A few adventures...

We have had a few adventures over the last few days. Friday, the Brownies and I trekked to our new "Discount Tire Store" to buy new shoes for the family truck-ster. Of course, after Daddy Brown had selected the tires online and then after me calling the store to verify they had the tires were in stock, when we got there, my tires were gone. Ummm...it had been 1 hour since I had called the store. I didn't let myself get upset as I would have done in my past. I simply looked very puzzled and explained that I had called before bringing my 2 children under the age of 3 to a tire store. The salesman was very helpful and understanding. He offered a comparable but slightly better tire to me for the same price as the original tire I was looking to purchase. I called Daddy Brown to make sure that was satisfactory and now, we have a new set of Pirelli tires on the car. We have been needing tires for a while, but ugh, it's one of those purchases you hate to buy. It's not fun, they are just tires. While there, I brought the portable DVD for the boys to watch and they LOVED running around the showroom looking at the tires. 30 minutes later, we were on our way. I would highly recommend the "Discount Tire Store". They really took care of us and got us in and out in a flash.

Also, we are in the market for a new Boxer puppy dog. We have struggled since Bubba passed back in January on whether to rescue another Boxer or get a puppy. This past Thursday, I went out to the Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue in Brentwood. This is where we originally got Bubba and Sissy. I was there to take some snapshots of the current dogs for their website. I had such a great time and loved on those sweet dogs. It truly broke my heart that someone didn't want to come and take these poor babies in. You may ask then, "Why we are looking for a puppy instead of a rescue?" For a couple of reasons...first, we still have Sissy girl with us and she is getting a little more frail every week. She can almost be knocked over if one of the boys run too fast and accidentally bump her. The Boxers at the rescue are full of exuberant life, as adult Boxers tend to be. They could easily knock her over and that is not what we want for our Sissy girl in her final times with us or for the boys as they are still small. Secondly, as Boxer girls are very dominant and territorial, we are only in the market for a male. With the exception of one Boxer at the rescue, most all others were rather large. And thirdly, with the boys being under 3 and not knowing the background of these Boxers, we want to bring up a dog as a puppy so that they can know the layout and their place. Sissy can "mother" the puppy and help keep him inline as well. It is a good idea when getting a new puppy to allow them to be raised with an older dog if possible, so they can learn from them too. We are fortunate to still have Sissy and this would also give her an opportunity to play with another animal as she has always done with Bubba.

That being said, it is difficult to find a good housemate. For instance, we took a 45 minute trip Saturday in hopes of finding our newest member. Daddy Brown went in to see and check out the 1 male boxer that was left in the litter. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the poor puppy didn't have an under bite. For those who don't understand what that means, he basically had a mouth and teeth setup the same as a lab or golden retriever. The under bite is a basic characteristic of a Boxer. Daddy Brown showed the regular bite to the owners and they were shocked and surprised. Seriously, you have a Boxer litter that you are charging good money for it...and you didn't check the bite, not even when you were playing with the puppies...you didn't notice. So, with that, we have to be careful when we are selecting a pup. Good health, standard characteristics of the breed and the temperament of the parent dogs should all be taken into consideration as well. Boxers are a great family dog. They are great with kids and they are great protectors. They have TONS of energy and once they have expended that energy outside, they are BIG couch potatoes inside. We are not rushing to get a puppy, so we can be a little more cautious and selective. We love the breed and hope to find a great, new member of our family soon.

Say What Wednesday...

I had a lot of fun with the "Say What?" post from last week. So, I decided to make it a weekly post of the funny lines from the Brownies. Quick update on the potty training...I hate to almost ginx myself, but I think it has been a success. With the exception of nighttime sleeping, we are diaper free, even through nap-time. What a blessing and an added bonus to our monthly finances to have only 1 baby in diapers. Whoo-hoo!

