The Brown Family

My Mini Messy Marvin

2009-05-22T14:23:00.013-05:00

We have a new Messy Marvin on our hands. Emmitt has recently begun eating regular food by himself, and he loves it. He loves it so much that he makes it very difficult when I try to spoon feed him anything. So one day I just decided to plop a spoonful of oatmeal and cottage cheese on his tray. The following pictures are from that day.

Christmas was really excited about Emmitt's mess. So excited that he decided to...

help me clean up. He's our organic vacuum cleaner and garbage disposal. Who needs a compost pile when you have a dog.

Nana and Papaw Time

2009-05-21T16:30:00.011-05:00

Evie and Emmitt love spending time with Nana and Papaw. Here are a few pictures from Easter and Mother's Day.

I love this picture of my mom and Evie.

For Easter Nana, Papaw, and I took the kiddos to the Orr Family Farm. Everyone had such a great time.

Notice the gigantic bite of carrot cake. Emmitt definitely loves eating.

For Mother's Day, we went to the Cheesecake Factory. Of course the food was great, but the company was even better.

Outside Fun

2009-05-21T16:12:00.001-05:00

The other day it was so nice and warm. So, Evie and I decided to pull out the sprinkler and the wading pool. She had so much fun.

Working hard on her Dora car.

I love the blue sky in the background.

Brother and Sisterly Love

2009-05-21T15:54:00.005-05:00

Evie and Emmitt are really starting to enjoy each other's company. Here are a few pictures of the two.

Evie can always make her little brother laugh.

Evie trying to show Emmitt her book. Typically Evie does not run around the house in only a diaper, but this day she was trying out her new big girl panties.

Daddy orchestrated this picture. From an early age, he's tried to instill in them a love for God, each other, and the Dallas Cowboys.

Car Conversations

2009-05-21T15:49:00.002-05:00

If you were a fly in my car today, you would have overheard the following conversation.

Evie - "Mommy, I need a drink of apple juice."

Mommy - "Sorry, sweetie. Mommy forgot your apple juice at the house. We can get some water at the restaurant."

Evie - "That's okay, Mommy. We can stop at Sonic and get an apple juice. That would be easy."

Sometimes I think there's a way older person in her little body. And yes, my daughter knows all about Sonic. She can even point them out to you. That's my girl!

Funny Faces

2009-05-14T14:48:00.011-05:00

Evie is always the queen of funny faces. So, I thought that I'd share a few.

Isn't this a nice face for Easter Sunday?

I think she tasted something gross here.

Mother's Day at the Cheesecake factory.

Even Biggie is beginning to make funny faces. Of course, it helped that his mouth was stuffed full of carrot cake.

Blog Addiction

2009-04-10T14:40:00.003-05:00

If you read my blog that often, you know I'm definitely not addicted to posting. My addiction comes in the form of reading. I love to read the blogs of my friends; keeping up with the comings and goings of their families. There are a few blogs, though, that I love to read and they're written by complete strangers. So if you're looking for a few good blogs written by someone you've never met, check these out.

Kelly's Korner - She has an incredible story surrounding her daughter's birth. So if you need to be reminded that miracles do happen, click over for a peek. Also, how could you not enjoy reading the blog of a fellow Sonic drink lover? Except I prefer a diet cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper to her diet vanilla Coke.

Bring the Rain - Make sure you have Kleenex available when you check this blog out. It's a great reminder that sometimes miracles don't necessarily happen the way we think they should. And even in our most difficult times, God has a plan and is doing incredible things in and through us.

My Charming Kids - This is my all time favorite right now. Keep some Kleenex handy for this one too. On occasions it's a tear jerker. MckMama has an incredible story surrounding the birth of her youngest, Stellan. Her little guy still needs our prayers, though. I definitely recommend checking this one out.

Do You Know What Dapper Means?

2009-04-10T14:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday during nap time, Evie was having difficulty falling asleep. Whenever that happens, she usually carries on conversations with either the princesses painted on her walls or her stuffed animals. I'm not sure who she was talking to yesterday, but this was the conversation I heard through the monitor. "Daddy, you're dapper. Daddy, you're dapper. Daddy, you're dapper." Now, thanks to Nana and the book Fancy Nancy, my two year old can correctly use the word "dapper" in a sentence.

Some Guys Have All The Luck

2009-04-02T14:43:00.008-05:00

Here are a few recent pictures of "Biggie" aka Emmitt. How is it fair that a boy ends up with such long eyelashes?

A Nasal Aspirator and Tears

2009-04-02T13:36:00.010-05:00

If you have ever thought of using a nasal aspirator on anyone besides a non-mobile infant, I would really hope that you rethink that thought. I didn't, and I definitely reaped the consequences later.

Evie and Emmitt both came down with double ear infections this past weekend. Even though they are on the mend, Evie's nose is a non-stop drippy faucet. It wouldn't be so bad if it was typical clear snot, but it's not. It's nasty, thick, yellowy, mucousy snot. Since Evie doesn't like to blow her nose, I'm constantly having to wipe it, and if I don't she either eats it or plays with it. So, I had the brilliant idea of using the nasal aspirator. I knew she wouldn't like, but I didn't quite understand how much.

I laid her down in the living room and turned the TV on for a distraction. Then I got out the aspirator and started to stick it up her nose. Suddenly little 2 year old hands were everywhere. They pulled the aspirator out of her nose. They pushed me away. They covered her face. They were doing everything to keep her nose and the aspirator far, far apart. Not only were hands everywhere, but the noise level was also amazing. She started crying so loud that anyone would have thought that she was near death, and her face became the color of a tomato. I finally gave up after a few tries with very little success.

When Evie realized that she had won the battle with the aspirator, she eased up on the crying a bit. She continued with the post cry shudders until I laid her down for her nap. The last thing she said to me before rolling over was "I have tears" in the most pathetic Southern drawl voice I've ever heard her use.

