Whirlwind

Life is just too busy. Too many places to be and too few hours in the day. Adria has been busy with college applications. We, the parents, have officially been banned from discussing which colleges she gets in to and where she might be going. She wants to make her decision without any outside pressure. Colin has been busy composing and playing his guitar. He is excited for the possibility of a new guitar next year. Eva has discovered that math isn't so bad and that she might actually have a talent for it. Liam continues to make strides in his speech therapy and loves kindergarten. Andrew would love to spend all his time researching and writing papers, but his duties at church and work cut into his time. I feel more and more scattered as the children grow older. So many places to be! Here's hoping the next year will be quieter. Shhh! Don't dampen my spirits with trying to break this expectation.

Tales of a Kindergarten Apple Picker

Today I traveled to an apple orchard with Liam and a gaggle of Kindergarteners. The day was hot and sunny and any breeze was welcome.

Liam loved looking for and picking apples. He also loved poking and kicking at all the rotting ones on the ground.

We walked through the corn maze. Reminds me of playing in the corn as a kid.

This is Liam's "stop taking pictures and let me eat my apple" face.

A favorite had to be the pumpkin loader. This oversized, air gun rotated up like a rocket then shot small pumpkins across the field. All of the kids and adult males got a kick out of this one. Thank goodness they launched them into an unoccupied part of the orchard!

Finally, a bus ride home. School buses are just as uncomfortable and disgusting as I remember.

Sunny Saturday

Andrew took the kids down to Laumeier Sculpture Park today. It is beautiful open-air museum in St. Louis County. Oh, did I mention it is free. Lots of free things to do in St. Louis. The camera battery died, but not before they were able to get a few pics.

Eye by Tony Tasset. Kinda creepy eye. Reminds me of Sauron in Lord of the Rings.

Intricate Wall by Sol DeWitt

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Am Sixteen Going on Seventeen!!


Sweet Adria turned 17 today. She celebrated this morning with a visit to the Creperie with friends. And this evening Andrew and I took her for sushi at Wasabi. We all ate for too much, but not a fork was used only chopsticks and the occasional finger. Then home for a white butter cake with lime curd and a cream cheese frosting. YUM! On a sad note, this time next year Adria will be a freshman somewhere in the world, but not here.

White butter cake with lime curd and cream cheese frosting. YUM!

My beautiful girls.

Can she blow out all the trick candles at once?

I'm so proud of how this cake set up. Nice thick custardy middle.

** A mother can brag, right? After all I have some of the smartest kids in the world, don't you? Adria was accepted into the Dartmouth Bound Program for Native American students. She's visit the campus in October.

Better Late

I should probably post some of Colin's birthday pics before Adria's!! Two weeks isn't too late, huh?

Hasn't he grown into a handsome guy?

 

Our homage to the Doctor who we are all in love with(excuse the poor artistry).

Notice my beautiful Black-eyed Susan? I grew them from seeds!

An Unwelcome Visitor

I am beginning to think we are being invaded. I found a creepy praying mantis in my flower garden on Saturday. I had seen one earlier in the day on a neighbor's car. I was amused to see two in one day even though I find it eerie the way they swivel their heads whenever I move. But this morning, I'm reminded of an X-Files episode. You know the one where Scully and Mulder encounter robotic cockroaches that could really be alien technology aka "War of the Coprophages". While I was packaging the kids' lunches, Liam noticed another one skulking on some candles I have on the dining room table. Eeeewww! I am hoping our visitor came in while we were grilling yesterday thus having the back door open. The thought of these sinister creatures living, nesting, scurrying, cannabalizing each other and monitoring me leaves me with a desire to place an X made of masking tape in the window.

Note: If you don't understand the X in the window, I can only sigh, shake my head and say Mulder and my sister, Laura, would be highly disappointed.

Where did the time go?

My baby boy is 14. Okay, Colin is not my "baby" as in the youngest boy I have, but, still, my baby boy is 14! Where did the time go? Where did that little boy with chubby cheeks go? The one who would dance on the coffee table and carry stones in his pockets. Before you know it, he will be out the door. Thank goodness he still lets me give him hugs and doesn't mind me telling him I love him.

