Michigan Madness

14 February 2012

2012-02-16T14:40:00.001-06:00

Best Valentine's Day ever. Mr. Brown treated me to new windshield wiper blades, which was so thoughtful of him, it just made my day. It was one of those gifts where you can tell that the giver has been really listening to you. Also he fixed my car radio so it turns on and keeps time again - all while taking it in for an oil change. It made me feel very special and looked after.

My children really enjoyed opening the valentines that they received in the mail. My next-door neighbors from my hometown sent the children $10 each, and Rose Pink promptly ran in other room and told Mr. Brown that she wanted to use her money to buy me a box of chocolates. Mr. Brown took them to the store and they carefully chose a box of chocolates for me that was in their budget. It was smaller than they wanted, so Mr. Brown reminded me that there's not a box big enough to show their love for me. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness and affection.

Best Valentine's Day ever.

7 Feb 2012

2012-02-07T20:26:00.000-06:00

Sometimes the things that come out of the dress up bin are too fabulous not to share.

6 Feb 2012

2012-02-06T20:24:00.001-06:00

Rose Pink helped me make a countdown to birth calendar. We have FOURTEEN weeks to go. Every Friday we take one number off the wall.

2 February 2012

2012-02-02T21:05:00.000-06:00

There's a new edition of D&D coming out and they were play-testing it at the D&D convention in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, which is only three hours from here, and Mr. Brown just couldn't resist... so we went to Ft. Wayne the last weekend in January. Mr. Brown spent the afternoon at the convention (his first gamer convention!) and the kids and I spent four hours at the local science museum. It was a pretty fun place. Notice in the above photo that Rose Pink is holding on to the bar but Nut Brown did not feel the need. He climbed on to the skateboard, it moved, and he just shifted his balance to remain upright.

Then we went to the art museum downtown and spent an hour and a half there looking at art. Rose Pink has said she's interested in becoming an artist, so we discussed some of the different media and how to recognize them. It was a nice museum, and left me with a desire to look at more art, so hopefully one of these days we can get down to Detroit Institute of Art and browse there as well.

Since we didn't stay as long as we had initially planned, we decided to make up the missed hotel swimming pool time by taking the kids to the Warren City Indoor Water Park. We had such a good time (I know! In January!) that we talked about maybe buying a pass to go more often.

oh, january!

2012-02-02T11:59:00.001-06:00

So in January there were several big decisions/momentous events.

1. We found out we're having a boy. YAY. I was hoping for a boy so much that I was sure that it was going to be a girl. At the moment we're planning to name him Ramses Joseph.

2. Rose Pink decided that she didn't want to go to public school this fall after all. When she and Nut Brown announced that they were going to public school this year, Mr. Brown started a more intensive round of homeschooling to make sure that they would be at 'grade-level' (such a subjective term!) and Rose Pink complained one day that she 'never had any free time' since school now takes a couple hours a day or all morning. Mr. Brown laughed and told her that if she went to public shcool she would only have an hour or so of free time in the evenings, and that was enough to make her change her mind. Mr. Brown and I are secretly glad she did.

3. Nut Brown started sounding out words all by himself. We taught him his letters and the sounds they make over the last several months, and have been waiting for this... it means he's ready to learn to read!

4. Mr. Brown passed a kidney stone. A big one. We're hoping it's a contributing factor to his ongoing anxiety and depression, and that maybe it will be somewhat alleviated by expelling this sharp pointy crystal.

On to February!

1 February 2012

2012-02-01T20:55:00.000-06:00

My brother Chris came to visit us in January. He is a favorite at this house and the kids were super-excited to see him. He helped us set up for the birthday party, put in insulation in the basement with Mr. Brown, job searched from our sofa and did a lot of dishes.

Also we went to the auto show downtown. After Chicago, Detroit looked pretty dead (it was my first time downtown too) but the auto show was pretty fun and we got a free photo taken with some Chrysler product (I think). The kids got tired of walking around and the cars all started to look alike after awhile, but Chris and I admired the presentation and marketing strategies in place, and we got to take a ride in an electric car in the basement of the Cobo Center, so altogether, a nice excursion.

31 January 2012

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

Nut Brown presented us with this gem the other night. It's a 'who driving a raindrop car'. Mr. Brown was inspired and added a 'who riding a rocket skateboard' in the upper right.

Birthday

2012-01-30T19:34:00.004-06:00

Rose Pink had a ladybug birthday party this year. For some reason, I really enjoy planning and putting on birthday parties for my kids. She decided she wanted ladybugs, so we played aphid hunt (finding Mike & Ike's), and pass the ladybug down the string, and ladybug bean bag toss, and musical spots. Mr. Brown made her an extremely beautiful ladybug chocolate cheesecake.