So along the lines of potty training, I have been trying to talk Big Brownie into wearing underwear. We potty trained "Commando-style" so this has been a bit of a challenge. Like any crazy parent would do, I went to Target and bought exciting, fun character undies to try and bribe him into wearing some "cool draws" as we like to call them around here. Yesterday, I laid out 5 different character undies and asked him to pick one to put on. Here was the conversation..."Do you want to choose what underwear you'd like to wear today?" Big Brownie said, "No thanks". I said, "Well, here are your choices...you have Mr. Incredible, Cars, Buzz Lightyear/Woody, Go, Diego, Go and Spongebob". "No thanks Mom", was his reply again. I said, "Why don't you want to wear your underwear?" He looked at the undies and pointed to each one and said, "This one (Mr. Incredible) is too scary, this one (Cars) is too dangerous, this one (Buzz Lightyear/Woody) is too silly, this one (Go Diego Go) is bad and this one (Spongebob) is too funny". So, what did I do with that...Commando we go!

If you have toddlers under a certain age, you might be victim to your words sometimes. For instance, if you say any sentence that has the word "outside" in it, your kids will automatically expect that they are going outside. So, like all other parents in this boat, we have began to spell words that could trigger this kind of response. This past weekend Daddy Brown and I were talking about what we would like to do this spring...plant a garden, etc. I said, "I can't wait until the weather is warm enough to go to the Z-O-O". Big Brownie jumped down off the couch and started clapping and cheering. I said, "What are you so happy about?" He said, "I want to, I want to!" I said, "You want to what?" He said, "I want to see the animals!" I said, "Where are you going to see animals?" He said, "At the ZOO!" So, what the kid can spell too? He NEVER ceases to amaze me.

Big Brownie has belly issues. We make a really unsavory concoction of prune juice and milk, a.k.a. "Milk-Juice" for Big Brownie every morning to help keep things moving in the right direction. Here lately, he has requested this beverage throughout the day. We were at Publix this week and I told Big Brownie to help me remember to get prune juice. Later in the evening, he came to me and said, "Mama, can I have some balloon juice?" I said, "What is balloon juice?" He said, "Not balloon juice, I want BALLOON Juice" It took me a minute and finally Daddy Brown said, "Do you want prune juice?" He said, "Yes Dad, I want balloon juice".

Lastly, I'll write a little bit about Little Brownie. He is getting so much better with his words. Yesterday, Big Brownie climbed into Little Brownies bed to jump and play. I was folding laundry in my room and he came running in and said, "Brother...bed", all the while pointing and fussing his little head off. I asked, "Do you mean brother is in your bed?" He said, "Uh-huh". I asked him, "Do you want me to get brother out of your bed?" He said, "Uh-huh". As I walked down the hall towards Little Brownies room, he was clipping my heals trying to get past me. He grabbed my pant legs and ran past me, as he knew the enforcer, a.k.a. Mama, was behind him. As we entered the room, he looked at me, pointed at Big Brownie and said, "OUT!"

Oh me...what are we going to do these my boys? I'll tell you what we're going to do. We are going to laugh and enjoy every minute of it, for as many days as the Good Lord blesses us to be with them.

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.

Dear Lord...

We rose today with runny noses and scratchy throats. My poor Brownies woke with dried snot stretched from one ear to the other. Breathing from their mouths and big swollen eyes...allergies and a cold I think. All this just in time for Daddy Brown's birthday next week. So, with that, I pray...

Dear Lord,

Please help my Brownies feel better. Please give me the strength to stretch my arms wide enough to cover them with love and understanding. Thank you for continued good health and goodwill to our brothers. Please keep Daddy Brown and I from getting sick. Please continue to give us sun and warmer weather. Please help Little Brownie not get so frustrated, so quickly with Big Brownie and please help him understand that biting is NOT the way. Please help Big Brownie to understand that all binkies do not belong to him. Please help them eat for nourishment and drink to stay hydrated. Please Lord, let them rest peacefully. Please Lord, let them feel solace and comfort in our kisses and hugs. Lord, I lift my Brownies up to you and ask for a speedy recovery. Thank you Jesus for being our Lord and Savior. Thank you for giving us each day and help us to live in each day as if it were the last. And lastly Lord, thank you for giving us a ray of sunshine in our newly passed down stock of "Zhu-Zhu Pets" from Aunt Berry and family. With such a wonderful distraction for the Brownies, they almost forget how bad they are feeling. In these things I pray to you in the name of Jesus...Amen.

