friends. We are so grateful for wonderful teachers, schools and friends that our children love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

School Play

2009-11-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

Audrey was chosen to be "Patty Pointer" in the 2nd grade play "ARF" last night. She had to perform twice during the day and then again in the evening for the public performance. She was so cute all dressed up as a puppy and excited to show us what she's been practicing. We were so proud of her! She said her lines with such confidence and enuciated her words perfectly. Here are a few photos of our little star...

Saturday and no rain

2009-10-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of rain this fall. Saturday was a beautiful day and we just had to get out and enjoy it. We went hiking at Tanyard Creek in Bella Vista to enjoy the changing of the leaves. It was great! We also had our ward Halloween party that evening. I made my delicious white chili for the chili cookoff, definitely the only non-traditional one there. It didn't win any awards, but somebody liked it because it was all gone when I went to take the crock pot home. So we all got dressed up and had a fun time trunk-or-treating, among other festivities. Check out the photo of Nate in the banana suit. He must have some crazy awesome self esteem to go out like that! He really didn't wear it long since he left the party early to watch the BYU game. Happy Halloween!

Fall and Football

2009-10-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Tyler's last football game and the weather was perfect for watching him play. He has really enjoyed his flag football team this year. He was one of the youngest on the team and made great improvements. The coach even had him play quarterback some this season, which of course was very exciting to Tyler. The girls always play in the dirt/mud during the game, which is always fun to clean up. I figure it's a small price to pay for some good old fresh air and football.

Feet

2009-10-25T18:35:00.001-07:00

The other day we got some Fruit Loops with our newspaper, which Sammie was happily eating while watching her cartoons. She must have gotten bored, because she decided to stick them in between her toes and dance around. We all thought it was pretty funny...and she really can dance while keeping the cereal between her toes!

The "Punkin" Patch

2009-10-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is how they spell "pumpkin" in Arkansas. Too bad you can't see the funny sign in any of the pictures. Just another reason we love to be ozarkies.

Saturday was a beautiful day. Still shorts weather if you can believe it. We drove out to this pumpkin patch we've never been to before, to celebrate October. We couldn't believe our TomTom got us there, with all the dirt roads and double wides, but we got there. The farmer had grown every kind of pumpkin imaginable. I loved the ones called "fairy tale pumpkins"--they are kind of terra cotta colored and have the neatest shape. We got to pull a little wagon around and pick our own to take home. Then there was a free hayride, complete with tacky halloween decorations hanging in the trees to frighten and delight my children. The "bucket ride" was fun, blue water storage buckets cut to fit child sized riders, pulled by a tractor. The girls enjoyed that, but Tyler opted for the corn maze. He made me go with him. I just kept thinking, "if it were dark and there were people jumping out at me, I could have a heart attack in here." Thank goodness for Tyler who told me, "good thing I have a man's sense of direction, or you'd be lost in here." Little does he know how wrong he is about the first part, but how right he is about the last.

We had a wonderful Conference weekend. This is the first one where I actually sat beside my husband for an entire talk. Yes, on the couch without one single interruption! My children are finally getting older! It was so fun to sit with them at lunch after the first session on Sunday and ask them what their favorite talk was and why. They had actual answers, even Sammie! She said she really like the music best. You should hear her immitation of the Mo Tab, she can even do vibrato! The down side to this is that I am already beginning to forget what it was like when they were babies. Oh well, each season is wonderful in it's own way....

By the way, I don't tell my girls to pose for photos, they just do. Check out the way they cross their legs and everything. Funny huh!

BUG!!!

2009-09-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today after we got home from church, Nathan announced to the children, "if you want to see the biggest bug ever, come see this." I didn't even bother to look at the time since I was in a rush to feed everybody. So later in the afternoon when we went outside to go for a walk, we were surprised to see the bug was still in our yard, on the driveway actually. Nate was right, it definitely IS the biggest, furriest, strangest beetle-like bug we've ever seen! I just love the way the kids all got down on the ground to study it. Just another benefit of living in Arkansas!

