A Very Merry Un-Birthday to you...

Today has been an awesome day with the Brownies. We had a play date with a dear friend and her son, who is 6 days older than Big Brownie, at JumpZone in Franklin. It was our first experience and the Brownies couldn't get enough. I had to venture up a few of the "bouncy's" so that the Brownies would know what to do. I got a little dizzy and was quite uncomfortable, but had a blast. After the JumpZone experience and a quick bite to eat, we had an awesome early afternoon visit with Daddy Brown, Pops and the all the sweet ladies at the Franklin courthouse.

Naptime was a little challenging with all the excitement of the morning and early afternoon. Little Brownie flopped around in his crib until finally playing out. However, Big Brownie was persistent about coming out of his bed to tell me such tidbits like, "Mommy, I'm out of juice", "Mama, I hear a baby crying", and "Mommy, I need to use the Big Boy Potty" Ultimately, I had to lay down with Big Brownie in order to get his nap in for the day. We all woke in a much better mood.

After having supper, I decided to make some impromptu, super simple Pumpkin Spice Muffins that a dear friend made for us this past weekend. Once Big Brownie figured out I was baking "Cupcakes", he declared it a birthday party. We had candles and we sang Happy Birthday to Everybody. Now that the sugar buzz is finally dwindling, we are hoping for an uneventful, quick bath and bedtime. Daddy Brown and Mama Brown are pretty tired. Not sure how the Brownies are like the energizer bunny, because they do keep going and going and going. It has been a great day that ended with a Very Merry Un-Birthday to YOU!!!

Thank you, Thank you...

So...I've been officially blogging for what...52 days and I received an award!!! Thank you, thank you very much to my reunited buddy from WAY back in the days of high school...see her blog here...Memoirs of a Farmwife, for such a sweet recognition. Taking a page from her book, I'm apparently supposed to divulge 6 unknown things about myself (so difficult) and then I get to award 6 new blogger recipients...so here we go.

1. My mom was born and raised, until the age of 8 - (correction...age 10 as per my Mama), in the beautiful state of Hawaii. When my older sisters were born, they were given an official Hawaiian name at birth. Because my dad wanted me to have an all American name, I was named after my grandmother on my dad's side. When my mom took us to Hawaii for the first time, I met my mom's Godmother, Aunty NKS. When Aunty NKS found out I wasn't given a Hawaiian name at birth, she gave me hers...Kawailani. Kawailani means, The Heavenly Water.

2. When the boys go down for their nap, you can catch me watching Olivia on Nick Jr. It is one of my favorite little shows and I'm somewhat addicted. Sad...I know.

3. I loved being pregnant. Not that I'm having baby fever at the current moment, but I love the experience of carrying my baby with me 24/7 and feeling the movements. The only time in their entire life that you can literally take them everywhere.

4. When I was younger, my mom pierced my ears several times. I apparently have FAT EAR LOBES!!! Geez, couldn't I at least have skinny ears? Nope and they stick out! This was the apparent reason for the repeated infections and finally we gave up. When I was 22 and married, I finally decided I was old enough to try it again. Daddy Brown and I administered all the first aid care needed and finally, I have pierced ears. Even though they are pierced, you RARELY see me with earrings...KIDS!!!

5. Each year, I try a new vegetable to see if my taste buds have matured. This year, I tried a tomato and almost chucked. Well, I accidentally took a bite in a hamburger that hadn't had a tomato-ectomy. That counts right?

6. I am a stay at home mom and for the first time in my life, I feel like I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing at exactly the right time.

Ok, that was so challenging. Now...here we go! And the winners are:

Baby Brown...no relation. Updates about their newest family member and the new trials of being Mr. Mom.

Team Martins over at With These Hands has a beautiful blog.

Tennessee Party of Five...just made it a party of Six this week...Congratulations!!!

I'm a huge Grey's Anatomy fan...most of the time I have to catch it online after the fact. If you are a fan...you should check out Sally Loftis blog review of Grey's Anatomy, Movie Reviews, Twilight Bible Study and others.

I love this blog for her creativity and wit. Check her out at Small Fry & Co.

And last but certainly not least...A Sneak Peak. Our children were born literally within days of each other. I love to keep up with...as she gracefully puts it..."of our often chaotic, sometimes boring, but we think exciting, loveable, beautiful life."

So...there you have it. Some great blogs to visit and not so interesting, unknown facts about me. Thank you, thank you...it definitely took an award for this post to happen!!!

