Another Snow Day!

We returned home from Mexico in perfect time to see the snow flurries begin. The next day we woke up to 4 inches of snow. WOW! The kids were ecstatic and jumped into their snow gear the second they finished their last spoonful of cereal. The boys enjoyed playing outside for about 30 minutes -- upon which time Noah announced that he was going in. IMMEDIATELY. The Brown boys are definitely the fair-weather kind. Still, I'm holding on to the belief that as they get older, they'll LOVE the snow and we'll play in it together for hours. Until then, they seem to be playing just long enough to earn their hot chocolate.











Snowy weather.....see you next year!

Ah....Mexico

Mike and I spent an incredible 6 days in Mexico. Mike's parents arrived the Saturday before we left to settle into our routine. The boys LOVE spending time with their grandparents, so they were thrilled to have them here for so many days. But, not so fast: to ensure that we earned every minute of our upcoming relaxation, one of our boys turned into an absolute crazy-person before we left. There were too many tantrums to even count. Was it fatigue? Too many sweets? Inconsistent discipline? I'll never know. What I do know, is that my heart broke hours before we left when he looked at me in the car and said, "mommy, I'm just so sad that you're leaving." Just thinking about it now makes me tear up. It was a momentary sadness, I'm sure, as the boys had a BLAST with Bob & Peggy. And, as much as we missed them, we had also had a BLAST on our adults-only vacation. It was truly therapeutic to be able to exercise every day, have leisurely meals, enjoy adult conversation, rest, shop. We loved it all. And, now that we are home, back into our regular routine, said crazy-person has returned to his good-old self. Whew.










I'll post a link to the rest of the pictures soon.

Pecking Order

As we waited for Miles to hop off the bus, I snapped a bunch of pictures of the little boys. At the time, both boys seemed to be enjoying themselves; but, I laughed as I looked back at the pictures. The photos tell a different story.








When Miles jumped off the bus, he took the middle seat. Check out how Griffin is resting his head on Miles' shoulder -- as if to say, "thank you for saving me from the poking & prodding!"

Yikes! Did I Lose 'Em?

Whew. Still there.

Miles' School Work

Miles continues to enjoy kindergarten. His teacher told me today that he's doing special, 1st grade math assignments and that she's challenging him to write special book reports. Noah, Griffin and I went to school today to read a book to the class. While I was there I took pictures of some of Miles' artwork. I love seeing all that he's doing at school!



Miles' class went on a field trip to the circus. Miles was excited to see 'the tiger jumping through the right of fire'.



I love Miles' description with this picture, especially that he ended it with, "I love my brother."


Last week, Miles came home with this sweet Valentine's assignment about Griffin. It says, "I love my baby brother. He chases me in the house. At the night we watch Martha. I like it when he sits on my lap. He likes it too. I like when he takes naps because he is quiet. I love him."


This is one of Miles' art project. I love the colors and the design. So happy!


We LOVE you, Miles!

Dougnuts for Dad

Griffin's preschool hosted Doughnuts for Dad this week. The event was held in our church's Charis Room and was a big gathering of dads and kids. Mike had to be in Boston, so I joined Griffin instead. Griff ate an entire Krispy Kreme doughnut (a huge step up from the doughnut holes he's used to) and enjoyed every sip of his Capri Sun (another first). The program director brought me to tears with a beautiful prayer, talking about what a blessing from the Lord fathers are and how kids see their fathers as true heroes. I know Griffin agrees.




Since we were missing Mike so much, the little boys and I met Mike at the airport today (kindergarten keeps getting in the way of Miles joining us!). Its always a happy occasion when Dad comes home!

Busted

Noah just asked why his teacher calls his crunchy candy bars 'granola bars'. And then said, 'mom, its a candy bar.'

Old McDonald

Noah, Griffin and I met some friends at "Old McDonald" today. Our local McDonalds has a gy-normous play place and on this chilly day, it was perfect!


Griffin brought his dog along...he brings this dog EVERYWHERE. Last week we actually bought a second one, so that he'll have one to tote around while the other is being washed. My fear is that we'll slip and he'll discover that we have 2, and then demand to have one for each hand at all times. :)


Gotta love those baby blues....


Noah's sweet friend Ryan (and his mom, Carolyn) met us for some fun.


Dana -- this one's for you. Griffin LOVES hot mustard sauce!!!! Our club expands to 3!

Noah's Motto

When Noah was two, he'd say things like, "um, Griffin, you can only play with that toy if you have yellow hair. (Pause) I have yellow hair, so I'm going to have to take that toy now."

Now that he's 3, his rules have graduated a little. He'll say things like, "mom, I can't finish my milk, because if I do, I won't be able to leave the table. I need to leave the table tonight, so I better not finish my milk." At least once a day, he will matter-of-factly say, "Mom, that's not right. Only I really know what's right." Mike and I secretly laugh to ourselves, because he seems so sure that he's the only sane & knowledgeable person living in our house.

Wonder what will happen when he turns 4?....

Amazing Weather = Fun Play Dates

On Monday, the boys played with our neighbors Ellie & Claire. Ellie is in kindergarten with Miles (different class) and they get to ride the bus home together. Claire and Noah will start kindergarten together in a couple of years. They all had a blast together.





After the playdate, Miles received his first-ever note from a friend. Ellie had folded it up and she handed it to him on the bus. Isn't it so sweet?!


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On Thursday, neighbors Evan and Will came over the play. Evan & Will are also in kindergarten with Miles (different class) and Evan and Miles share the same bus stop (Will is picked up right after them). We moms learned recently that the boys like to grab seats in the back -- where they lay down on the seats, and then pretend that they are flying when the bus goes over bumps. No wonder why they all prefer the bus! :)




It was bubble mania outside. The older boys spend a lot of time "loading up with bubbles" (as if the longer the wand sat in the dish, the more bubbles they could make). haha




Don't you just love how boys have to play just a little bit rougher with EVERY toy? :) They took turns lifting & being squished.


I kept my camera under wraps while the boys threw water balloons. Can't wait till next time!