Samantha is 4!!!

2009-09-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

The baby in our family is now 4 years old, believe it or not. We had such a fun birthday party for her this year. I was inspired by some aprons my kids brought home from Trafalga during our trip to Utah, as well as some creative suggestions from my sister-in-law. (Thanks Claire!) So we had a "baking" party. All the kids wore aprons and cute little chef hats. We baked bread, decorated cupcakes and played games. The madness was semi-contained until we opened the gifts. Those kids went crazy as Samantha attempted to open her presents and offer a hug to each giver. It was as if they had been invited to a wild five-minute shopping spree at Toys R Us! We really had a great time and I think Sammie had a good day.

Annual Run For a Child Race

2009-09-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

For the past three years, my friend Carin has lead a group of women called the "Sole Sisters" in a 1 mile/5K/10K race here in Rogers. This year my Audrey had a chance to participate. Carin made "Lil' Sole Sister" shirts for the younger females in the group. Audrey ran a 1 mile race with her friends and did great. Her mother ran the 5K and after sprinting at the end, wound up dry heaving at the finish line. She must be getting old or something.

For all you runners out there I applaud you. You must be made of stronger stuff than me. I have finally realized that although running is a great sport and helps you be skinny or whatever, I just don't like it. I can do step aerobics for almost an hour, swim, or zumba my booty off. But the constant pounding on my knees, shins and feet when I run is just getting to be a bit much. I think next year I may just do the 1 mile with my kids. We'll see....

SOAP!

2009-08-16T09:36:00.001-07:00

So Samantha is giving me a run for my money almost every day of the week. Well yesterday was one of those days. She was mad at me and calling me names, probably because I gave her the wrong kind of crackers. She called me "stupid head" and "idiot" several times. I tried the sweet, patient mom voice first. "It is not acceptable or nice to talk to people that way Sammie." Well that didn't work. Then I gave her a time out. That didn't work either. Then I thought "maybe I'm giving her too much negative attention" and just locked myself in my room, only to have her kicking my door and yelling "you are an idiot" as loudly as she could. Finally I just marched that girl into my bathroom and said "if you are going to talk dirty and you won't stop, then I will just have to wash your mouth out with soap." Well things didn't go as I thought they would, to say the least. She started freaking out and gagging on the soap and you know how that worked out. She vomitted all over the carpet just two steps from the bathroom. And guess what was in her stomach at the time....half of a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar! Now that and red gatorade are my top two things I never want to clean out of carpet again. Of course my husband got mad at me for "making her barf'" and I felt loads of Mommy guilt all on my own. I guess I should just give up...she can just keep biting people and calling them names until the natural consequences catch up with her. I figure eventually someone will bite her back or call her names until she realizes it's not such a good idea. So much for parenting a stubborn child!

The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

2009-08-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last week we drove all the way to Rochester, Minnesota to visit the Mayo Clinic there. We dropped our kids off in KC with our wonderful friends the Christensens and then kept on driving. In our three day whirlwind trip we gained some valuable information...

1. Alissa travels better if given hours worth of movies to watch just like her children.

2. Our children really do fine without us once in a while.

3. Nathan is such a great patient. He stays calm while being poked and prodded with endless needles and technical medical equipment. He doesn't even get grouchy when fasting all day!

4. He also thinks he is completely alert after being sedated, but finds a day later that he remembers very little of what he did afterward.

5. No matter what kind of surgery you get, even if your surgeon is the very best, it always carries with it a certain amount of risk. Nathan and I are not very big fans of risk!

The Mayo Clinic Rochester was actually a very impressive place. And the weather was just beautiful. Between medical tests we did get to sit outside and enjoy one meal together in the sunshine. What a nice break from the hot and humid weather we have here in Arkansas!

New Beds!

