Praise...

Today is all about praise! The Good Lord answers prayers, not in our time, but in his. Daddy Brown has been suffering for 8 days the effects of kidney stones. He FINALLY passed a 5mm kidney stone this morning. Although very sore, he at least is not in the tremendous pain he has had off and on since last Monday. Many prayers have been said over him throughout the last week, and finally, awww...what a relief! Praise God!

I'll admit, I've falling off the workout bandwagon for the last 2 weeks. However, today during nap-time, I made myself stay off the couch. I am so glad that I did and now, I'm back on my game. No one is keeping score except myself. Daddy Brown is ever supportive of me, no matter if I lose 1 pound or all 50 pounds in my challenge. I am thankful for the desire to get up and move today. With that, I continue to pray for the desire to get up and do something, to eat better and make better choices.

Giving a shout out to Aunt Fudge's daughter, Chocolate Fudge. She has started a blog and she is an amazing young lady. So proud of her and her relationship with not only her family, but also in her faith. She is a great witness to her friends. I also want to say a special praise to Aunt Fudge's youngest son, Peanut Butter Fudge, who is 4 years old. Yesterday, he called Daddy Brown's cell phone and left a message saying..."I'm gonna get baptized and ya'll are welcome to come". After talking to Aunt Fudge, he decided after seeing someone get dunked in the tank, he wants to be baptized too. Aunt Fudge told him that when he was old enough, at least 6 years old, he could get baptized. So, in 2 years with a personal invitation to attend, Daddy Brown, myself and the Brownies will be in the front row when Peanut Butter Fudge makes the decision to follow Jesus. So awesome that he has an awareness and a desire at such a young age.

The "Photo Gods" cursed me last week. Back several months ago, I accidentally spilled breastmilk on my small digital camera and sadly, it never recovered. I have been using my really nice Canon Rebel xti and last week, it stopped working for an unknown reason. Of course, when there is no camera around, amazing pictures are lost. Like our very first kite flying experience last week in the back yard. Or the afternoon snack time on the back porch whilst the bubble machine is running in the background. So, Tutu Nani and Aunt Berry came to my rescue. I now have a small digital camera that I can carry in my backpack from Tutu Nani and a Canon Rebel that had been retired when Aunt Berry upgraded to a Canon D40. It's nice to have family members that can "hook you up" when the "Photo Gods" decide to rain on your parade! Praise Be!

Lifting up Uncle and Aunt Berry today for an unspoken prayer. He knows what their hearts desire and will answer those needs. Please say a prayer if you will to help them and all people involved to come to a quick resolution and solace in their decisions.

Where are you going?

During the last couple of days, we have had so much going on that by the time we put the Brownies down for bed it is usually late in the evening. Daddy Brown has been putting Big Brownie down and I've been putting Little Brownie down at the same time. Under normal circumstances, I put Little Brownie to bed while Daddy Brown plays, baths and/or reads with Big Brownie. Afterward, I come to help with bedtime prayer and then I sing bedtime songs. Since Daddy Brown has been putting Big Brownie down, he has been in charge of singing the songs. We have the normal 5 standby songs that we sing on a regular basis...Hawaiian Like Me, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Jesus Loves Me and Rock-a-by Baby.

Sunday night, we were going to celebrate Daddy Brown's birthday at Gran Gran and Pops house. In anticipation of a big night, we put the boys down for nap and I began to sing the normal songs. Big Brownie stopped me and said, "No Mom, sing the Little One song". Because he has a tendency to make special requests at times, mostly from one of his shows, I asked him to sing it to me so I'd know what song to sing. He sang, "Where are you going my little one, little one" over and over. This was not a song I was familiar with so I made up something and he seemed satisfied. I continued on with the other songs. I came out of his room and told Daddy Brown about this new song in case he needed to know. He said, "Oh that's a new song that I've been singing to him at night." Daddy Brown got up, went to his room and sang it for him.

That night, we came home from Daddy Brown's birthday dinner and it was late. We shuffled everyone around to get pajamas, snacks, juice, wipe downs and to their beds. I was determined to be able to help put Big Brownie down too. The boys were bushed from playing at Gran Gran and Pops house, and therefore Little Brownie went down for bed quicker than normal. As I walked into Big Brownies room, they were finishing up with reading books. We said our prayers and Daddy Brown kissed Big Brownie good night and as he was walking out, I asked him to sing the song so I could learn and sing it to Big Brownie.