Next week: Adria turns 17!!!

First Day of Senior Year!

First Bus Ride for Liam

Waiting for the Bus

First Day of Kindergarten

One Week

One week from today, I will be readying the kids for the first day of the school year. Adria will be a senior, Eva will be a third grader and my little, baby boy will be starting kindergarten. Will he be ready? Will he miss me? Will he eat his lunch and not go hungry? Will he crawl under the table and do his puppy impression including licking? Only time will tell. At least I know he has a great teacher who will make this a great year.

As for the rest us, Colin and I are eagerly anticipating a quiet house.

Two in One

I know, you just fell off your chair. Two blogs in one day! I just had to rant for a minute about Blogspot. I clicked over to the blog only to find that my background had been deleted. This was the quickest one I could find that didn't make me retch. What do you think?

Bad Blogger

Yes, I will admit it. I am a bad blogger. It has been almost a month since my last post. For those that may be wondering we made it home from Utah. We had a fabulous vacation and were not able to go to all the places we wanted and see all the people we should have (I'm talking to you Angie!). But that seems to be par for the course on our vacations.

The start of the school year is just around the corner. With Liam starting kindergarten, I will only have Colin home with me. So wish me luck as I start a new phase of motherhood.

Utah: Summer Vacation 2010

We are a little over halfway through our vacation. The drive out was uneventful and beautiful. We spent the first few days with my sister and her family. Then we headed to mountains. Andrew's sister-in-law has a family ranch in the Uintahs. No internet, cell phone reception or television, but plenty to keep us occupied. After St. Louis heat and humidity, the cool air is wonderful.

With the Cabreros cousins at Bridal Veil Falls

Beautiful, but cold Bridal Veil Falls

Colin and Bryn hiked to the top. Then Adria and Andrew hiked up thinking

they were taking too long.

Colin and Andrew hiking Inspiration Rock near the Holbrook Ranch.

Adria and Eva at the Holbrook Ranch near a branch of the Provo River

The "Golden Meadow" as named by the kids.

Seen on the hike to Inspiration Rock.

Provo River at the Holbrook Ranch

Provo River with Ranch house

Yet another picture of the river. Can you tell we loved it?

Our "little" cabin in the woods.

"No, I'm not Jewish, but thanks for asking."

Did you know St. Louis has one of the larger populations of Jewish people in the country? Starting in the early 1800s many have settled here. There are areas of St. Louis with higher concentrations. One area where we lived had many orthodox Jews who walked to temple on Saturdays. I always enjoyed seeing families walking together to worship or boys playing in their yards wearing yarmulkes. The school district which the kids attend has a large group of Jewish students. Adria attended many bat mitzvahs the year she turned 13. As a consequence she often hears "Happy Hanukkah" during December. Her response is often, "Happy Hanukkah! You know I'm not Jewish, right?" A puzzled expression often follows and a "Are you sure?". We have decided that with her olivey skin and such she probably looks just as Jewish as the next. So, why am I mentioning this? Adria has a job this with local summer camps through a Jewish center. She has friends who have worked there in the past. I think we'll count how many times she is asked if she is Jewish. Maybe every time she is asked we should buy a loaf of challah bread to celebrate.

**Note: Do not take offense to my breezy attitude. We love all things Jewish except the gefilte fish ; )

Surviving the School Year

In a few days, one more school year will be over. Thank goodness for Summer! We are all exhausted by the demands this year has brought. Liam will be starting kindergarten in the fall and while his speech has improved, I will be grateful to send him on the bus and not make the trek to and from school each day. In regards to Eva, let's just say a good teacher makes all the difference, and we look forward to the requested one next year : ) Colin is more willing to work on homeschool and asked if we could continue with some this summer. In his words, "I don't want to be 40 and living in your basement." Neither do we, Colin, neither do we. Adria will be in her last year of high school. She is eager and anxious to strike out on her own, knowing she's not truly "on her own", but has her parents a phone call and tuition check away.