I tried out a new philosophy with invitations where I left off the time of the party, and when parents called to find out when it was, I could ask if they were going to come! It worked better than I thought, and we ended up with about ten kids.

Rose Pink says it was the best birthday ever, which I think is what she said last year too. I'm doing pretty well.

Uncle Chris was visiting, and lent his height for putting up and taking down decorations.

Happy birthday, Rose Pink! Seven years old!

30 January 2012

2012-01-30T07:26:00.001-06:00

Nut Brown gave Rose Pink a unicorn pillow pet for Christmas and it's her new favorite toy. Lately she's been pretending to be a queen and the unicorn is her husband. To show familiarity, she refers to it as her 'unic', which is pronounced 'eunuch'. My daughter is married to a eunuch. hee hee.

more about superheroes

2012-01-27T21:11:00.000-06:00

Rose Pink has been doing homework writing sentences about whatever topic she chooses. Here is one of her assignments completed.

She has also invented her own superhero, whose name is 'Four-Eight'. As you can see in the below drawing, Four-Eight has a head shaped like a numeral four. He has many adventures, all chronicled by Rose Pink with her pencil. She announces, time for a Four-Eight story! and sits down to create one. In the drawing below, he and his daughter are wearing matching snowsuits, and he is rescuing her from a snowdrift. His wife is shown inside the house.

Once, when we drove past a sign that said, 'Pizza by the slice, $4.99' she exclaimed, "Mom! Someone has stolen Four-Eight's head!"

25 January 2012

2012-01-26T21:13:00.000-06:00

Sometimes the artwork the kids produce is so amazing that it needs no explanation. This one is from Rose Pink, using the markers Gia gave us for Christmas. I hung it up on my cubicle wall at work.

Superheroism

2012-01-25T19:59:00.000-06:00

Superheros are big at our house. The kids love watching superhero cartoons and play with action figures and imagine themselves as superheros as well. Yesterday we had Superman and Supergirl for dinner.

Here is a series Rose Pink created:

Batman

Hawk Girl

John Johns

Pink Lantern

Wonder Woman

A couple of Green Lanterns from Nut Brown:

musicality

2012-01-23T19:47:00.000-06:00

We sing a lot at our house. We start Family Home Evening now with four songs (or more). Family Home Evening used to involve about a dozen songs and no lesson so we feel we are very restrained, although we do enjoy the lessons too. At least Mr. Brown and I do. I sing to the kids at night when they go to bed- they get to choose two songs each. Tonight it was "Casey Jones", "On Top Of Old Smoky", "Turkey In The Straw", and "Poor Wayfaring Stranger". When Mr. Brown takes a turn singing to them, he sings things like They Might Be Giants songs. They love those, and now they know all the words to 'Birdhouse In Your Soul', and so on. Nut Brown says his favorite is 'Istanbul', and he sings one line like this: even old New York was once New Hamstertown.

Some of their favorite performers include Johnny Cash, The Lovin' Spoonful, and John Mayer, and they know most of the words to a lot of Simon & Garfunkel due to Mr. Brown favoring that duo.

21 January 2012

2012-01-22T19:50:00.000-06:00

We got our first substantial snow of the winter last night, and Mr. Brown and I actually shoveled snow this morning (assisted by Nut Brown). Rose Pink came out in her snow gear just as we were finishing up and invited me to stay outside and play with her. It was a beautiful day, not too cold, and sunny. We fooled around in the backyard for awhile, making snow angels and filling the sled with snow. Then we walked up to the park and investigated playground equipment covered with snow, and puddles frozen over the grass. We made snow angels on somebody else's lawn. I wish we could have stayed longer but I had to get home to eat. Rose Pink loves the snow, and it was a lot of fun to relax and enjoy it with her.

17 January 2012

2012-01-21T19:47:00.001-06:00

Last week Mr. Brown took the kids to the Henry Ford with another mum and her kids. Nut Brown and Rose Pink are very well-behaved, and it's always a pleasure to go places with them. This time they were looking forward to packages of swedish fish promised by Mr. Brown in return for good behavior during the excursion with this other family.

Mr. Brown had miscalculated the calibration of lunch and dinner times, and the other nibbles he'd brought proved inadequate to requirements, so Rose Pink and Nut Brown ended up mooching somewhat off the other mum as they went around the museum. However, as they were winding up, Mr. Brown got out the packages of swedish fish for them that he'd promised. He had only brought two; and as he gave them to our very deserving offspring, the little boy from the other family said, 'Oh! Swedish fish! May I have some?'