2009-08-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

We have never bought any real furniture for our children. We have been lucky enough to have a crib given to us, as well as a twin bed and a day bed with trundle. Can I just say we love hand-me-downs? Since we have decided to stay in our small house for now, I thought we should try to reorganize our kids' rooms to give them a little more storage and play space. We got Tyler a loft bed so we could give him a little study area underneath. The thing he loves most about his new bed is that since it is metal, it is also magnetic. He uses it as a bulletin board of sorts and displays his most recent car drawings there. For the girls we decided on a bunk bed. Now they have a lot more floor space and we no longer have to pull Samantha's bed in and out every day. I think they both turned out to be very cute! Thanks to Nate for spending two Saturday afternoons assembling furniture!

The Morning News Celebrities...

2009-07-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

Last week as a diversion for the children and to keep them from fighting at home all day, we ventured out to the Rogers Public Library. There was a little class on making musical instruments that we wanted to check out. In the classroom were a few little mom and children groups as well as a couple of photographers from our local newspaper. My first thought was, "Oh no, today of all days they had to come...I didn't even have time to put any makeup on!" Then I saw them taking pictures of many other children besides my own and thought "they probably won't even choose a photo of us anyway." Well look who made it onto the front page the very next day! The kids were pretty excited to see themselves and I was pretty excited that the final shot didn't include me!

4th of July in Utah!

2009-07-19T13:57:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful trip to Utah we just took! The weather was so perfect (anything that is an escape from this nasty humidity is perfect for us) and it was so good to see all of Nathan's family. We had fun hiking together, going bowling at BYU, boating on Utah lake, having campfires in the backyard and up in the canyon, and just catching up on each others' lives. We were so excited to see the Jonas Brothers at Stadium of Fire on the 4th of July. The kids, and I think the adults too, all enjoyed the concert and the fireworks. Those cute boys even played good ol' "Sweet Caroline" for the parents. (I'm not really THAT old, just listened to a lot of Neil Diamond growing up) Our kids have cried themselves to sleep for several nights saying "why do we have to come home to boring old Arkansas" and "why don't we live closer to our family." Well don't we all wish life was just a fun filled vacation without any work, worries or trouble, and that things always went our way?!!! Okay, so I'm not entirely without sympathy, but I do get tired of all the tears and accusations every time we return home from either Grandparents' house. While in Utah we were able to take the children into the new Oquirh Mountain Temple. What a neat experience to be inside a holy temple with my children! I teared up as I watched them look into the mirrors and talk about what it means to be a forever family. We are so blessed by these temples!

It's not all bad returning to Arkansas. It isn't NEARLY as crowded and there is no traffic at all compared to other places. I just wish we had Cafe Rio......

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

The kids and I thought it would be fun to make Nathan a candy-gram for Father's Day this year. I took a picture of it so we could remember the cute phrases the kids came up with to describe their Dad. Happy Father's day to all the men out there!

Adventures on the Elk River

2009-06-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we drove up to Missouri to spend some time in the beautiful outdoors. It has been so hot that there isn't much to do outside unless it involves water. So we rented a paddle boat for a couple of hours and took our kids all over the Elk River. We saw herons and turtles and had a great time swimming in the cool water with all the fish!

Our visit to Cincinnati

2009-06-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

School got out, our best friends across the street moved away, so we left town to visit our family in Cincinnati. We had such a wonderful time there! It was so fun to spend time with Nana and Popi, plus my two sisters and their families. I wish we lived closer. Here are some cool photos of our time in Cinci....

The Annual Pinewood Derby!

2009-05-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

So last year at this time, Nate was in the hospital and Popi had to help Tyler finish his pinewood derby car. This year Nathan was happy to help Tyler make a new one which hopefully wouldn't come in dead last. They spent a week or two working on this car, every evening after Nate got home from work and weekends too. Tyler designed the car himself, from the shape of it to the paint job. We spent some decent cash on the thing too. When we got to the derby, the boys were practice racing their cars. Tyler's car was doing okay--middle of the pack anyway. Then when his turn to race came, he came in last every time AGAIN. So apparently we are good at designing very slow cars and hopefully we'll learn some fast car tricks before next spring. I'm thinking, "how many more of these cars do we have to make?" And I'm glad that we only have one cub scout in the family! We sure are proud of Tyler though, he did a great job and his car looked fantastic!