This is the day that the Lord has made...

Having been cooped up in the house for several weeks, it was so nice to see the sun streaming through the windows this morning. We ate our breakfast, changed our clothes and opened the back door to find out what adventure was in store for us today. Big Brownie asked if we were going to watch Charlie Brown outside. I really can't believe he remembered our Fall outdoor movie back in November...but he did. I told him it was too bright outside to watch a movie. He was happy with that explanation. I have been wanting the Brownies to use their outside toys from Christmas OUTSIDE, so we brought our 3 cars, 1 fire engine and our t-ball set to the yard. As we ran and jumped, hit balls and dug holes, Big Brownie asked if we could ride on the cars. I took all the riding toys to the driveway and we began to ride around, running and pushing the cars with glee.

Then...the great escape. Little Brownie took off running down the side easement of our property. I told Big Brownie to follow him. Off we went to see what else we could find, and to the back of the field we ventured. We saw red birds, blue birds and robins. We saw a bee and a dragonfly. We dug in the dirt and found a worm. The Brownies didn't know what to do with this new found exploration. We took off through the field and found a huge brush pile with sticks and logs. We found moss on trees and cut hay on the ground. We found mole holes that we stomped and hills that we ran up and down.

Through the field we went to the horse farm down the road. And guess what, the horses were out and feeding near by. The Brownies ran to the fence and looked through with amazement and ease. They began to talk to and point at the horses, making sure that not only each other could see, but that I was also as excited as they were to see these beauties. I decided to take the road back to the house. I was definitely on pins and needles as we do have a little more traffic up and down our street these days. As soon as I'd hear a car, I would yank Little Brownie up in my arms and run to grab Big Brownies hand. All the while trying to explain that cars are nice to ride in, but can be very dangerous if we are not careful on the road. Big Brownie got the point right away and if I said, "Car", he'd run and grab my hand. Little Brownie on the other hand, just got really upset every time I picked him up. He wanted to look for and pick up rocks to throw. We threw rocks, dirt and leaves. It was my mission to find rocks for Little Brownie going in the direction of home. This was the only way to keep them moving in the right direction. I finally gave in and we ventured back the way we came through the field.

On the way back, we noticed a bird house on a fence. The Brownies got so excited to know that there were actual birds in the house. One flew out and they cheered! On our journey back, we crossed over a ditch. The Brownies could not resist the urge to stop and pick up more rocks, more dirt and sticks. I finally convinced them they might be hungry and thirsty and that we needed to head home. Once we got home, the Brownies played on the slides as I prepared a quick lunch. I set up our outdoor table under the leaf bare tree and brought out our lunch. They loved it. Chomping away on hot dogs, chips and bananas. However, the excitement of being outdoors overcame the feeling of hunger. They both ate just enough to satisfy the desire to eat and it was back to playing.

We went back to the driveway to play with our cars. Big Brownie looked up at the sky as a hawk was flying over head. He said, "Look Mama an eagle!" I told him to reach his arms out to the side and soar like an eagle. Before long, Little Brownie followed behind and we were all soaring like birds through the front yard. I can only imagine what people passing by must have thought. It was really cute. I convinced the boys it was time to come inside, and now, everyone is down for their naps and sound asleep. We have been craving the outdoors. Being so cold and snowy, it hasn't been worth it to get outside much. But on days like today, days that are truly blessing from the Lord, we can reach out our arms and soar like eagles. Oh yes, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made! Get out and enjoy it!

Say What?

So yesterday, I posted some quotes that always make me smile. However, there is nothing more funny than having my own little comedians right here in my own home. Daddy Brown and I laugh all the time at some of the odd-ball things that come out of the mouths of our babes. Here's some of the more recent.

The other night, we were having supper and Big Brownie decided he was finished. He turned to me and said, "Mama, I'm not eating...I'm done. I'm not a good eater, please let me down."