What to do? On the one hand, our kids had earned the reward. On the other hand, they had been eating out of the other family's lunchbox. On the third hand, sharing builds character (or something like that). But back to the first hand, it was a treat that the kids had made choices to earn. Mr. Brown said to them, "I know that I promised you this treat, and you have certainly earned it. But as your dad, I promise that if you will share your treat with our friend, I will make it up to you when we get home."

Both kids chose to give their packages of swedish fish to the other little boy. We were touched by their willingness to share, and also by their trust in Mr. Brown to keep his word. When they got home, he gave each of them TWO packages of swedish fish. It also reminded us of how our Father often asks us to do the same: give up what we want now, or maybe even feel we have earned, in order to help someone else, and promises to make up to us what we have given up. I wish I could show as much trust in Him as our children did in their father.

10 January 2012

2012-01-10T20:24:00.000-06:00

Saturday was warm (relatively) and sunny so the kids and I went to the zoo. They're standing on top of a hippo statue outside the front gate. I watched Rose Pink almost have a meltdown and get over it:

Rose Pink: Nut Brown climbed on top of the hippo and I can't get up on top of the hippo and he's going to have all the fun and I won't have any of the fun! It's not fair!

Mom: That sounds bad.

Rose Pink: Humph. pause Mom, could you give me a boost on to the hippo?

Mom: Sure, I'd be glad to.

8 January 2012

2012-01-08T19:59:00.001-06:00

On Friday I rode my bike to work because it was sunny and above freezing. Mr. Brown weighed in at a decrease from the previous week, and it was sunny all day... it was a good day.

The children lately are such treasures. They are so fun to be with and I really enjoy their company. We made paper chains for Christmas decorations together. Although once I showed them how to connect strips into links to make a chain, they each strung a few links together and then Nut Brown wandered off and Rose Pink started making other things out of strips instead: a firework, and a person shape. I finished the chain by myself, and we added their little chains and they were very proud of 'our' handiwork.

Two days ago Nut Brown got up before Rose Pink, and she wouldn't let him turn on the light to find his clothes before he stumbled out of the bedroom (he likes to get dressed right away), so when he did come out, he was wearing a shirt of Rose Pink's that said, "Everybody loves an Irish girl!"

Mr. Brown and I make no secret of our attraction to each other, and our perceptive kids have certainly picked up on it. We have one bathroom in our house, and Rose Pink came in to get something while I was in the shower the other day. She said, 'Wow, it's hot in here!' and I replied, 'That's because I'm in here taking a shower!' She rolled her eyes and said, 'No, Mom, I meant the temperature.'

4 January 2012

2012-01-04T15:00:00.000-06:00

Uncle Chris came to visit at Thanksgiving, and to celebrate, Rose Pink produced this drawing of a plane dropping bombs. She says, A group of girls called the Gaiganis were jumping on their plane seats and broke their windows and bombed the city. And shot a man. Contrary to what you may expect, Chris is not actually a particularly violent man.

3 January 2012

2012-01-03T19:07:00.002-06:00

Nut Brown is at the stage in prayers where he squinches his eyes tight shut. It's so adorable I want to spend the whole prayer watching him, except that then he relaxes them and catches me looking and reprimands me for having my eyes open.

Since the kids started sleeping in a bunkbed, Nut Brown will grab my neck when I bend in to hug him goodnight and threaten never to let go. (Rose Pink's rendering of their beds is above.)

Tonight, reading scriptures, Mr. Brown said to Rose Pink, 'Your verse, verse thirteen, the last verse, just like you've always wanted.' Rose Pink said, 'What? I've always wanted to read verse thirteen?!?' Completely puzzled. Mr. Brown said, 'No, you've always wanted to read the last verse.' She cried, 'oh right! You're right! I have always wanted the last verse!'

29 December 2011

2011-12-30T21:09:00.000-06:00

When Mr. Brown was discussing the other day what he might plant in a garden in the backyard, Nut Brown spontaneously produced this drawing of what he plans to grow in the garden. I recognize at least peas and a carrot, a green bean and an apple plus apple tree. I think the yellow is corn.

Nut Brown had a fling with long hair this month. When it was time for a haircut he told me he wanted to grow his hair out long enough for a ponytail (like his sister). So I let him grow it out for awhile and after just a couple weeks he decided he wanted it short again.

Nut Brown's eyelashes are so long that sometimes they get caught and turned under into his eye and he starts screaming and crying for Daddy to help straighten them out again.

25 December 2011

2011-12-29T15:38:00.000-06:00

Happy Christmas! Santa stopped by our house Christmas Eve night and left a trail of nuts from the kids' room window through the house to the stockings. The kids have decided this happens because Rudolph is helping Santa and accidentally spills as he carries the bag of nuts or peanuts or popcorn through the house.