Easter Festivities

2009-04-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

This Easter was rainy and cold so the photos we took actually happened a day or two before or after the holiday itself. We dyed eggs together, which is always a hit. Believe it or not, these kids love hard boiled eggs so much that they can each eat at least three in one sitting! We only had one spill which resulted in Samantha having blue hands for a few days. Once the weather improved, we hiked one of our favorite places, Tanyard Creek. It was so great to see and hear so many signs of spring! We hope you all had a wonderful Easter.

Fun with Popi and Nana

2009-03-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the fun things the kids did with Popi and Nana over Spring Break.....jumping off swings at the park, going to the fish farm, riding ATVs and many other things we don't have photos of. Hope you enjoy!

Spring Break

2009-03-29T14:39:00.001-07:00

This past week has been our Spring Break and the kids have been out of school. It was particularly wonderful because my mom and dad drove all the way from Cincinnati to take care of the kids while Nathan and I took a little trip. We haven't ever left our kids overnight like this, but we trusted Popi and Nana to handle the munchkins for a few days. They had a really great time with their grandparents and we REALLY enjoyed some much needed grown-up time. So THANK YOU THANK YOU Mom and Dad!!! Nate and I drove to Hot Springs Arkansas, where we rode horses, hiked, saw movies, went shopping and just relaxed. It was too bad that we had to come home to real life!

Fun Activities!

2009-03-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Since Tyler's basketball season has just ended, I decided to take some pictures of the girls' activities. Audrey has been taking a tumbling class and has learned to do a cartwheel and many other fun things. She really enjoys it! Samantha takes a "fit kids" class on Wednesday mornings where she plays active games with her friends Jake and Max. They can balance on a balance beam, jump on a mini trampoline, and dance to an alphabet song. We are so proud of our wonderful children!

Audrey's Birthday

2009-03-01T18:18:00.001-08:00

I can remember the day this girl came into the world like it was yesterday. She is such a sweet, helpful daughter who really wants to do what is right. How did she ever turn 7 years old? We are so proud of her and love her so much! We just had family birthday parties this year and Audrey chose to go bowling. We all had a great time together.

Tyler and Audrey's School Activities

2009-02-01T16:42:00.001-08:00

Recently Tyler received a certificate for being on the Honor Roll at school. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments. Audrey's class had the "Fairy Tale Ball" where the students dressed up and performed for the parents. It was so adorable! Audrey dressed up as a fairy and looked quite beautiful. She was a narrator in one of the plays and also danced the "box step" with a boy named Sam. Afterward I heard him tell her, "I really like your fairy makeup" and "I can't wait to see you on the video my mom took." I think he has a little crush on her. What do you think?

Ice Storm 2009

2009-02-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

That's what they're calling it around here, "Ice Storm 2009" It has been so crazy. EVERYTHING shut down last week due to the thickest ice frozen onto every surface. There have been so many people without any power for days. Thankfully, we never lost power and have eaten and stayed warm. We tried to take the kids sledding and didn't have much fun because the ground was too frozen. There were little icicles frozen onto each and every blade of grass. OUCH! None of us have ever seen anything like it. Trees are down everywhere you look. It almost looks like a war zone in some places. It will take a while before the power is restored to everyone and all the streets and yards are clear of all the debris.

Tyler's 9th Birthday

2009-01-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

So our oldest is 9! I think next year will be harder for me because we'll enter the double digits. Tyler is adamant that he is no longer a child now, but a "tween". That makes me feel so old! He is a really great kid and we're very proud of him.

More Christmas Festivities!

2009-01-18T19:50:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of us at home on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. We had a great time together.

Christmas

2009-01-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm just getting around to posting some pictures of Christmas. It seems like life just moves too fast these days. Either that, or I'm just getting old. We had a nice Christmas at home in Arkansas. Our kids enjoyed all of the family traditions of cookie making, decorating the house, writing letters to Santa and listening to Christmas music. Here are some pictures taken from the kids' school Christmas parties....