Bubba the Boxer...

Daddy Brown and I moved into our 1st home 8 years ago. We closed on our house, moved our stuff and the next day, went to the Boxer Rescue in Brentwood and adopted 2 boxers to be apart of our family. Bubba and Sissy Brown were our "children" for a number of years before we produced our two legged children. When we adopted them, we didn't get a lot of history. We knew Bubba came from Oak Ridge and Sissy came from Clarksville. They were estimated to be around 3 and 2 years of age. If this is true, they are around 11 and 10 now. This is an extraordinary lifespan for a Boxer. Typical lifespan for a Boxer is about 8 years.

They have seen many years of the good, bad and ugly. I remember when we brought them home and they were so skinny and unsure of this new palace they had been brought. They were afforded the benefit of sleeping in our bed, and eventually had their own couch in their own room. During the day, we would put them in the garage, because of the MANY mishaps of leaving them in the house. For some reason, Wednesdays were the day they would trash the house, eat plummers putty, string VHS tape all over the house, bust into 100 rolls of toilet paper and paper towels, as if it were snowing and the list goes on and on.

Since we now have actual children, Bubba and Sissy are treated more as dogs than children. Daddy Brown built our fence about a year and a half ago and so now they have more freedom and the opportunity to roam outside than ever before. They don't get nearly the same tender loving care as before, and they LOVE the Brownies.

Just over the last year, our Bubba has really started to show his years. His muzzle has began to gray, he has slowed a bit, which has made him a little overweight. Now, I fear, he has began to have little strokes. Today, he had his 2nd episode and it scared me. The Brownies were down for their naps and Sissy started barking in the backyard. Of course, I ran to the door to let them in and reprimand them for barking. Sissy came running up the steps and into the house, but Bubba couldn't find the steps. Although he was standing right at the foot of the steps, he was temporarily blind. I ran down the steps and put my arms around him. He was sniffing and was low to the ground. Shaky and unsure of his surroundings, he used his sense of smell to walk it off. I walked on one side of him and Sissy walked on the other. We walked all of the backyard until he finally came out of it. I considered picking him up and bringing him inside, but having a dog as a child that had seizures, I wasn't sure if he would lose control of his bodily functions, as she did, so I decided just to keep him in the backyard for the time being.

As quickly as it came...it went. He finally saw the steps and came inside. My heart is broken. I know what is to come in the cycle of life...and I dread it. I have really only had 2 prior dogs in my lifetime and both had to be put down after many years of joy they brought to our lives. Bubba and Sissy have a special place in our family. I called Daddy Brown in near tears to tell him Bubba had a little stroke. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot we can do for him. But I can hold him, I can talk to him and pet him more often. I can give him GOOD food for as long as he remains with us. I decided this week that we have been relatively good with feeding them just dog food and making sure they were healthy and happy.

In what might be his last year or two, I'm going to let them enjoy life to the fullest. Tonight for dinner, we had pork roast and green beans. Rather than throwing the leftovers out or putting them up in the fridge, it was a feast for Bubba and Sissy. The Boxer wag of the "nub" was all the thanks I needed. So much joy packed in such a little non-human, unconditional love giving, four legged friend...our Bubba the Boxer.

Update 10/20/09...he is still Bubba. Today, the door bell rang and it was a new FedEx lady, who didn't realize she didn't need to ring the doorbell. Not thinking about the dogs being inside, I opened the door with Big Brownie to accept the package. Bubba pushed his way in front of Big Brownie to get between the lady and Big Brownie. He started barking and growling in defense of his family. Maybe old, maybe slow, but ever the protector!!!

Privacy Please!!!

As most of you know, I LOVE being a Mommy to my little Brownies. Being a Mommy has certain "Pro's and Con's". If you read my blog regularly, you read my writings of the "Pro's" quite often. Today...the "Con's" or "special" moments in the recent days of being the Brownies Mommy.

We have been working with Big Brownie about body parts. Daddy Brown has explained that boys have a "pee-pee" and girls have a "tee-tee". What you cannot teach a 27 month old is to use discretion. While at my weekly Publix shopping trip last week, Big Brownie starts yelling at the top of his lungs..."Daddy has a pee-pee, Mommy has a tee-tee"...MORTIFIED!!! We are also starting to work with Little Brownie about the different animals and the sounds they make. Big Brownie chimes in often to help in teaching Little Brownie. We were in Kohl's last week and shopping in the Women's section of the clothing section. Big Brownie points to a rather large woman and roars at her. He then says..."Hippo Mama". I left all my intended purchases and we could not get out of the store fast enough...I say again...MORTIFIED!!!