This year we bought the kids a Wii for Christmas and some games to play as a family. So we've been playing sports and dancing and unraveling monsters made of yarn. Very fun. Thank you all for the gifts you shared at Christmas. We all enjoyed them very much and have had lots of fun with them.

8 December 2011

2011-12-08T19:59:00.001-06:00

Nut Brown trailed off to bed tonight saying lonesomely, "I can't fall asleep if we don't have dessert..."

2 December 2011

2011-12-02T21:12:00.002-06:00

Nut Brown, last night: What town was Jesus born in? Abraham?

30 Nov 2011

2011-11-30T10:33:00.001-06:00

On Monday, Mr. Brown and the kids wandered up the street on their bikes and found someone at work renovating an old house. He was taking down the chimney. So Mr. Brown and the little people volunteered to assist and spent all afternoon pulling down bricks and trundling them off for disposal. They found a desiccated squirrel carcass, and came home covered in soot. Rose Pink said that she got a warm feeling from assisting our neighbor, and they all enjoyed it very much.

signs of the season

2011-11-29T12:10:00.000-06:00

Nut Brown drew up a letter as well- he asked for a tomato.

27 November 2011

2011-11-27T20:41:00.001-06:00

Busy month this month. We bought a house and moved in and unpacked and tried to figure out how to live in this new space that's going to be home for years to come. Mr. Brown has been busy with home improvement projects and has been so far successful and has learned a lot. He loves our new house.

Also we're expecting a baby next May so there have been the beginning of doctor's visits and hormonal mood swings. Everyone but me thinks it's a girl. I think it's probably a girl too, but I was hoping for a boy. We're taking suggestions for names because so far nothing has sounded right to me. Today I suggested 'Zephyr' to Mr. Brown. He said, is that a boy or a girl name? and I said, it could be either!

For Thanksgiving my brother came up from Chicago and we had a good time with him: riding bikes, going to parks, raking the lawn at 'the cabin' (what Nut Brown calls the rental we just moved out of), and of course cooking (although my brother mostly contributed by washing dishes, which was greatly appreciated). A few other notes:

I say to Nut Brown today, You're getting so big! When did you get so big? and he says, I'm almost an adult!

Tonight at our first Advent celebration for this year, Rose Pink sang her version of 'The Friendly Beasts' to our guests. It's to the tune of 'The Streets of Laredo'. She's a superstar.

Nut Brown, at Family Home Evening a couple weeks ago, struggled to bear his testimony as Mr. Brown was talking about the plan of salvation and the role of our Savior. We waited as he stumbled with his words and finally just said, 'I know... I know... I know that God is TRUE.' It was beautifully sincere statement from our dear little boy who was obviously feeling the Spirit and trying to verbalize.

Our kids both did an excellent job in the Primary Program at church this month. Rose Pink was asked to 'share her testimony of the prophet', and she and I came up with, "I know who President Monson is. He speaks at General Conference. I recognize him by his hair." She was dismayed when people laughed during rehearsals, but when we discussed some other things she could say, and the importance of sharing honest feelings, she went ahead with the original line.

Nut Brown was asked to 'share a time when your prayers were answered'. That's a bit much for a four-year-old, so instead he got to tell a story that had just happened on our trip to the beach, about how he had gotten lost and his mom had said a prayer asking for help to find him, and was given that help. It was a long story with six or seven sentences (I made up a little card for him with picture cues) but he did the whole thing perfectly.

We're going to see my brother in Chicago graduate in two weeks and looking forward to that. I really appreciate at my new job that my supervisors are more flexible with time off. :)

7 November 2011

2011-11-07T10:15:00.000-06:00

Image: Rose Pink's rendering of one of the houses they visited while trick-or-treating. She's the pink person on the left of the door and Nut Brown to the right. This was drawn for Gia (and posted to her) and she drew some for her other grandparents but I was unable to mail them because we have packed the envelopes already in preparation for moving this Saturday!

Last night Rose Pink was deconstructing a dresser on the back porch while Mr. Brown and I raked the back lawn. Mr. Brown noticed that the thin wood of the defunct dresser drawers was perfect for karate chops, and he taught Nut Brown how to break a board, which he did successfully (!). He demonstrated board breaking with his fist, on his head, knee and belly (!). Totally amazing. And I broke one too. Mr. Brown said, "You didn't think it would actually break, did you?" and I admitted that I didn't. But it did! Nut Brown was especially pleased with himself: he's been in a 'little ninjas' karate class through the rec center for the past couple of weeks, and was very happy to discover that he has ninja skills.