Meet our new puppy!

2008-12-05T11:24:00.001-08:00

We are entering the world of pet owners, believe it or not. My parents have had our puppy for a few months now, training him and getting him ready to come home with us at Thanksgiving. Well, he's home with us now and doing great. His name is Jack Jack and he is half shitzu half poodle. He is a really sweet dog and thanks to Mom and Dad, is already potty trained. How lucky we are!

Thanksgiving in Cincinnati

2008-12-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time in Cincinnati for Thanksgiving. The whole family on the Husted side was able to make it to Mom and Dad's this year. What a crowd! It's amazing how big our family is now with four couples and 9 kids under the age of 8. My brother-in-law Michael McIntire is a photographer and took some wonderful pictures of our family. Hope you like them!

Hiking in the Ozarks!

2008-11-01T19:07:00.001-07:00

Today it was at least 75 degrees and sunny, so we decided to enjoy it. We went hiking together and then skipped rocks with the kids at War Eagle Mill. We got some really great pictures of our adventures and thought we'd share them with family and friends. Enjoy!

Halloween Fun

2008-10-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today was a crazy day! Sammie had a special Halloween playgroup this morning while I swam laps at the gym. Then we had lunch and rushed over to the school for Audrey and Tyler's Halloween Parade. After that, they had their class parties. Once that was over, we drove to Nate's office for the Wal-Mart Halloween Carnival. We then grabbed dinner and went home to rest for a minute before going trick-or-treating. Sammie lasted for about 20 minutes, but the other two kids weren't done until they hit every single house in the neighborhood. It's always a battle then between Nathan and the kids as to who gets to keep the most chocolate. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

School Plays

2008-10-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

October has been the month of the school plays. Tyler and Audrey both had great fun preparing their 50's themed plays. They learned songs like "Rockin Robin" and "You Ain't Nothin But a Hound Dog". Audrey was sad because she didn't win the bubble blowing or the hula hoop contest. But she sure did a great job dancing the "Twist"! I thought they looked adorable in their costumes.

A Trip to the Zoo!

2008-10-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

So many of our friends have been to this place called the Gentry Zoo and told us we need to go. For 6 years we've been meaning to get there and just haven't. We had one Saturday with no football game and decided to try it out. What a funny place! It's actually a drive-thru zoo! The kids thought it was hilarious when we stopped to look at the camels and one walked right up to our van and slobbered all over the window. We could even hear its teeth banging on the glass! You would never dream of seeing a rhinoceros or a tiger out on someone's country property 25 minutes from our house, but it does happen! I guess you even used to be able to roll down your window and feed the animals! CRAZY!

A New First!

2008-10-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Today Audrey lost her first tooth! Nathan and I were kind of sad, our baby's growing up and all that. But it's about time. The poor girl didn't lose a single tooth in kindergarten when other kids were losing one after another. She actually got a napkin and wrapped it around her tooth, then she twisted it until it came out. Nathan and I both gross out at loose and bloody teeth, so our unfortunate children have no one to help them in that department. Too bad Popi wasn't there with his handy pliers to help us out!

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2008-09-28T14:17:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Family tree chart - Family tree diagram

Saint Louis Trip

2008-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year, I told Nathan that I would really like a weekend away. So when I received the mailer for Time Out For Women and saw that it was coming to Saint Louis, I called my mom to see if she and my sisters could meet me there. Mom and Dad did all the work and even financed the operation so that we could all get together for the weekend. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) My sisters Joanna and Heather drove with my parents from Cincinnati and Lindsay flew in from Jacksonville Florida with her 3 month old baby Lauryn. Can I just say how fun it was to be together with just the girls? No husbands or kids to worry about...just girl time! I haven't ever driven very far by myself, but the 5 hour drive to Saint Louis was actually relaxing for me. It's just nice to enjoy some peace and quiet once in a while.