So here's my advice for anyone with a melodramatic child like mine. Don't even think about the aspirator. Just keep Kleenex handy.

Here are a few recent pictures of our drama queen.

Enjoying Sesame Street Live with her new friend Zoe.

Our big 2 year old

This is how I found Evie after her nap one day.

Relaxing with Christmas.

Working hard at the computer.

Gotta love the glasses.

Yummy! Good! That's delicious!

2009-02-10T16:20:00.003-06:00

What my oldest said after drinking out of the dog's water bowl. What does that say about my cooking?

Catching Up

2009-02-09T13:38:00.017-06:00

It's crazy how time flies by. It doesn't seem possible that it's already February. Surely Christmas and New Years were only yesterday. And there's certainly no way that Emmitt is almost 7 months old. He's growing up so fast. Here's a glimpse at the last few months with our "Biggie."

Enjoying tummy time. Notice the pink burp rag. Since Emmitt's so secure in his manhood, we still use Evie's burp rags.

Lounging on Mommy and Daddy's bed in his Christmas outfit.

All smiles on Christmas morning.

He loves making noises with his lips.

True Love

2008-11-30T20:01:00.003-06:00

What is true love? True love is a daddy who's 6 ft. 3 in. and crawls under his little boy's crib to brush his little girl's teeth while she's playing under there. He could have pulled her out, but instead he went the extra mile so she could have a few more minutes of fun before bedtime. That's true love, and that's my incredible husband.

A Girl And Her Pac

2008-11-21T17:25:00.003-06:00

Here are a few cute pics of Evie and her pac. It won't be long and we'll be saying good-bye to pac. Although it is still a ways away, I'm not looking forward to that day. For now, though, pac is here to stay.

Two is always better than one even for pacs.

4 Months Old

2008-11-21T14:23:00.007-06:00

Today Emmitt had his 4 month check-up, and all went well despite the fact that he screamed the entire time. It almost made me think that he somehow remembered his last visit. Emmitt had definitely put on the LBs during the last two months. He now weighs 15lbs and 12.5oz, and he's 26 in. tall. T.O. (Terrell Owens for those who don't know.) better watch out. Emmitt's already preparing for his spot on the Cowboys line-up.

Burning 2600 calories in 5 hours - A Dieter's Dream

2008-11-16T15:20:00.004-06:00

Well, she did it. Kelli finished her marathon today and is feeling great. Her knees didn't bother her, and the only real discomfort she experienced was a stitch in her side towards the end of the race. After 5 hours of racing and burning off more than a day's worth of calories, Kelli's final words were, "I'm ready to eat some Mexican food." Congratulations, Kelli. We're really proud of all your hard work.

Run Kelli Run

2008-11-15T16:10:00.002-06:00

Life has been very busy in the Brown household lately, but it's also been very fun. The kiddos are growing up so fast, and I have tons of pictures and stories to tell. For now, though, I just have a request. Pray for my sister. She is running in her first marathon tomorrow in San Antonio. Although I'm slightly jealous (I love to run, but I have 2 kids.), I wish her a great race with perfect weather and pain free running for all 26.2 miles. Run, Kelli, run. We're all so proud of you!

Hair Cuts and Flowers

2008-10-03T23:16:00.010-05:00

Today was an exciting day of firsts for the Browns. Evie had her first hair cut, and we visited the Myriad botanical gardens for the first time. Mommy also had a first - a crazy key fiasco, which I blogged about earlier. (My first, though, will never happen again, or at least I hope it won't.)

Evie behaved so well during her hair cut. She didn't cry or scream or throw a fit. Despite a few wiggles, my stylist, with help from Nana, was able to cut off Evie's follet. For those of you who don't know, a follet is a female mullet. I can't say that I'm sad to see it go. No more business in the front and party in the back. Because Evie did so well, she got a sucker at the end. This was her favorite part.

At the Myriad Gardens, Evie enjoyed looking at all the different plants and flowers.

Here's our big girl walking around checking out the plant life.

Nana and Evie

The Busy Browns

2008-10-03T21:49:00.017-05:00

The month of September has been full of fun and excitement for the Browns. Here is just a peek at some of our adventures.

Growing, Growing, Growing - It seems like every day that Evie and Emmitt are changing. Emmitt is no longer the tiny newborn I took home from the hospital, and Evie is no longer my baby girl. Emmitt has now entered the smiling and cooing baby stage, and Evie has become my big girl toddler. It's exciting to see them grow, but I just wish I could occasionally pause it or at least set it on slow play.

OCCC Arts Festival-Evie really enjoyed playing in the sand.

A quick snack

Making a bracelet with Daddy

Emmitt enjoying a little rest. Notice the pink pac. I left his very manly Dallas Cowboy pac in the car so he had to settle for Evie's pink one. (It was clean, though.)

A Day at the Zoo with Nana-Evie loved the animal choo-choo.

Rainbow watching with Daddy after a rain storm.

2008 Oklahoma State Fair

Our big girl looking at some baby piglets.

A look at Chris and Kelli's future

Brain Farts

2008-10-03T14:40:00.003-05:00

Lately, I've felt like my brain has not been working. I'll lose things and then find them in the most unusual places. For example, the phone on a shelf in my closet half hidden by clothes. Today I experienced another one of these "brain farts." This one, though, is by far the best.

My mom and I were leaving for an appointment, and I couldn't find my keys. I looked in the diaper bag as well as my purse. Not there. I looked in the kitchen, my bedroom, and Evie's room. Not there either. Since we were pressed for time, I decided to use Josh's keys and look for mine later. So, we went to the appointment and then came back to the house to search some more. This time, I looked under and in everything. Still no keys. Just when I'm beginning to think that I've lost my mind or even worse that someone has stolen my keys, I find them. Where did I find them? How about on the roof of our Yukon, which I had just driven to our appointment and back!