6 November 2011

2011-11-06T19:16:00.000-06:00

Nut Brown has been throwing up all day. He hasn't been able to keep anything down, except maybe occasional sips of water. Mr. Brown went to the store to get Powerade for him, and also came home with a two liter of orange soda that he told Nut Brown was his entirely. Nut Brown immediately had two glasses (which he threw up fifteen minutes later) and turned to me and said, This is the best day of my life.

His grandma sent him a letter recently in which she referenced the incident recorded on this blog with the friendly construction equipment operator who let him drive the steam shovel briefly. After having the letter read to him, Nut Brown turned to me with round eyes and said, 'Did that really happen?' I assured him that it was an actual occurrence, and he said, 'Wow!'

5 November 2011

2011-11-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

We've been listening to a Halloween soundtrack and the kids love 'Monster Mash', 'The Flying Purple People Eater', and the Ghostbusters theme, as well as the other songs. I found out that Nut Brown thought that when they shout 'Ghostbusters!' in the song that they're actually saying 'Ghost Butlers!' which is cool in a different kind of way. When Rose Pink and I were trying to decipher what Nut Brown was saying, she came up with 'Ghost Butt Nerds!', which is also very funny. She's very anxious to watch the movie. We told her she has to wait til she's at least eight.

4 November 2011

2011-11-04T12:34:00.000-05:00

Nut Brown has been really interested in letters lately. We've been slowly practicing their names and the sounds they make and lately he's been sounding out words all by himself without prompting. He also thinks that a 'homework' assignment to copy letters is the best thing ever- he's much more interested in coloring, drawing, and fine motor control than his sister, and loves to sit down with a pen and Dr. Seuss's ABC to write the alphabet.

Here is a drawing he produced recently of a pickle on which he has written 'PICKLE', although it is backwards and the letters are also backwards.

Nut Brown keeps referring to the letter 'S' as 'see', because it makes the sound 'sssss', which 'see' starts with. He also calls 'C'... 'see'. I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually: more importantly, he knows what sound they make when you're reading.

La Plage 22-29 Oct

2011-11-03T20:27:00.002-05:00

We spent last week in Clearwater Beach, FL, doing nothing much. We sat on the beach and built sandcastles, we walked along the beach and picked up shells, we laid around the vacation cottage and watched tv, and we swam in the pool. Pretty much that sums it up. It was wonderfully luxuriously lazy, and we had time to spend with each other for seven whole days.

My sister and her husband and most of their kids drove down from Tallahassee and spent the first part of the week with us. It was so lovely to see them and hold her new baby and stay up late talking and watch our kids play together.

Some of the most amazing and special things that happened:

*we saw a dead baby octopus wash up on the beach, a whole specimen

*we built drip castles that spelled out our initials

*we found live conchs and hermit crabs in quasi-tide pools

*we watched the sun come up in the morning, cuddled up on a bench under a blanket on the bay side of the Clearwater island/sandbar

*we put the sun to bed every night on the beach

*Rose Pink actually caught a gecko, which bit her so that she screamed and dropped it.

*Nut Brown showed us how to play 'duck', which involved throwing a ball, running after it, and then diving on to it in the sand

*we hung out with a fisherman on the pier who let the kids handle and throw back the fish he caught

*we saw dolphins porpoising

*we went to a Halloween party at the library. We actually got temporary library cards and checked out some books and movies.

*we (Rose Pink & Nut Brown) threw large quantities of clear blobs of jelly back into the ocean

*we saw jellyfish swimming

*we lost Nut Brown and then we found him again

We came home asking ourselves how soon we could do this again. Our family is closer and happier for the time spent away together.

PS. We wore our Charlie Brown shirts when we were traveling and to the Halloween party. We got lots of comments on how cute we were. Thank you, Joellen!!

20 Oct 2011

2011-10-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

Nut Brown has turned into a super coloring drawing machine lately! His small motor control is very, very good for a four-year-old, and he's extremely interested in putting color on paper. The other night we were talking about rings, and he danced off to draw several pictures with crayons of rings with different arrangements of gems. Here are some done in his best style.

Lion by an orange tree

Whales above the sea


Rocket man (or alien)


Turtle

Batman with embellishments

biking

2011-10-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

Finally, photos of us on our bikes!

Here we are on our way to Rose Pink's Saturday morning musical theater class! Rose Pink looks nervous because she hasn't really been enjoying the class as much as she thought she might, but we have a nice 10 minute ride up to the community center by our house every Saturday morning, and Nut Brown and I play games during her 45 minute class.

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On another day I made everyone stop as we were going out for a family ride.