So, what is a parent to do? I sat Big Brownie down afterwards and told him that was hurtful and that made the lady very sad. I am pretty sure he had no idea what I was talking about, however, I think it is starting to stick. He now explains emotions openly. When I have to "double-name" him for being disobedient, he tells Daddy Brown, "Mommy was ANGRY!"

One of the things I miss terribly from my pre-mommy stage...PRIVACY!!! Even something as simple as using the bathroom is a meeting of the minds. We have a small 1/2 bath downstairs. It is wide enough literally for a toilet and a sink. A small 30 inch walkway between the two. However, when nature calls, we can fit myself, 2 Brownies and our 2 large four legged Brownies in this very confined space. So, I found a solution...a handy baby gate. Now, I could shut the door, but that leads to very upset Brownies who cannot find me. The baby gate is perfect because I can at least do my business while the little Brownies and the 4 legged Brownies see me and not freak out that I've left the building. Still not private, but at least no one is hanging off my legs or stepping on my feet. I'm looking forward to the day of showering, using the bathroom and brushing my teeth and hair in private.

Cherished Entries...

Last night, we officially celebrated Little Brownie's birthday. We had so much fun with our family and friends. Thanks to everyone that came and thanks for all the family that helped make it happen. Little Brownie was less thrilled to be in the crowd. He had more fun hanging in the house with me while the party went on without us. It was unfamiliar to have that many people in one place and for him to be in the spotlight.

As I am cleaning up all the party happenings, I remembered that I have not written in the Brownies notebook in quite a long time. When I found out I was pregnant to my Brownies, I bought an inexpensive Composition Notebook and began to write to them. I have written to them about my pregnancy, their birth and our life on the outside. Daddy Brown throws an entry in there every once in a while too. Since Little Brownie is now one, I decided to pull them out and read through the entries. Big Brownie has quite a bit more entries than Little Brownie. Uh...haven't really had time running after two little ones, but I'm going to do better.

One day when they are older or when I'm long gone, I want them to have these "love letters" I have written to them as their Mommy. I hope they will enjoy reading it as much as I have loved writing to them. I love to tell them about our day or week and to write personal messages to them that is for them when they get older. The funny thing is that handwriting an entry takes a lot more time than typing an entry into a blog. It makes me chuckle to say the least. I hope and pray they find comfort in these cherished entries.

Close to you...

Do you know the song, Close to You, by The Carpenters? I love music and for those that don't know me well, I'm ALWAYS singing or humming, (sometimes not very well, but my audience most of the time is a 1 and 2 year old, so they don't know the difference). This song has been on my mind all day. I have to say that I feel so close and loved by my most precious partner in life. Daddy Brown makes my heart sing, my fingertips and toes tingle and makes me smile from ear to ear. The Lord is so effective in pairing the right man and right woman together. I feel so honored that Daddy Brown is my husband. He is a wonderful provider, partner, lover, friend and father.

Daddy Brown has hazel eyes and depending on what he is wearing, his eye color changes...blue shirt, blue eyes...green shirt, green eyes. Lastnight...ocean blue. As the boys slept, Daddy Brown and I sat and talked. I had a "getting lost in the eyes" moment. Of course, I snapped out of it and continued the conversation. However, looking into his eyes, and feeling his love and kindness fills my soul and my heart. He has the warmest hands. When I feel his hands on my shoulders and when his arms wrap around me, time stands still.

Being gracious and kind takes top priority in our relationship. I try to remember to thank him for the little things he does. Something as simple as putting up the dishes...deserves a thank you. It is our common goal to praise each other and lift each other up. Who better to lift you than your partner in life.

Our miracle here on earth....

Everyday is a blessing to rise, breathe and love the people in our lives. On this day, one year ago, I experienced a miracle. I've been blessed with the birth of two sons. However, 1 year ago today on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 3:07 a.m., I brought our second son into the world. Here is his story...

My first pregnancy seemed to take FOREVER and I went 1 1/2 weeks past his due date and finally agreed to be induced. I always wanted to try to have a natural birth and tried with my first son. I tolerated 5 1/2 hours of intense labor before crying uncle and getting an epidural. With this birth, I was 38 1/2 weeks pregnant and went to see my doctor on Monday afternoon. She checked me as before and again, couldn't believe I had not had my little blessing yet. She asked me if I wanted to schedule his induction date and I declined. I wanted him to spend as much time as he needed, while it was still medically safe for me. That night I came home and felt really bad. I told Daddy Brown, you know, this could be the night...hahaha! We went to sleep around 10:30p or so.