Last night, the garage door would not go down. I went out to take a look, and for whatever reason, I took my keys with me. While working on the door, I laid my keys on the roof of the Yukon. Once finished, I walked back into the house with the keys still on the roof, and they remained there until I found them this morning after driving to our appointment. It just goes to show that it never hurts to pray about even the little things in life, i.e, lost keys and where to look to find them.

Baby Brother and Sissy

2008-10-03T14:12:00.005-05:00

I snapped some pictures of Emmitt the other day and noticed how similar it was to this one of Evie.

My two very special gifts from God!

A Great Series And An Incredible Man

2008-09-29T15:53:00.003-05:00

This past month, our pastor has been speaking on relationships. It has been a great series with something new to learn and take away each week. A few weeks ago, the talk was "How To Have An Affair." (I'm not joking. That was the actual title.) It was a great series on how to protect your marriage from an affair. One thing, Josh and I took away was the idea of a "date night." We use to have a "date night" at least once a month before Emmitt arrived. Since his arrival in July, though, there's been no "date night." That was until last Saturday, and it was the best by far.

We had a great time eating at our favorite restaurant, Deep Fork Grill. Since it was our free day (we're both doing Body For Life), we both ordered a delicious 14-16 oz. ribeye. If you could have seen my plate afterwards, you would have laughed. Except for the broccolini, it looked like I had licked the plate clean. Dinner was delicious. Then we headed over to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert- carrot cake. You would think at the Cheesecake Factory the dessert of choice would be cheesecake, but not for Josh and me. It's their carrot cake. Delicious! Although the food was incredible, the best part was spending it with my man. We had so much fun talking about anything and everything.

When we were preparing for our wedding, we found a verse in Song of Solomon that became our verse. It was true for us then, and it is still true for us today. "I have found the one whom my soul loves." (SS 3:4) I thought I loved him a lot on our wedding day, but I had no idea how much more I would love him 5 years and 2 kids later. Thank you, Love, for an amazing night. I love you.

Thank you also to Nana, Papa, Aunt KeKe, and Uncle Chris for watching the kiddos so we could have our "date night."

The Faces of Evie

2008-09-14T15:28:00.005-05:00

Lots of things, which I will share later, have been happening in the Brown house. For now, though, enjoy some funny pictures of Evie.

Come On, Buddy

2008-08-19T14:59:00.005-05:00

Two weeks ago, Evie had her 18 month check-up. What did we find out? We have a healthy girl - a very healthy, very chatty, very independent little girl. Evie has definitely been showing us her unique personality lately. Phrases like "oh my word" and "come on, buddy" now make up her vocabulary. Our dog, Christmas, is her new "buddy." Trying to get the dog's attention, she walks through the house patting her leg saying, "Come on, buddy." Usually he ignores her or hides. She's also discovered her love of climbing. If I would let her, Evie would climb anything and everything. From the couch to the kitchen chair and table. Yes, I've actually caught her on top of our kitchen table with the orneriest grin on her face.

Evie is also adjusting very well to her new baby brother. She's become very fascinated with his poopy diapers lately. Whenever it's time to change Emmitt, Evie always wants to watch. Occassionally, I get the odd request to "touch it" referring to the "poopoo." I never thought I would have to explain to someone that we don't touch "poopoo." Not Emmitt's, not the dog's, not even our own. But I have, and on several different occassions. Evie always keeps you on your toes.

Spending time with brother.

Sharing our milk with baby.

Evie behind bars. This is how I found her one day after her nap.

Two Weeks Old

2008-07-31T14:54:00.005-05:00

Our little man Emmitt is two weeks old today. The time is flying by fast, even faster than with Evie. Right now he just eats and sleeps, which mommy loves especially at night. Occasionally he'll have a little awake time, but it doesn't happen too often. Evie is a great big sis. She loves to see "baby bother," and gets a little upset when she can't see him face to face. For her, the video monitor doesn't always cut it. All in all, I think she is adjusting very well to sharing mommy and daddy with Baby Emmitt.

Emmitt-1 day old

Emmitt-2 weeks old

From the 80's

2008-07-31T14:32:00.005-05:00

My sister forwarded a hilarious email to me, and I have to share it.

You Know You Grew Up In the 80's and 90's if:

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE or JENKS.
2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton.
3. You know that 'WOAH' comes from Joey on Blossom.
4. If you ever watched 'Fraggle Rock.'
5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
9. You played the game 'MASH'(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House).
10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
11. You know the profound meaning of ' WAX ON , WAX OFF.'
12. You wanted to be a Goonie.
13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing.
14. You can remember what Michael Jackson originally looked like.
15. You remember the CRAZE of slap bracelets.
16. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
17. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
18. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying 'I know you are, but what am I?'
19. You remember 'I've fallen and I can't get up.'
20. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
21. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
22. You remember boom boxes and people walking around with one on their shoulder like they were all that.
23. You remember watching both Gremlins movies. (I never actually got to see these movies, but I can remember them coming out.)
24. You remember watching Kids Incorporated and the new Mickey Mouse Club on Disney.
25. You remember watching the show Jem.
26. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
27. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool...and don't even flinch when people refer to them as 'NKOTB'
28. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on 'Saved By The Bell,' The ORIGINAL class.
29. You can remember singing 'We are the World' in music class.
30. You tight rolled your jeans.
31. You owned a banana clip.
32. You remember 'Where's the Beef?'

It was scary and funny to realize how many of these applied to me. Kind of makes me feel old, but not too bad.

Playing in Brother's Room

2008-07-23T09:09:00.004-05:00

This morning Evie was playing in Emmitt's room. She loves his toys even though they're too young for her now. When Josh walked in to get her for breakfast, this is how he found her.

Isn't she quite the climber?