Let's hope for a pleasant, restful, peaceful summer!

**On a side note, I had an allergic reaction to the new medication I started. I was hoping for a decrease in inflammation throughout particularly my joints, but alas, I began to itch excessively. The skin around my left eye was already damaged from a chemical burn (always wash your hands while cleaning and before you touch your face!). My eye was on the mend, but became swollen, red, and claw off your skin itchy as did other areas of skin. So, I have stopped my meds and am on a three day course of prescription antihistamines and steroids. The itching has calmed down... Now. Peaceful summer.

Wild Ride

Our life is pretty crazy as a norm, but the past few weeks have been wild. The latest is that nasty bacteria called streptococcus pyogenes (I hope I got that right, Mom!). Liam has brought this critter home, and I hope he doesn't stay as long as others have. Colin and I were sick last week with what may have been a mild form. Let's hope we don't keep passing it around.

On a related note, I have decided to begin expecting the unexpected. I don't want to turn more pessimistic than I already am, but if I expect that plans may go awry maybe I can handle them better.

Cheese, anyone?

My sister, politely, informed me that I had not posted anything since January. Was my life so busy that I couldn't take ten minutes and blog a bit? The answer is yes and no. Yes, life is extremely busy. Liam's preschool schedule has my days broken into pieces of time. I spend so much time in the car shuttling children, and Andrew, from place to place. Andrew's work and church obligations have turned me into a single parent. (I do realize I'm stretching it a bit and know single mothers are far busier than I am, but let me exaggerate for a minute!) And no, I probably could take ten minutes to blog, but have been thinking life is much the same, what is there to write about. Hopefully, the end is in sight, the light is at the end of the tunnel and there is a snowball's chance that life will become more manageable. Liam will be in all day kindergarten next year cutting down on driving time, and I have started some new medication that with a little hope may give me some much needed energy.

Now about that cheese. Parmesan cheese is one of Liam's favorite food. Not the real, beautiful, tangy cheese freshly grated, but the from a plastic tube that's been sitting on the grocery shelf for who knows how long. We have to hide it from him, or we will find him in the fridge chugging it. Eeewwww!

Year Quiz Key

I realized we have several friends who we haven't seen in several years. Some are from grad school days and have never met Eva and Liam. I'm providing a key to further educate you in the disorganization bordering on chaos that is the Brown Family.

1. B, However, she does excel in the other three.
2. C, The chance to shoot a gun has raised Colin's willingness to attend Scouts.
3. D, Liam has been a monkey from the get-go. His climbing skills and balance are amazing. I never worry about him at the park. Of course, it does mean he tries to climb over the pews in church.
4. B, One of these days I'll get to go with him. For now, I am content with Parisian scarves, Belgian chocolates and Argentine jewelry brought back to me.
5. C, Liam's idea of being 'gentle' with the cat is to bury him under a pile of stuffed animals. Our 15 year old cat just can't take this kind of love.
6. B, The phrase "How rude!" has found its way into her vocabulary.
7. probably D, I love and highly recommend all of the books, but Fire is one I've read over and over.
8. D, Two teenagers in the house includes much sarcasm and wit.
9. B, A nice calm blue that goes well with the new floors
10. B, One of the other answers includes a show that is a guilty pleasure for us.
11. C, Although Andrew is constantly thinking the piano will fall through the floor, the house will crack in two pieces,and a sink whole will develop beneath the house. Oh, and he just bought a paisley tie to wear while Bishoping.
12. B, Eva loves to draw pictures, cut out snowflakes and basically cut, glue, tape any piece of paper she sees. We are not allowed to throw them away!
13. All, We have wondered for so long what that child is saying. Now we know and we can't stop smiling.
14. D, Andrew and I realized that the younger kids have not been to Utah, and Colin doesn't remember going. Of course, that means we'll have to visit Kirtland and Palmyra again in a few years so the younger kids can remember them.