Facepainting

2008-09-21T13:31:00.001-07:00

Since we had a football game yesterday at the same time as the Wal-Mart Legal Dept. picnic, I took Tyler to his game while Nate took the girls to the picnic. Audrey always loves an excuse to wear make-up of any kind, so she was very pleased to have her face painted with a butterfly. I snapped a photo just for fun. Doesn't she look like Barbie Mariposa?

Tackle Football!

2008-09-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that our oldest child, Tyler, is on his first tackle football team. I still cringe everytime I hear the boys' helmets crash into each other. And although I was a cheerleader in high school, I am still asking questions as to what the heck is going on out on that field. My son understands football so much better than me and he is only 8 years old! So I thought I'd put some pictures on our blog of Ty in his football greatness. He really enjoys the sport and hopefully won't get hurt too bad while playing it. Yesterday he tackled someone from the other team and I was even worried about him--he acted like he wasn't going to get back up! Go Crimson Tide!

Samantha's Turning Three!

2008-09-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

Our baby is turning 3 on September 9th, believe it or not! Today we had her birthday party with a few of her friends. I should have known it wouldn't go according to my well designed plan. Sammie basically cried the whole time, thinking her friends weren't going to share anything and she wasn't going to get enough turns, etc. Some of the pictures are quite funny if you look at Sammie's face. She didn't enjoy herself nearly as much as we'd anticipated. Oh the drama! I was just so proud of her though because today she kept her panties dry while out on errands for the first time and did a poop in the toilet, which is always a reason to celebrate at our house!

Update on Nathan

2008-09-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked about Nathan's health, so I thought I would just give you an update. For the past month or so, he has had these attacks of severe abdominal pain and cramping. About 2 weeks ago it happened and lasted until 2am, when he decided to go to the ER. There they found that he had a food blockage and admitted him for observation. The blockage passed on its own and we thought it was over. Well not so. Last Thursday night as we were going to bed about 9:30pm, he had another attack which was the most painful he'd ever experienced. He was vomitting and in serious pain. I took him to the ER again (twice in one week). This time they saw no food blockage in the x-ray, so they did a CT scan. This scan showed an internal blockage which would have to be explored surgically. I left the hospital around 1:30am to go get some sleep. Nathan called me at 4:30am to tell me he was going into surgery. Needless to say, I did NOT get back to sleep. The surgeon called me about 7am to tell me Nate was out and resting. He said he'd found an internal hernia in Nathan's small bowel, which he had laproscopically put back the way it was supposed to be. The problem is, the surgeon told Nathan that this was just "bad luck" and that there was no way of knowing if it would happen again. So now the poor guy has to worry about whether or not he'll be in that kind of pain again and where/when it will happen. It does seem that this health crisis we've been in the past 4-5 months, or should I say 10 years, is never going to end. Now you know.

Annual Labor Day Run

2008-09-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

So last year, a group of girlfriends from church ran a 5K to benefit the local Children's Shelter. There were probably a dozen or less of us who did it. This year there were about 30 women from the ward who came out and either ran or walked the 5 or 10K race. It was a lot of fun. We all had matching pink t-shirts that said "Sole Sisters". I think this will become a tradition in the Rogers Ward. I was lucky that my neighbor's husband volunteered to watch my kids so that I could make it, since it was just a couple of days after Nathan got home from the hospital. I sure missed having him there to cheer me on. Well, maybe next year.

Sammie is potty training!

2008-09-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Much to my surprise and delight, Samantha decided yesterday that she wanted to wear panties. She has not cared much in the past, so I was excited, but hesitant. So we put on the panties and started practicing. She only had one accident all day! Then today, she stayed completely dry and even pooped in the toilet. (She had previously thought this would be much too scary.) After receiving lots of praise from everyone around her, as well as Starburst candies each time she used the potty, she has decided that this is a good thing. Tonight she got to wear her fancy Dora nightgown for staying dry all day. How exciting!