At 1:45a, I woke and felt what I thought was my water breaking. I nudged Daddy Brown and said, "Honey, my water just broke, wake up." He sprung out of bed and began to get everything in order. After about 10 minutes and certain I hadn't just tinkled on myself, I called the doctor. My contractions were about 10 minutes apart and very tolerable. I gave her all the information and she told me to go ahead to the hospital. I called my mom to come to the house to stay with Big Brownie, who was 15 months old at the time. She arrived at the house at 2:12a. Because in the back of my mind, I really didn't think I would go into labor naturally, I hadn't prepared my bag. So I walked around putting Big Brownie's sleep-over bag together while Daddy Brown put together a bag for the two of us. The contractions began to come on a little quicker and a little stronger, but nothing I couldn't handle. We came downstairs and I kissed my mom goodbye. They loaded me up in the front passenger seat and we were off to the hospital to deliver our little blessing.

At about 2:55a, we started our 20 minute trip and the contractions began coming on really strong and really quick. I looked at Daddy Brown and I said, you know, I don't know if I can handle this kind of pain for a long stretch of time, I am considering getting the epidural. After a few more minutes pass, I was certain I would be needing the epidural once we reached the parking lot. As we reached the Saturn Parkway, I told him I didn't think we would make it to the hospital. I began praying aloud, "Please Lord, let us make it to the hospital". Daddy Brown was incredibly calm throughout this experience. I told him he needed to call 911. Now, I know I told Daddy Brown at least 4 times to call 911, but he thought I was just having hard labor. When we got to I-65N, I told him I felt the need to push. I could feel the baby moving down and getting ready to be born. The sense of urgency quickened the acceleration of the car and he reluctantly called 911.

It took 3 minutes to get from the entry of I-65N to I-840. How do I know, because that is how long it took me to have a baby. As Daddy Brown was on the phone with 911, I was panting and breathing, screaming and praying. He asked the 911 operator how long it would take her to get an ambulance to us, her response was 7 minutes. We were approximately 6-7 minutes from the hospital, so his initial thought was to keep driving. As we approached I-840, Daddy Brown put his hand on my leg while assuring me I was ok, and I put his hand on the baby's head. He told the operator we were pulling over and gave them our exact location and description of our car.

As he pulled over at mile marker 60, he stopped the car and turned the hazard lights on. I remember when he opened the door to come around to my side, the car light came on briefly until he closed the door. In that split second of light, I pulled my pants down. As I'm screaming and as Daddy Brown is running around to my side of the car, I reached down, turned the baby's head and delivered our son. He opened the car door and at 3:07a, our son was born.

Within seconds, Little Brownie began breathing and crying. Daddy Brown is still on the phone with 911. He announces, "She just birthed him, He is here...my wife just pulled him out". He puts the phone down to take his shirt off and cover the baby. The 911 operator instructs him to wipe the baby's nose and mouth off and make sure he was breathing. Daddy Brown checked for his umbilical cord to make sure it wasn't wrapped around anything. I cried and cried. I couldn't believe it...our son was here.

A state trooper was the first to arrive, then an EMS truck and finally the ambulance. We made our way to the hospital with the 4th member of our family in tow. Once at the hospital, the doctor delivered the placenta. I had NO complications. The baby and I were perfect. One might think that giving birth in the car would produce an inexplicable mess...not a drop of blood, not a drop of anything was to be found. What a blessing.

If you ever wonder and question if the Lord is preparing you for something big, don't discount the small things he may ask you to do. 1 week prior to having our Little Brownie, I felt the need and urge to read the "emergency childbirth procedures", in my What to Expect When You're Expecting book. Daddy Brown and I laugh to this day, because we both remember me sitting on the couch and him walking through asking me, "Why in the world are you reading that part of the book?" My reply was, "Well, you never know what you might need to know, when you might need to know it." It was a blessing, the Lord was preparing me for what was to come and I'm ever grateful! . I would never have wished for this type of birth, nor was it anything similar to my original birthing plan. The birth of our son was recorded by the 911 call and we are now blessed to have a copy of the audio. I'll admit I listen to it ALOT. I still get teary-eyed when I hear his first little cry. I'm forever blessed with the honor of delivering our son. Our little Miracle here on earth...like no other.