Nut Brown on his bike (Rose Pink's old one)

Rose Pink riding Skull - she has developed really good bike manners: she watches for cars at intersections, rides by the side of the road, and so on. I'm so proud of her.

The boys going tandem. This is called the 'hitchhiker biker' by the kids, and we use when we're going longer distances to help Nut Brown keep up with the rest of us. He will ride it with 'no feet!' and occasionally with no hands, which gave me a heart attack the first time I saw him do it.

All ready! Come on, Mom!

Where were we going?

Jim's, for ice cream cones. Yum.

Something tells me...

2011-10-18T19:51:00.000-05:00

Nut Brown uses the phrase Something tells me... in places where others might use 'I think...'

Something tells me I need a chair (to reach the jam in the freezer)

Something tells me I need to wash my hands.

Something tells me you forgot to give me a treat.

But he has a little lisp so when he says 'something' it sounds like, 'some-sing'.

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Another favorite phrase lately is 'Move your feet, lose your seat!' which he uses every time I make him get off my lap so I can get up for something.

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We dug out a CD player independent of the computer, and here he is listening to his favorite album: Dinosaur Rock.

19 Oct 2011

2011-10-16T20:26:00.001-05:00

Two days after Rose Pink lost her first tooth, she lost her second, right next to it. So now she has a double-wide gap in the bottom that she likes to stick things in, like straws and licorice and cheese sticks. She pulled this one out herself. Unfortunately, she swallowed the first one, and then this one got misplaced somehow (so sad!). We have no tooth fairy at our house so the disappointment has been purely scientific - nothing to study and analyze.

16 October: dry run Halloween

2011-10-16T20:23:00.000-05:00

We had a dry run for Halloween on Saturday night. The zoo had a Halloween fest called the 'Zoo Boo' and we bought tickets and went. I finished up the kids' costumes that afternoon. Rose Pink had planned to be Catwoman but I couldn't figure out a good way to make her a Catwoman that everyone wouldn't automatically think was just a cat, so I talked her into being a 'pink Batwoman' instead. Nut Brown is Green Lantern: felt hot-glued on black clothes, and a mask and ring Mr. Brown bought them months ago to play with. Rose Pink had a pink Batman shirt (which is where the idea came from) and I made her cape, fuzzy fur belt, and glued more fur on her black boots. She loved it, and I was very pleased with how well it worked out. I'm making a matching Green Lantern costume for Mr. Brown to trick or treat in with the kids. Jessica- I owe you big for showing me that Halloween costumes don't have to be super complicated to be fun.

The Zoo Boo was totally fun. They had it set up very well, where the walk outside looking at jack o'lanterns and animal sculptures made out of painted pumpkins and rebar (awesome!) and collecting candy at treat stations (sponsored by a local grocery chain, oh yes) was punctuated with periodic inside activities (the haunted reptile house! temporary outside shelter for crafts!) We all had a really great time and we may go back next year.

the paper

2011-10-16T19:44:00.004-05:00

Rose Pink loves to read the Sunday comics, which arrive on Friday in our paper. (? yes, really) She takes 'her section' of the paper off and reads it thoroughly and then will ask us for help with the Mini Page on the back. I remember my grandmother saving the Mini Page for us when we would visit. Funny that it's still around and that kids still like it.

20 June 2011

2011-10-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

Our fascination with 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' continues. Rose Pink produced these drawings of Appa and Toph. I put in images from the animated series for comparison.

Appa:

Toph:

Also lately the kids and Mr. Brown have been watching "Batman: The Brave & The Bold", which is a really interesting series of adventures starring the Dark Knight. Lots of superheroness happening at our house lately.

after dinner

2011-10-07T19:07:00.003-05:00

Tonight we had pork and potatoes and roasted green beans for dinner. After dinner, Nut Brown and Rose Pink and I went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. They took turns deciding which way to turn at each corner. Nut Brown is allowed to ride his bike (Rose Pink's old bike) in the street if he 'follows the rules', which means, rides by the curb and watches for cars. He was so pleased to be out and about on his bike that he sang and talked the whole time. He coasts by sticking his legs straight out to the side, which is really cute. At one point he'd fallen really far behind, and when I turned back to see what was holding him up, he had stopped to get off his bike and retrieve a catalog in the street and was riding very slowly one-handed while clutching the catalog to his chest. 'Can I carry that for you, little guy?' I asked him. 'Yes,' he said. 'It's for Rose Pink.' Rose Pink rode circles around Nut Brown and I and paused to gather a handful of leaves to throw at me. She is so good with her bike, good at starting and stopping and watching for cars. It was such a nice evening, it was a real pleasure to be out together.