I try to do at least 2 loads of laundry each day in an attempt to keep it under control. The Brownies LOVE helping load and unload the washer and dryer. Afterwards, I take the clothes to my bed and we begin to fold the clothes and proceed to put them away. This week, this was my conversation with Big Brownie, "Mama, are these clothes clean?" I said, "Yes baby, all of these clothes are clean." He asks, "How do you know they are clean?" I told him, "Because I washed them, dried them, folded them and now we are putting them away." He says, "Ohhhh, I wiped my nose on this one and it has a BIG booger on it. Is it still clean?"

Potty training is going pretty well at the moment. With the exception of one "on the floor sprinkling", Big Brownie has managed to do a really great job, for which we are VERY proud. That being said, he absolutely HATES wearing underwear. I've been putting sweatpants that are one size larger on him so he can easily pull his pants up and down to go to the potty. When we leave the house, I have been using a pull-up because I haven't been brave enough to go out without one. Yesterday, we were getting ready to run to Target. This was my conversation with Big Brownie..."Come here and let me put your pull-up on so we can go to the store", I said. He said, "No Mom, I'm not wearing my pull-up." I asked, "You don't want to wear your underwear?" He said, "No!" I said, "Ok, if you don't wear your pull-up then you absolutely have to tell me if you need to go to the potty while we are at the store or in the car. That way, I can take you to the potty at the store." He paused and looked at me a moment and said, "Ohhhh, do they have a potty at the store for me?" I said, "Yes, you know the one that Mommy and Daddy use when we need to potty and that is where you will go to potty if you need to pee-pee." He said, "Wow...that's awesome, let's go to Target to pee-pee in the potty!" I did allow him to go commando, and we did in fact visit the special potty at Target to make our deposit.

While we were at Target, we always visit the "holiday" section of the store. This week, Target is changing out the Valentine's Day decorations to Easter Holiday decorations, toys and candy. There was a pleasant older employee putting out the Easter displays as Big Brownie was exploring all the new items. Every time he would take something out to play with it, he would bring one to Little Brownie to play as well. I have been teaching him that he can only play with one item at a time and when he is done, he has to put them back on the shelf where it was originally found. As the employee was stocking the shelves, this is the conversation that I heard. Employee: "Hello young man, how are you today?" Big Brownie, "I'm good, how are you?" Employee, "Do you like playing with all the eggs and bunnies?" Big Brownie, "Yes and so does my little brother. What are you doing?" Employee, "I'm putting new stuff on the shelves for people like you to buy for Easter." Big Brownie looked at him a minute, looked at me and then looked back at the employee and said, "Will you tell my Mama I need this one RIGHT here?"

It is wonderful for Daddy Brown to sit back and watch the interactions with the Brownies. Little Brownie wants to talk clearly so bad, you can just see it on his face when he says something and you don't know exactly what he said. Fortunately, Big Brownie seems to understand him and feels the need to translate or correct him. Today, I made pizza rolls, mixed vegetables and applesauce for lunch. They ate the pizza rolls and some of the applesauce, but they both kinda frowned at the vegetables. Little Brownie picked up a carrot and yelled "Bean!". Big Brownie said, "No, it's a carrot and it's yummy." Little Brownie picked up a potato and said, "Bean!". Big Brownie said, "No, it's not at bean, it's a potato". There was a lima bean in the pile and Little Brownie picked it up and said, "Bean". Big Brownie looked at it, fished through his own plate and found one. He picked it up and looked at me. He said, "Mama, it's a booger and it's yummy." I guess as long as they are eating, booger or not, it's a good thing...right?

This week, I tried doing my workout during nap time so I can go to bed around the same time as the Brownies to get some extra zzz's. Today, Big Brownie came down while I was working out and said, "Mama, what are you doing?" I said, "I'm working out." He said, "What is working out?" I said, "Well, it's kinda like dancing so I can be healthy." I asked him to sit on the couch while I finished up. I asked him if he wanted to join me and he declined. As I'm finishing up, he asks, "Mama, you done?" I said, "Yes baby, I'm done." He said, "Oh good...that's not good dancing!"