Quick 5 #13

1. I. Am. Tired.  32 weeks pregnant, and for the last week or so, I've had absolutely no energy.  I really don't feel bad that I'm not keeping the house clean, but I do feel bad that no energy translates into less patience with the kids.  That is one aspect of pregnancy that I will not miss.

2. Speaking of pregnancy, all is going well.  I still feel pretty good, other than some achiness and the exhaustion.  But I'm huge.  I've gained the "maximum" 35 pounds so far, and the baby can gain a pound every two weeks from here on out, so I will definitely get bigger.  And the doctor says I'm measuring 2-3 weeks ahead of where I am, which means I most likely will have another big baby.  That's okay, though.  I like 'em sturdy. :)

3. Micah saw a pogo stick on a t.v. show, and he's convinced that he needs one.  I wasn't too worried about it, because although I've never specifically looked for one, I've never seen one in a store.  But then today we went to a garage sale, and wouldn't you know, they had a pogo stick.  Luckily, I let him try it out (with me holding him up), and I was able to convince him that it was a little too big for him.  Here's hoping that pogo stick desire wears off quickly!

4. Eli got some sunglasses for his birthday, and when he put them on I said, "You're looking great, Eli!"  Now, whenever he gets dressed, he'll go tell Josh, "I lookin' great."

5. My dad turned 68 yesterday.  Happy Birthday, Dad!

Quick 5 #12

1. Eli is 2-years-old now. We had a party over Easter weekend, which I will post pictures and blog about soon. He's quite the big guy now, talking all the time, making jokes, and showing us in various ways that he is indeed a toddler and no longer a baby.

2. About a month ago, we switched Eli to a big boy bed. He has struggled a little to learn to stay in it, sleeping many naps on the floor behind his door. However, he always stays in it at night. Why? Because Micah sleeps in the same twin bed. Yes, we have two separate beds for them, but Micah keeps saying that he just wants to snuggle with Eli at night, and honestly, they both sleep all night when sharing such close quarters, so we're cool with it.

3. Last Sunday, I went to my friend Tracy's house so that we could teach our high school girls' small group, and when I got there, I was greeted by a surprise baby shower! It was lots of fun, and our baby girl now has lots of cute outfits and accessories, as well as a couple of sweet pink blankets. Between that and a ton of hand-me-downs I've received lately, this baby girl won't be needing us to buy her anything but diapers. :)

4. Micah has a favorite word: Avacado. He says it randomly and frequently, and he pronounces the "v" as a "b," so it sounds like "abacado." It's like his answer to everything, or sometimes he just yells it to be silly. People give him funny looks, but he doesn't seem to mind. And Eli imitates him, so sometimes both my boys are randomly yelling "Avacado!" for no reason whatsoever.

5. We're gearing up for a busy graduation season. There are 43 seniors graduating out of our student ministry (some are only marginally connected, but we still like to go to their parties to wish them well). Between those and my baby cousin's graduation (can't believe my youngest cousin is 18!), we will have two or three very full weekends. For some reason, though, I really love attending all those open houses. It's just great to chat with each kid and find out what their plans are. You don't get a chance to do that during regular student ministry events.

Quick 5 #11

Apologies to those of you who have wondered where I've been the last two months or so since I last posted. I've been right here, pregnant, and seemingly unable to do anything at all....

1. The busy spring season has arrived for the Browns. For some reason, it's one event or conference right after another from the beginning of February through graduation time in May. That's the life for people in youth ministry, which means that before I know it, June will be here and this baby will arrive.

2. Speaking of "this baby," it just occurred to me that I never posted on here that we're having a girl. The facebook world knew right away, though, so probably most of you knew, too. We're very excited. Josh has always wanted a daughter, so I'm excited for him. :) And I really wanted my boys to have a sister. It's good for them.

3. I have to say that I am loving the weather this winter. We've had all of maybe two weeks of average-or-below-average temperatures, and other than that, it's been beautiful. We went to the zoo yesterday, and were able to run from building to building without totally bundling up. So nice!

4. I'm starting a group for the mothers of young children at my church. It's not an official MOPS group, but it will be similar. It's a lot of work, so I guess that's one of the things that's been keeping me busy lately.

5. I'm getting over a cold that I've had for the past week and a half. I haven't had a cold this bad in years. And before that, Eli had a nasty stomach virus for 5 days. I can't wait for all the sickness to be gone from my house so we can get back to normal (whatever "normal" is).

6. Eli says "Amen" when we finish reading a book.

7. Micah is outgrowing all his 4T clothes. I'm going to have to buy him a few more long-sleeved shirts in 5T to get him through this winter. He is my son who never stops growing, while Eli is my son who grows so slowly that he's now been in 12 month and 18 month clothes for a full year.

October Mini-Vacation

Okay, so I'm a little (okay, a lot) late on this post. But I decided I needed to post about the little vacation we took back in October.
The story goes like this: Josh was at Bass Pro Shop and was approached by a lady selling timeshares. She kept trying to get him to sign up to spend two nights in one of their resorts in exchange for us listening to their presentation. He kept saying no, and she kept throwing in more and more incentives until she offered him more money in Bass Pro gift cards than the cost of the stay in the hotel. So, he went for it.