Welcome, Baby Emmitt

2008-07-22T16:59:00.010-05:00

On July 17 at 7:20, Emmitt David Brown made his grand entrance into this world. He weighed in at 7 lbs 1 oz and was 20 in. long. Here are some of his first pics. More will come later.

Evie giving brother loves.

Leaving the hospital.

Funny Faces

2008-07-22T14:27:00.006-05:00

Two days before the arrival of Emmitt, I had this conversation with Evie while eating lunch.
"Picture. Picture." Evie said as she pointed to my camera.
"Do you want me to take your picture?"
"Picture. Picture."
As I opened my camera case Evie repeated, "Cheese. Cheese."
As I focused the camera, I imagined Evie's beautiful smile since she had requested this photo shot. Instead of a smile, I was only able to snap pictures of Evie's funny faces. These were the faces she made.

This was the only semi-normal smile I was able to catch.

The Funny Doings of Evie Brown

2008-07-12T08:39:00.002-05:00

Last night, Josh, Evie, and I ate at the Cheesecake Factory for a Family/Date night. I had a really good time enjoying the food and of course the company. Evie behaved so well despite some of the glances we received from other people without children. She ate like a big girl and definitely kept Josh and I entertained. The most entertaining moment was when she decided to show us how unmodest she is.

Josh was ordering our food when I noticed that she was taking her arm out of her tank top that was a little big. Not thinking anything about it, I reached over the table to fix her shirt. Unfortunately, my pregnant belly of 39 weeks made this a little difficult. No big deal. When Josh finished with the waiter, he could put her shirt on right. At that moment I underestimated how fast Evie could undress herself. Before I could even get Josh's attention, the tank top was completely off, and there sat my daughter topless in the Cheesecake Factory. I couldn't help but laugh. Thanks to raisins and Cheerios we were able to distract her enough to put her shirt back on.

Taking a Walk on the Wild Side

2008-07-05T16:16:00.008-05:00

This past week, Josh and I took Evie to the zoo. She was very excited to see all the animals. I think she said "animals" a million times before we actually walked out the door. Here are a few pictures of our adventure.

Little Miss Independent walking at the zoo.

Notice the water bottle Evie is holding. It was a special princess water bottle that we bought the day before. Unfortunately, the princesses got to personally visit the grizzly bears while we were at the zoo. Mommy and Daddy didn't move fast enough to catch it before it rolled over the ledge into the grizzly bears' pen.

Evie found her a new friend, and so did the raccoon.

Daddy and Evie taking a break with the black bears.

The Busy Month of June Part 2

2008-07-03T17:32:00.013-05:00

Even though June has been busy, Evie and I have still taken the time to relax and enjoy the occasional nice day outside that's not too hot. Evie loves playing outside in her backyard. Whether it's the slide, her car, or the weeds by the shed, she enjoys it all. Sprinklers and kiddie pools, though, are a completely different story.

Playing with her car.

Evie enjoying the slide.

Anyone for a swing?

I think Evie looks so big in this picture. Definitely not 18 months old.

Checking out the weeds.

Not only have we celebrated birthdays, our dads, and nice weather, but my family also celebrated a belated Mother's Day. For the past two years, Kelli, Evie, and I take my mom to Inspirations Tea for a Girls Day Out. Last year, we just ate at the tea room, but this year we also went shopping. I even had a few hours of shopping without Evie thanks to my wonderful husband.

Nana (Cheryl), Evie, and Aunt Kelli

37 weeks and counting until Emmitt's big arrival

Evie and her newest baby

The Busy Month of June Part 1

2008-07-03T14:04:00.012-05:00

The month of June has been busy but lots of fun. We spent one night with Josh's family at Grand Lake. Evie had a blast playing with her cousins. They are growing up so fast.

Eli looking just like his daddy.

Adam sporting his super cool look.

The whole gang together under a side table. Evie, Eli, Jacob, and Adam.

After our short trip to Grand Lake, it was time for Nana's birthday and Father's Day. Evie always has so much fun with Nana and PawPaw.

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Happy Father's Day, PawPaw!

According to Aunt Kelli, this is Nana's scary baby doll. Despite its occasional resemblance to Chucky (in the right light), Evie loves playing with her "baby." Let's hope she doesn't treat Emmitt like her "baby." With arms and legs in every direction, Nana's doll takes a beating when Evie's around.

Next came a baby shower for Emmitt. Don't you just love the cake and party favor boxes!

Staff Retreat

2008-07-03T13:36:00.009-05:00

At the beginning of June, our family went on a staff retreat with the other pastors from our church. We had so much fun. From hanging out with friends to eating incredible food, the three days we spent together were amazing. Thank you everyone for such a great time.

Evie resting on our way to Grand Lake. Notice the blanket behind her head. Just like her daddy, she likes her head nearly covered while sleeping. This is one way that she is totally like Josh and not at all like me.

I don't think this picture looks like our typical Evie. Lately she's been throwing out some pretty funny expressions.

Evie had so much fun playing with all her friends and her daddy at the pool.

Sunset Beach 2008 Part 2

2008-06-21T14:48:00.012-05:00

While on vacation, I discovered that I could take black and white pictures with my new camera. So, that was my favorite thing to do when we were at the beach. These are some of my favorite ones. I hope you enjoy them.

Sunset Beach 2008

2008-06-21T07:49:00.019-05:00

At the end of May, my family and I took a vacation to Sunset Beach, NC. We all had such a blast resting and relaxing on the beach. Here are some of my pics. Enjoy!

The view from our back porch

The following are pictures of Evie playing in the sand and water. At first she was a little timid, but it didn't take long for her to warm up to the sand and waves. She even tried to eat the wet sand. I guess that day she wanted a little extra fiber in her diet.

My Dad loves to build sand castles. This was the only one he built, though, on our trip. With Evie it was a fruitless effort to build anything because it didn't take her long to notice your masterpiece and then come and demolish it. She had so much fun in the sand.