The First Day of School

2008-08-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

So we flew home from Utah on Sunday and the kids started school on Monday morning. Needless to say, they'd rather be on vacation, and they were pretty tired, but school has to start sometime. Both Tyler and Audrey have good teachers this year and I think they are going to do great. It's still hard to believe I have a 1st and 3rd grader! I can still remember when I was in 1st and 3rd grade! I'm just so glad to have Sammie home with me during the day, otherwise, I'd be pretty lonely. Even though I complained about having everyone home for the summer, we really had lots of fun together and I'm going to miss my big kids now that they're in school. P.S. Audrey's little poses are all her own doing. I just pull out the camera and she acts like she was born to be a fashion model!

Our Trip to Utah!

2008-08-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

We just spent a wonderful week in Utah visiting Nathan's family. Nate's sister Bethany married her sweetheart, Jake Hoyt in the Salt Lake City temple. The reception was in Byron and Jennifer's beautiful backyard and the kids all looked like little angels in their wedding outfits. We had so much fun with everyone that our children have been crying for two days about having to come home. We sure miss having cousins close by to play with! It was so neat to see Tyler, Audrey and Samantha getting to know their cousins better. We went to the children's museum in Salt Lake, swimming at a friend's house, marshmallow roasting up in Provo canyon, and took a trip to BYU. (Actually several trips to BYU--Nathan's favorite place!) The weather was so perfect--we even had a great time on Utah lake in Grandpa's boat.

The 4th of July!

2008-07-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

So to make the 4th of July super fun, we bought lots of fireworks that are illegal where Nate and I grew up. Tyler really got into lighting them this year, which made me very nervous. Samantha was her usual daredevil self and kept trying to touch burning things. We went to the city's firework show this year, which was surprisingly well done. Then on the 5th, we took a little road trip to Springfield, Missouri, about 2 hours from our house. We found the neatest little zoo called the Dickerson Zoo and we had a great time there. I think the highlight for the kids was feeding the animals and getting snow cones. Afterward, we went shopping at the Bass Pro Shop, where Nate bought a cool new sport-type watch. (Thanks Mom and Dad)
P.S. Doesn't Nathan look good in the pictures? He's gained all the weight back that he lost after his surgery and I think he looks wonderfully healthy!

2008-06-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

Oklahoma City

2008-06-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a temple trip to Oklahoma City. It was nice to get out of town and go to the temple. We took the kids to a fun science museum while we were there. Sammie loved the "paint your face" exhibit where she could do exactly what I'm always telling her not to do at home. We did find ourselves wondering on this drive, why people live here. It was just so flat and dusty/windy, not to mention the tornadoes. To each his own, and no offense to anyone out there who loves Oklahoma.....

Audrey's First Bubble

2008-04-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Audrey just learned how to blow a bubble with her gum. We thought you might enjoy seeing it!

Dress Up

2008-04-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

So yesterday after school, Audrey and Samantha decided to play dress up. They were having a great time up in their room when I shot this cute video. Listen carefully to Sammie's answer when I ask her where her blue eyes came from.

Tyler's Baptism

2008-03-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

How is it possible that our baby boy is now old enough to be baptized? At the end of January, we had all the Grandparents come to Arkansas and Nathan baptized Tyler. It was such a special occasion, one we'll not soon forget. We had a wonderful time with both Nana and Popi and Grandma and Grandpa there. Both grandpas did such an EXCELLENT job with their talks during the baptism. Tyler was thrilled and all three kids are still talking about it.

2008-03-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

So we're new to this "blog" thing. We'll see how it goes. The most recent photos we have are of the kids on Easter Sunday. Audrey was mad at me for not buying her a new Easter dress (she's been wearing this yellow dress for a while now). To make it up to her I told her I'd do a princess hairdo of her choosing. Once we completed what was my very best effort at a "Belle" hairdo, she was all smiles. Samantha, on the other hand, cannot stand to have her hair done and would only keep this bow in her hair if I promised her she could take it out after the picture was taken. Tyler is pretty easy and can finally get himself ready for church. (After we ask him at least half a dozen times and threaten his life of course) Isn't it hilarious to hear the story behind a photograph? Bet you wouldn't have guessed it.