"Where are you going, my little one, little one,
Where are you going, my baby my own,
turn around and you're 2,
turn around and you're 4,
turn around and you're a young man, walking out the door.
Turn around, turn around, turn around my little one,
turn around and you're a young man, walking out the door."

I teared up a little bit as Daddy Brown sang this sweet lullaby that I've never heard. It is true, they are growing up so fast. Daddy Brown said his mom used to sing it to him and I hope our boys will remember that their Dad sang it to them. What a sweet moment between father and son.

It's a good thing...

Today is the day for celebrating the love of my life's birthday. That's right, Daddy Brown is 34 years young and I believe doesn't look a day over 22. I've blogged about how we met and married and I've blogged about my love for him. Today, I am sharing what he means to me in my life.

I've officially known and loved him for half my life. I vaguely remember a time that he wasn't a part of it and he is happily in most of my memories as an adult. There are times that he's wiped my tears from my face and there are times that we laugh until we cry. He is the most precious and sacred gift that I have been given. Our children are obviously running a close second. However, without him, they would not exist to be exactly as they are.

Daddy Brown provides a moral compass for us as a family. He is the leader of our household and provides an excellent role model for our boys. I remember telling his Mom one day that I was so thankful of the job that she and Pops did in raising such a man. And I remember her words as she said..."He was fathered well." That is such a true statement. Daddy Brown is so very much like his dad. Pops is a good and hardworking man. Pops has "fathered" and taught Daddy Brown how to be a great father to our boys. Yes, Daddy Brown has a lot of characteristics of his parents. Parents that I too am blessed to have as in-laws.

He is an amazing husband. He truly cares about his family and takes care of each and everyone of us. We use the phrase, "take one for the team" quite often. Sometimes, that means he wakes up early and tiptoes out of our room to care for our boys so I can get a few hours of rest, like this past Sunday morning. Or, when he comes home after working all day and cooks supper for our family. Daddy Brown "takes one for the team" because we are a team. We are each others better half and that's what makes us a whole. When we married, we didn't just become one in the eyes of God, we became one in the eyes of each other. We respect and love each other even through our daily tasks. The Good Lord truly designed him to fit me perfectly. No, we don't have a perfect life, but it feels as perfect as it could possibly be.

As we have entered into our thirties, it is funny to feel the years go by as we see time through our children. We hear ourselves make statements like, "Do you remember when..." and we fondly remember trips and special moments with each other. We talk about our future and what is to come. We discuss the future of our boys and our future after the boys are all grown up. There will be a time when our boys will have families of their own and then it will be just the two of us again. I love Daddy Brown with every fiber in my body. Certainly not everyday is a walk in the park. However, to know that I have someone to stroll through that park everyday, come rain or shine, is a good feeling.

I can't tell him "Thank you" enough. Thank you for being who you are, thank you for helping make me be who I am. Thank you for our boys and thank you for our life. To feel your toes in the bed as we sleep, to feel your hand on mine when we pray, to feel your heart next to mine when I'm held...it's a good thing. Happy Birthday to my better half and the love of my life. To the one that helps me rise every morning and to the one that is next to me when I fall asleep at night, I love you.

I Heart...

It is Valentine's Day and I've been in the mood for loving on my boys. Par for my course lately, Little Brownie was up from 1:45a to 5:57a last night. After I finally fell asleep at 5:58a, I was awakened by Big Brownie entering our room and up into our bed at 6:03a. Exhausted, I just rolled over and we all slept in until 9:30a. Up from the bed we jumped wishing each other "Happy Valentine's Day". I woke Little Brownie up from his slumber party crash at 9:45a. We all came downstairs and we made some Valentine's Day Monkey Bread for breakfast with a side of sprinkles, sausage and biscuits and grapes. We all enjoyed our special holiday breakfast. Sissy got to eat our leftovers and we have just enjoyed being with each other all day.

Daddy Brown and I will celebrate our 12th year of marriage this year and with that, we have shared 16 Valentine Day's together. There really aren't enough words in the universe to express how much I love Daddy Brown, my Big Brownie, my Little Brownie, my Sissy and my whole family. Make sure you love on the ones you care for and the ones that love on you. Make sure to tell your friends and family how much you love them every chance you get. It doesn't have to be Valentine's Day to say the words. Just say them often and say it with meaning behind it...I Heart You!