Here are our family pics on the last day before leaving.

Chris and Kelli Starke (brother-in-law and sister)

Merle and Cheryl Blow (Dad and Mom)

Evie, Josh, and myself

The whole family

Discipline Methods That Back Fire

2008-06-10T14:51:00.005-05:00

Last week, Evie was very funny. There was one specific occassion that made me feel like she was my sarcastic mini-me. While fixing dinner, Evie became very interested in an air freshner that plugs into the wall. I said, "No touch." That didn't work. I gave her something else to play with. That worked for half a second. Then I tried counting to three. This definitely didn't work because she decided to repeat the numbers after me, but instead of her sweet voice she mimicked me in a louder more firm tone of voice. I thought it was funny and made a mental note not to count as a form of discipline. Right now, she doesn't understand its significance. No big deal. Evie became interested in something else and moved on from the air freshner. So, I continued preparing dinner. Now, fast forward to our actual dinner time.

Evie was almost finished with her dinner and was playing with her sippy cup. Her usual routine is to take a drink and then act like she's going to drop her cup over the edge of her high chair. Josh and I are working on ending this. So, when she hung her cup over the edge, I told her to put it back on her plate and pointed to her high chair tray. This worked one time, but then she decided to test Mommy. The second time I wasn't thinking, and I said "one" in a very stern voice. She placed her cup back on the tray, but then quickly took it over the edge again. Using a stern tone, I said, "Evelyn." Then Evie looked at me, raised her index finger in the air, and with her best "Mommy" impersonation said, "one." It was all I could do not to bust out laughing.

So, last week I learned two things. My daughter is going to be just like me and her Daddy-funny, ornery, and occasionally sarcastic. Also, the whole counting thing just won't work right now.

Happy Birthday Adam

2008-06-07T14:21:00.011-05:00

Our nephew Adam turned 5 years old this past month. The whole family went to Celebration Station for his birthday. Everyone had a blast. It was hard to tell, though, who had more fun - the boys or the "big"boys. It was definitely a toss up. Here are some pics of our fun times. Happy Birthday, Adam!

Small Spaces

2008-06-07T13:57:00.007-05:00

Evie has been providing us with lots of laughs lately. Her most recent escapade involves small spaces. I've noticed that the more mobile Evie becomes the more she likes to climb into diaper boxes, book boxes, TV boxes, and even the dog crate. All perfectly harmless places to discover even with the extra germs provided by our dog Christmas in his crate. That is until she found her newest hiding place.

On Monday, I had given Evie a bath and was cleaning up her toys and towels from the bathroom. From the living room, I heard a clanging sound. I knew I had shut all the doors to the bedrooms and the laundry room. The only place left for Evie to roam was the living room. Quickly, I racked my brain for the source of the sound, but I couldn't think of anything that would clang. Then I thought of it - the doors to the fireplace. I raced from the bathroom into the living room to discover my climber on her hands and knees in our fireplace. It was not long before Evie realized in no uncertain terms that the fireplace was not a good place to explore. At that moment all I could think about was getting Evie quickly out of the fireplace. I didn't want her to think it was okay to play there. Afterwards, though, I secretly wished I would have had my camera handy. It would have made a most hilarous picture.

Not a day goes by that Evie doesn't provide us with some kind of laughs.

Birthday Fun

2008-05-06T20:47:00.002-05:00

Evie had a great time this afternoon at a birthday party for her friend. He's turning 3 this month. She loved seeing all her friends that were there and eating macaroni and cheese and cupcakes. Her favorite part was playing with the birthday boy. He was so adorable with her. He would walk around with Evie and show Evie his new farm animals. He would even stoop down to look Evie in the eyes. It was precious. Thanks for a great time. Evie had a blast.

Our Big Girl

2008-05-02T14:03:00.009-05:00

Evie is now 15 months old and growing up so fast. I had her pictures taken and thought I would share a few. She is becoming quite the "ham" whenever we're out in public. I think she thinks that everyone is everywhere just for her. People are at restaurants so she can say hi and wave. They're at the grocery store so she can tell them what fruit we're buying. It is funny to watch people's reaction to our very "unshy" little girl. Most will smile or wave. There are the occasional few who ignore her. Evie doesn't seem to understand why they do that. She'll look at me almost as if she wants to say, "Why did they ignore me?" Between her growing vocabulary and her improved walking, she makes every day fun. Not always easy, but fun.

Just Another Manic Monday

2008-04-30T15:30:00.002-05:00

I'm not typically someone who dreads Mondays. Since I don't work anymore, every day is about the same, but this past Monday was extra "special." So at my own expense, I have to share my silly adventure. As a teaser, let's just say I was literally barefoot and pregnant and running.

Evie had a well-baby examine Monday morning. Since we've moved, it takes about 30 minutes to get from our house to the doctor's office. No big deal. I made sure we were walking out the door with almost 30 minutes before her visit. I put Evie in her car seat, and then we set off. Nothing out of the ordinary, or so I thought. I pulled out on S.W. 134th and accelerated quickly to 50 mph. Usually I like the fact that the speed limit is a little higher on this street, but not this day.

After accererlating, I noticed that something had flown off the top of the car. What on earth was it? I'm racking my brain trying to figure out what toy or sippy cup I had placed on the top of the Yukon when it suddenly dawned on me. It was not a toy or a sippy cup, but my shoes that had flown off and were now in the middle of the street behind me. And these weren't just any shoes. They were my new New Balance shoes that Josh had bought me for my birthday. At first, I thought I'd just count them as a loss and keep going. But then I realized that I had no shoes on, and I couldn't very well go to the doctor barefoot. So I turned around.