1 October 2011

2011-10-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had frozen pizza for dinner. I had told Rose Pink at the store that we'd put olives on her cheese pizza but I forgot to buy some. She was disappointed but recovered by slicing some pickles and adding them post-baking.

A yellow ribbon

2011-09-28T19:00:00.001-05:00

So tonight Rose Pink picked out of the songbook, "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon", which is an old song about a girl who wears a yellow ribbon 'for her lover who was far, far away'. I think this is where the tradition of yellow ribbons for soldiers came from back in the nineties. Anyway, Rose Pink is listening and first asks me why she's wearing a yellow ribbon, and then as we get further on in the song she exclaims, "Oh! She's wearing it for her boyfriend? She must think she's a tree!"

28 September 2011

2011-09-28T08:08:00.002-05:00

I started wearing my glow-in-the-dark vest when I ride in this week, because it's dark in the mornings now. Nut Brown got out of bed the other morning when I was just getting out of the shower. He was all bleary-eyed coming into the bathroom so I turned the lights off for him, thinking if I kept it dark he'd go back to bed (it was 6:30 am). He used the toilet and then said to me, You shouldn't be up in the middle of the night, Mom. And then went back to bed!

missing

2011-09-21T13:23:00.001-05:00

From Mr. Brown: How on earth can my little girl be old enough to lose baby teeth. I can still clearly remember losing my own teeth and so this connects us in a way her earlier milestones do not. My mind boggles at the idea that it has been nearly seven years since she was born and changed my life so completely.

16 Sep 2011

2011-09-16T09:11:00.003-05:00

I'm on the phone with Mr. Brown and in the background I can hear Rose Pink and Nut Brown reading our nursery rhyme book together. They're clapping hands to 'Patty Cake' and singing 'Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear", and I can hear Rose Pink reading 'Wheels on the Track' to him. My heart is all tender.

Last night, I watched three boys for another mum from church, and watched Rose Pink lead a game where one of them pretended to be food the others were creating (hot dog, pizza, pie) and then the 'food' got up and ran off while the others chased it. They took turns... this comes from two books we've read: Pete's A Pizza by William Steig and The Runaway Dinner by Allen Ahlberg. They were having an excellent time together.

Then they all went downstairs and Nut Brown wanted to play the game just with me ('but don't tickle me, Mommy!') and then read the nursery rhyme book with me, snuggled in my lap in our pink reading chair. So sweet to be with him.

steam shovel

2011-09-15T20:41:00.004-05:00

The other day my family came and stole me away from work for lunch and there was a piece of large yellow equipment in operation behind the restaurant, so being that we have a small boy we of course stopped to observe. The operator offered to let the kids ride with him in the large yellow equipment and pull levers and push buttons. I couldn't believe our luck. Nut Brown just about died from happiness.

Alas, we did not have a camera. Happily, when we returned the next week, the large yellow equipment was still there, although not operating.

Also, I asked the kids to draw pictures of their experience.

Nut Brown: Rose Pink: please note that she carefully detailed her shiny new shoes.

happy sunday

2011-09-15T20:33:00.004-05:00

gia's visit

2011-09-15T18:22:00.009-05:00

Gia came to visit in early September and

we went to the zoo (Nut Brown is a prairie dog)

read books together visited a new metro park by Lake St. Clair enjoyed dinner at an Indian restaurant shopped at an Indian grocery store Thank you for coming to see us, Gia!

summer

2011-09-06T13:10:00.002-05:00

It seems like each summer has a theme... the summer that Nut Brown was born, the theme was Popsicles on the front porch, and the summer after that it was ice cream in little ramekins on the front porch. Last summer the theme was going places: the zoo, Greenfield Village... This summer the theme has been riding bikes. We have ridden them so many places together. I love it.

6 September 2011

2011-09-06T12:33:00.002-05:00

I started a new job this week. It's the first time in three years that I've had a new job and that feels like a long time. My first week went really well, and I'm confident of my ability to succeed in this new job. So that's all happy. It also promises to have less overtime in September, so I'm looking forward to a more relaxed month than I would have had at my old job.

This weekend we went to two different festivals. Arts, Beats & Eats is in downtown Royal Oak, and we'd heard so much about it we figured we'd go since we could ride our bikes down. Saturday it was really, really hot (mid-nineties) but we went anyway. Looking at all the art for sale was really interesting. The kids were kind of half-heartedly interested until we bought them ice cream.