We decided to go to Wisconsin Dells, since it was one of the closest resorts we could choose, and it was also near Camp Forest Springs, where Josh's brother Matt is currently living and working. If you've never heard of the Dells, it's basically a tourist trap town. It's the waterpark capital of the world, and the world's biggest waterpark is located there.

We stayed at a hotel that had an indoor waterpark and an indoor amusement park (and a lot of outdoor stuff that was closed for the season). I wouldn't recommend visiting the Dells during the off-season, but there were plenty of things to do for our young boys. The indoor amusement park had a lot of kids rides. Here are my three guys on the spinning teacups (it was a little too nauseating for this pregnant mama to ride!).
The kids really enjoyed the arcade, too, especially this mini-bowling.

We splurged on one fun dining-out experience at a restaurant where a toy train brings your food out to you. The kids loved it, especially when the train came by with a bubble machine on it!

The indoor waterpark was pretty fun, too. There was a whole area just for kids, and the boys were brave enough to try the little slides and things. We could only talk Micah into riding the three-story tall slide with Daddy once, though.

After two nights at the hotel (and one morning spent listening to the timeshare presentation), we went on to Westboro, Wisconsin where Camp Forest Springs is located. We were blessed to be hosted by a couple of college friends, Sam and Tawnya Smith, so we were able two spread out in their basement and get better sleep than at the hotel. Our kids had a great time playing with their kids, and Tawnya's cooking was amazing!

While we were there, we went to the camp (where Josh also worked one summer in college) to look around, and I was able to understand the setting where so many stories I've heard took place. Josh and Micah played some mini-golf and we looked at the lake and game room. We also hung out with Aunt Courtney and Uncle Matt at their apartment. It was a treat to get to see them. (And I didn't take a single picture of our time at camp. Bummer.)

It was about a nine-hour drive home, and the boys did great until the last hour. By that time, it was dark, so they couldn't see anything, and Eli had simply had enough of the car, so he cried inconsolably for the last solid hour. But we made it.

So there you go. That was our mini-vacation. Hopefully we'll get to take more vacations as the kids get older, because I hear that's how the most memorable memories are made. :)

Quick 5 #10

1. We moved Eli's crib into Micah's room. We knew we'd have to double them up before the baby gets here in June, and we were debating when to make the switch. Then we had a cold front come through, and since Eli's room is the coldest in the house, and he will not stay under a blanket when he sleeps, he woke up early a couple of nights just from being cold. So, we decided to go ahead and move him. So far, it's worked out great. I think they really like sharing a room. I'm sure we'll have nights when they spend time laughing and talking instead of going to sleep, but so far that hasn't been a problem.

2. Eli is in a running-away phase. If I set him down in a store or parking lot or a long hallway, he's off in a flash. Twice now, he has put himself in potentially dangerous situations while my hands were otherwise occupied. This phase must die! I remember going through it with Micah, and I'm so glad that he has now learned to stay next to me.

3. Micah has always been my pickiest eater, but recently he's maturing enough that we can get him to try certain foods (usually with some sort of promised reward), and he's actually learned to like some new things. That gives this frustrated cook some hope!

4. I spent a fair amount of time this week throwing together a concession stand for a movie that was being shown at our church. I took it on as a last-minute, easy fundraising opportunity for a mom's group that I'll be starting soon. The movie was free, but you had to print off tickets, so the internet was telling us to expect around 475 people. Unfortunately, only 250 or so showed up.....So, I bought waaaaaay too much stuff, and if I return all the unused things that I'm allowed to return, we'll break even. It's frustrating to put in hours of work on a project and get no return for it. Oh well, live and learn.

5. Christmas is coming quickly! I still need to sew a few gifts for nieces and nephews, so I'm hoping I can find some times next week when the kids are occupied enough that I can bring out sharp objects without them getting too curious. Ha ha, maybe not until after they're in bed for the night!

How Eli Amuses Himself

I'm really not sure how to describe this, but every once in a while, Eli will do this goofy thing where he tenses up until his face turns red. It's really funny and he likes making us laugh. This isn't the best example of it, but it's what I caught on video. :)

Quick 5 #9

1. We spent the week of Thanksgiving at the Browns' in South Dakota. It was a lovely week, which included me learning to make gravy and stuffing when Grandma got the flu on Thanksgiving Day. It was up to us sisters to pull the dinner off, and I think we did a pretty good job.

2. Micah and Eli like to play a game called "Micah Pie" or "Eli Pie." One of them gets in a laundry basket, then the other puts in "ingredients" like invisible flour, cinnamon, eggs, and sugar. Then they mix it up, cover the basket with a blanket "crust," shove it in the "oven," count to ten, then take the crust off and eat the Micah Pie or Eli Pie. So cute!

3. I went to a bridal shower tonight for a girl that I've known since 5th or 6th grade. She was in my youth group (as was her fiance), and now they're getting married. I'm very excited for this couple, and I realize that this is probably the first of many weddings I'll attend for former youth group members.

4. Josh is going to Israel. He has the opportunity to go with his seminary and get three credits for it, so he jumped at the chance. The trip is in the beginning of January. I'm really excited for him! We've both wanted to go there for a long time. It would be nice if I could go, too, but I didn't think now was the right time for me, being pregnant and having such little boys at home. I'll go someday. :)

5. I've been trying to talk with Micah about the meaning of Christmas. He's heard the story many times, but so far, whenever I ask whose birthday is on Christmas, he says Eli. Oh well, he'll get it eventually.