Thankfully I spotted my shoes as I drove past, and they were both in the same lane of traffic. With my hazards on, I quickly bolted from the car, and ran to get my shoes. So here I was barefoot, pregnant (28 weeks), and running down 134th to pick up my shoes. Amazingly they looked fine, and my socks were still stuck inside one of the shoes. I learned my lesson on Monday. From now on, no more shoes on top of the car.

Good Times

2008-04-04T19:54:00.003-05:00

This week has been a lot of fun for Evie even despite the weather. On Monday, we closed on our house. Yeah! That was probably more fun for Mommy and Daddy than Evie. On Tuesday, Evie and I ate lunch with some friends. Evie loved seeing everyone. As soon as she saw her friends, she started saying "babies" over and over again. The funny thing, though, is only one other little guy is younger than her. Everyone else is older. For Evie, though, anyone can be a baby even Mommy and Daddy. On Wednesday, we ate lunch with Nana and Aunt Ke Ke. As always, she had a blast. We ate at her favorite restaurant, City Bites. She loves to point out the ball and the "moo." The ball is a 5 ton weight swinging from the ceiling and the "moo" is a rhinoceros. On Thursday, she got to see Paw Paw who came over to visit after work. She drew him and Nana a picture with her new crayons. We may have a lefty here. Now we just need to teach her to play golf, and she'll be set for college. Today was Evie's favorite day. It was Daddy's day off so we ate lunch and spent the afternoon together. Evie even got a surprise while we were shopping. All in all it has been a great week, and it's not even the weekend yet.

News and Funny Pics

2008-03-27T21:48:00.010-05:00

Lots of changes have taken place in the Brown household. First and foremost, we are expecting a baby boy this summer. In July, Emmitt David Brown will make our family of three grow to four. He was somewhat of a surprise, but a great surprise at that. Currently, I'm 23 weeks and feeling very good. Only 17 more weeks to go!

Our next exciting event occurred at the end of February. Josh and I decided to move a little farther south to be close to my parents and sister. So on Valentine's Day, we closed on our new home. Although it has been busy packing and unpacking, it has all been worth it. I love our new home, and I love being close to Nana, PawPaw, Aunt KeKE, and Uncle Chris.

Evie's personality has really begun to shine lately. This is always great, but at some times it does create more work for Mommy. She has also become quite the chatterbox. Usually, though, we can only decipher a word or two out of the entire conversation she has with us. Right now, her favorite words are baby, "Melmo" aka Elmo, meow meow, and Chris.

Evie really likes being outside either taking a walk or enjoying her swing set.

Lounging time with Daddy while watching Baby Einstein.

Evie was really excited to find a baby in the oven door and decided to give it kisses. Even though the "baby" looked just like her, she never realized it was her reflection.

Whenever you visit our new home, you'll notice that the toilet paper in the guest bathroom now sits on the counter. This is for Mommy's sanity just in case I forget to shut the door again.

Evie enjoying a nice sunny day at the zoo with her cousins Caleb and McKenna. She had a blast at the playground.

Melmo and Cookie

2008-03-27T21:30:00.007-05:00

This March, my family and I went to see Elmo Live or "Melmo" as Evie calls him. She had a blast. For me, Josh, my mom, and my sister, it was more fun watching Evie and her reactions than the actual show, which was great. I highly recommend it to anyone whose child likes Sesame Street. At first Evie was a little confused because "Nana" bought her a Big Bird before the show, but then when everything started he was suddenly on the stage. She got over it very quickly, though. Nana also bought her an Elmo balloon at intermission, which she still plays with even though it is completely deflated. Now she loves to play with anything Sesame Street. Her favorites are "Melmo," Big Bird, and Cookie.

My Crazy Sister

2008-03-15T20:44:00.005-05:00

Even though I haven't blogged in a long time and have a ton to catch up on, I couldn't resist posting these pictures of my sister. No, she's not pregnant, but she did try on the fake belly at Motherhood. She wanted to see what she would look like. Baby Starke here we come!

My Silly Little Girl

2008-02-15T17:23:00.004-06:00

One evening, Josh and I found Evie in our dog crate. I guess she thought it looked like a fun place to explore. Christmas, our cocker, was more than happy to share his home with her.

The Puny Brown Family

2008-02-08T16:41:00.000-06:00

This week has been the week of sick tummies for the Brown family. I thought we were finally recovering on Thursday, but then Josh got sick. Hopefully with some chicken and noodle soup for Josh and bananas and toast for Evie, everyone will quickly start to feel better. Even though Josh and Evie are feeling under the weather, I have a few cute pics to share from the last month.

At first Evie was content to just play in the water, but then she decided to shove the dog over and take some of his food. Christmas, our cocker, was a really good sport. He didn't mind at all sharing his food.

Work buddies. Evie loves Daddy's computer. We tried to distract her with her own computer so Daddy could finish some work. It lasted for about a minute, and then she was ready to help Daddy. His computer was cooler than hers.

Evie loves looking out the window now that she's very mobile. Especially on the day that it snowed.

Evie and Daddy having fun.

Happy 1st Birthday

2008-02-07T15:10:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how fast a year can fly by with a baby. It seems like only yesterday that we brought Evie home from the hospital, and now she's already celebrated her 1st birthday. We had a small family party a few days before her actual birthday. Then on Jan. 21st, Evie had a special birthday breakfast with Mommy and Daddy. As you can see from the pictures, she had a blast at her party. I never knew balloons could entertain so well. Although she was a little timid at first, Evie eventually dug into her Dirt Oreo Cake. All in all, it was a great day. Happy Birthday, Big Girl. Mommy and Daddy love you lots.

On This Perfect Day...

2007-11-14T14:04:00.000-06:00

Today is Aunt Kelli's birthday. Happy Birthday, Ka-Ka! My family and I celebrated her birthday on Sunday at Ted's. I loved the tortillas.

Even though I'm quite the chunk, I'm still starving. Look at the way I went after the tortillas. I just couldn't eat them quick enough.

Afterwards, we went to Nana and PawPaw's house for dessert.

When it comes to dessert, my family is very stingy and mean. They wouldn't share anything with me. That was not very nice, guys. Oh well, I love you all anyway.

I had so much fun playing with Aunt Kelli and Uncle Chris. Boy, do I love his hair!

Today, I got to eat lunch with Aunt Kelli and Nana. Mommy came along too. I had so much fun. Aunt Kelli, I hope you have a great birthday. I love you bunches! Love, Evie

Happy Birthday, Joy

2007-11-01T15:20:00.000-05:00

Today is the birthday of the newest member of the Brown family. Joy or "Aunt Joy" as Evie calls her. Eliah, Evie's cousin, would have kept the title as the newest , but Joy beat him out when she married my brother-in-law Caleb this past June. She turns 21 today, and we all wish her a happy birthday.

Evie loves spending time with her Aunt Joy.

Evie, Joy, and Caleb at Caleb's graduation party. They were just a month away from their wedding.

Aunt Joy and Evie feeding the animals at Chester's Pumpkin Patch.

Evie loves her aunt and uncle. Happy Birthday, Joy. We love you. Have fun at the Melting Pot. I'm very envious.

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T11:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Evie had her first taste of trick or treating. She couldn't decide which costume to wear so she tried them both on. She liked the pumpkin outfit,

but she really loved the flower costume.

We went to Nana and PawPaw's house to trick or treat,

and instead of candy Evie got her very first Gloworm. She loved it.

She also got to see Aunt Kelli and Uncle Chris, who brought candy for Mommy and Daddy and a Halloween sno-globe for Evie.

All in all, Evie had a blast trick or treating.

9 Months and Counting

2007-10-31T16:41:00.001-05:00

Our little girl, who really isn't that little, celebrated her 9 month birthday not very long ago. It is so incredible how fast the time flies. I feel like each day she is learning something new. We had a doctor appointment this week, and our suspicions were confirmed. Josh and I have a very, very healthy daughter. At 9 months, Evie weighs 21 lbs. 10 oz. and is 29 3/4 in. long. She's a big girl, and we love her!

Fall Festivities

2007-10-31T15:39:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, our family went to Chester's Pumpkin Patch for our community group. As you can see, everyone especially Evie had fun.

Evie was not only excited to get a pumpkin, but she also wanted to eat it.

She spent the day feeding the animals with her friend, Kaelyn,

Riding on a saddle,

walking through a mystery maze,

and sliding down a huge slide.

All in all, it was a great day.

Our Little Wiggle Wart

2007-10-25T20:37:00.000-05:00

Today when I went to get Evie up from her second nap, this is how I found her.

I don't have any idea how she got to this spot, but it was too funny to pass up capturing. Oh, how we love our little wiggle wart!

Our Trip to Pennsylvania

2007-10-24T15:29:00.001-05:00

Here are the pictures I promised. Isn't Pennsylvania beautiful this time of year?

This was Pepaw's first time to see Evie.

Pepaw and Evie both enjoyed a good nap together.

Evie found a new friend to play with at her Pepaw's house.

If you count me taking the above picture, there are four generations here.

Pepaw (Harmon), Evie, Aunt Joy, and my dad - Evie's Pawpaw

Evie received her first set of wings. She did so well on the flight there and back. Here she is just about to see her Daddy after 3 days in Pennsylvania.

Racing for Ruby

2007-10-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

Today was the Race for the Cure. For the fifth year in a row, I have either ran or walked in the event. Today I walked the 5K with my mom. We had a great time, and the weather couldn't have been better. The crowd as always was huge. It's an awesome sight to stand at the top of a hill somewhere on the course and look in front and behind you. All you can see are thousands and thousands of people running or walking to fight breast cancer. No matter how hard you try there's no way to see the end or the beginning of the race. My mom and I saw some of the sweetest women walking the 5K. They were probably in their 60s (I'm terrible estimating age.) with curly gray-white hair, and they were survivors. They reminded us so much of Granny Ruby, my mom's mom. If she was alive today, she would have been out there with us walking the entire 5K. I like to imagine that she does walk with us just not physically. We love you, Granny.

Up, Up, and Away

2007-10-20T19:49:00.000-05:00

A week ago Evie went for her very first plane ride with Mommy. She did so well even with her 4:00 AM wake-up call when we left. We traveled with my mom, dad, and sister to Pennsylvania to see my Pepaw, Evie's great Pepaw. Although the trip went by so fast, we all had a great time. Pennsylvania is beautiful this time of year. The leaves are all changing from deep greens to bright oranges, reds, and yellows. The weather was also great. We left mid 80s in Oklahoma and enjoyed upper 50s there. It really felt like fall. Hopefully, it will arrive soon in Oklahoma. I miss the cool weather. Everyone just loved on Evie the entire trip especially her Pepaw. While visiting with some family, Pepaw and Evie enjoyed a nap together. It was adoreable. I'll post some pictures as soon as I can.

A Fun and Exciting Summer Part 1

2007-09-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

Every year I feel like each month flies by faster and faster. This summer has been no different. I feel like the past 3 months have been set on warp speed. I just blinked and summer is almost over with fall practically here already. Don't get me wrong I love fall and winter, but this summer has gone by so fast. Starting in June, we've been on five mini-vacations. Each one has been different and full of fun.

Vacation #1 - Caleb and Joy's Wedding in Coppell, TX

Josh's brother got married this past June in Texas. Although it was a very busy weekend, we had so much fun celebrating with Caleb and Joy. Their wedding was so sweet and beautiful. After all the festivities were over, Josh took an extra personal day, and we went to IKEA. We had a blast.

Here are some pics from the wedding.

My silly nephews, Jacob and Adam. They were the ring bearers.

My dad and mom, Merle and Cheryl Blow.

Evie sported a feathered hair bow for the wedding. As you can see, she loves being held by her PawPaw.

A Nice Relaxing Weekend

2007-09-08T16:21:00.000-05:00

I love weekends when we're going out and having fun, but nothing beats one that is slow and relaxing. This past Friday, we just hung out at the house. Josh, aka Handy Manny, finished up several projects he had. I did laundry, worked on school stuff, and finished our finances for the month of August. Best of all, we were home all day with Evie. She was so excited to have Daddy all to herself. After every nap, she would greet him with a huge smile and a hug. Later that evening, Josh and I watched a movie after we put Evie to bed. It was a great ending to a great day. Today has been really nice as well. Our great achievements have been ironing, watching OU beat Miami, and playing with Evie. Nothing fast paced or super exciting, but oh so nice and relaxing.

Our littlest OU fan was ready to cheer the Sooners on to victory thanks to a gift from her PawPaw.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

2007-07-28T15:58:00.001-05:00

Finally, we're all back together again. Evie and I have been surviving by ourselves while Josh was away on a mission's trip. He arrived last night after a week in Haiti.

Josh had a great time, and later this week he'll share some of his experiences. To keep ourselves from missing Josh and Daddy, Evie and I stayed very busy. We ate lunch with Nana and Aunt Kelli on Monday, dinner with Janet, Kylie, Alicia, Izze, and Ian on Tuesday, lunch with our Mom's group on Wednesday, and lunch with Aunt Rebecca, Jacob, Adam, and Eliah on Thursday. We love eating out. On Friday, Evie got to see her friends, Kylie, Izze, Ian, Charli, and Chloe, at the park.

She had a great time despite the look on her face. By this time, she was very ready to see her Daddy again, and she was also a little sleepy.

10 Things About Me

2007-07-26T23:34:00.000-05:00

Several of my friends have been tagged to share 10 things about themselves on their blog. So, I decided to join them and share 10 very random and potentially embarrassing things about myself. Here goes.

1. I met my amazing husband at a K-Love New Year's Eve Dance. He was the very hot "Vest Guy" that I spotted across the room.
2. I talk to my mom and sister almost every day.
3. I once lost my retainer at Braum's. In order to find it, my family had to dig through the trash in their dumpster. People drove by asking if we were hungry. It was so much fun. (Please hear the sarcasm in my voice.)
4. I'm fluent in Spanish. Soy biligue - no triligue. Puedo hablar muy bien espanol y un pocito de italiano. Y mi hermana siempre me burla cuando diga la palabra "flauta."
5. I once touched a curling iron to the bridge of my nose because I wanted to know what it felt like hot.
6. Sometimes I lack common sense.
7. I love teaching, but I hate the planning part of it. I think that's why I enjoy teaching the 2nd - 5th graders at People's Church. I still have to prepare, but thankfully I don't have to create lesson plans.
8. My daughter is named after my grandmother and my great-grandmother. Evelyn is the middle name of my Great-Grandma Fulton on my mom's side. Jeanine is the first name of my Grammy on my dad's side.
9. One year at Turner Falls Youth Camp, all of the girls in my room, including myself, put pantyhose on our heads for the talent show and sang "Put on the garment of praise..." Who knows what we were thinking!
10. I can pick things up with my toes. Pencils, clothes, Evie's toys, the remote control. My sister says I'm the reason why schools teach that humans evolved from apes. Thanks, Kelli!

Now I tag Josh, Kelli, Rebecca, Joy, my mom, and Elizabeth Germann.

Catch Up Time

2007-07-25T22:33:00.000-05:00

Since I just jumped into the blogging arena, I'm somewhat behind on recording all of Evie's growth. So here is a small snapshot of our baby girl from day 1 until today six months later.

I am on the back row fourth from the left. This was taken at my sister-in-law's baby shower the day before Evie was born.

After an unexpected C-section, Evelyn (Evie) Jeanine Brown arrived on January 21, 2007 weighing in at 7 lbs and 1 oz.

Our little girl loved being swaddled. It wasn't too long before Josh and I became experts at the burrito wrap.

By two months, Evie was already showing us her personality and...

...how she could stick out her tongue.

At 3 months, she was all smiles until...

...Mommy and Daddy started singing.

Four months pass and Evie finally enjoys bathtime.

The month of June brought lots of excitement to the Brown household - Evie's 5th month birthday, her first trip, her first wedding, and her first taste of solid food.

July has arrived, and Evie is now 6 months old. The time has flown by so fast, but at the same time it feels as though Evie has been with us forever. I love you my little princess!

Welcome to the World of Blogging

2007-07-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

After talking with several of my friends, I finally decided to jump in and create my own blog. I've never been one to journal or write letters, and I'm bad about returning emails. Hopefully, though, I'll be more successful with blogging. Now that my daughter, Evie, is 6 months old, I should have more time to keep up with the happenings in the Brown family. (I hope you can hear the sarcasm in my voice as you're reading.) Since I don't scrapbook and haven't even started a baby book for Evie, this is my attempt to provide a small glimpse into my world with my beautiful daughter Evelyn (Evie) and my amazing husband Josh. Of course, I can't forget my other four-legged children - Corks the cat and Christmas the dog. Enjoy!

This is my very sexy husband, Josh. He'll probably kill me for choosing this photo, but it does a great job showing the crazy, movie-quoting nut I am priviledged to live with. Here is a better picture of Josh and me at my brother-in-law's wedding. Isn't he handsome?

I'm pleased to introduce the adorable Miss Evie or Tooties as Josh and I fondly call her. Can you guess how she got her nickname? Since she has only peach fuzz for hair, we make up for it with bows-really big bows.

Here is the rest of the family. Despite the fact that Corks and Christmas are four-legged and covered in hair, they truly believe they are human and our kids. I guess Evie is not our first but our third child.

And finally a family portrait...