Monday we drove up to the Peach Festival in Romeo. There were two parades (which is why I picked Monday to attend) but a cold front had come through Saturday night and we weren't prepared for how cold it was (low sixties) and so we went home, put on more jackets, and went back to Arts Beats & Eats. The parade we saw in Romeo was extremely cute: the theme was candy, so we saw a Girl Scout troop dressed as M&Ms, a dance school dressed as Gummi Bears, lots of hershey's kiss costumes, and a group of people dressed as Peeps. Also, Po and Master Shifu on a float associated with a local martial arts school. It was a really great parade. The kids were totally into it but it was too cold to stay for the second parade. Next time, we'll bring more coats and stuff.

We got to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy play at Arts Beats & Eats on Monday night, which is a band that Mr. Brown & I fell in love to when we started dating. So that was totally fun, to dance in the back of the parking lot while they were playing. It was a pretty fun show, but way too short in my opinion. More ice cream and fair food for the kids, who thought the show was boring because their parents were dancing with each other and not with them. (We rode our bikes down to Arts, Beats & Eats both days: this is one of my most favorite things about Royal Oak and where we live: biking to interesting places is totally possible and even encouraged. They had special 'bike parking' set up for the festival.) Although we enjoyed the festival, we spent too much money, so I don't know if we'll go again next year or not. Maybe we'll just avoid the food booths next year. With what we spent on food, we could have actually bought a piece of artwork (and there was some lovely stuff for sale) and then we'd still have something to show for the weekend.

Saturday night there was a tremendous storm when the cold front came through. Nut Brown was sleeping in the basement but started crying in fright when the power went off. We tucked them back in together in their upstairs room (air conditioning doesn't work very well upstairs, which is why they were in the basement) and then the power came back on, and went back off, and then something exploded behind our neighbor two doors down, and the power never came back on. It's still off. Luckily some of our neighbors took our freezer food and some friends from church took our fridge stuff (what we didn't eat immediately) and so now the only problem is hot water for showers. We have a gas stove so cooking hasn't been a problem, but I miss most being able to turn on the lights.

It has been an interesting couple of days as Mr. Brown and I have lost our most expedient escape from our troubles: the computer/internet/computer games. So we've had to do less running away from problems and more addressing them. In some ways this is good and in some ways it is exhausting. I think Mr. Brown has done a better job addressing problems, and I have been putting more energy into running away from them in different ways.

Our phone doesn't work either at the moment, so if we don't return your phone calls please don't be mad. We're thinking it may be a while still before the power company gets to us because it was a really localized outage (our neighbors across the street have power) and they're probably working on the 'low-hanging fruit' of power restoration before they get to small fry like us and the six houses on our block affected by that transformer. Boy, it sure was exciting when it exploded. It turned the sky blue and green and orange.

The other interesting thing about this power outage is that our garage door won't open now because there is a door opener on it. So it better not rain at all this week because I can't get my car out of the garage to drive to work. Luckily we park Flash in the driveway during the summer so he was still available to drive us to church and other places.

We did get to know our neighbors a little better: especially our neighbor across the street. She came over to ask how we were, and told me that her husband died two weeks ago. She is very nice, and we are going to be making friends with her more, I think.

30 August 2011

2011-08-30T07:09:00.002-05:00

Sometimes we have mac'n'cheese for dinner. But sometimes we have fabulous meals that require chopsticks! Last night for dinner Mr. Brown made spinach and sesame salad, a sweet Japanese omelet, and sticky rice. He also got out some kim chee and opened a tin of kippers (no kidding). We sat on the living room floor (one more nice thing about having a card table for the dining room table: it can be lowered) and ate out of our rice bowls with chopsticks (even Nut Brown) while helping ourselves from the accent foods in the middle. It was so fun and adventurous and I loved watching the kids use their chopsticks and enjoy the food. The spinach salad was not a hit with them but Mr. Brown & I loved it. Nut Brown, surprisingly, loved the kippers.

speaking english

2011-08-30T07:04:00.003-05:00

In the last couple months we have listened to the following audiobooks:

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

All have been tremendously popular with Rose Pink. All are by British authors, and were read by Englishmen.

At the park on Sunday afternoon (there is not much that is nicer than riding our bikes to the park together, playing in the sunshine, singing and talking on a perfect afternoon), Rose Pink says suddenly, "Reepicheep didn't get his tail cut off!" (referencing The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)

Mom: You're right- he didn't, did he? I remembered that but I must have remembered it wrong. It must be in a different Narnia book.

Rose Pink: Mooooom... that's not what it's called! It's NAHnia!

Mom: That's what I said... Narnia.

Rose Pink: Not NAAAARRRnia. It's NAAAAHnia. You're saying it wrong.

The funniest bit was the way that she was emphasizing that nasal American 'R' in NAAAARRRnia.

27 August 2011

2011-08-27T13:00:00.002-05:00

We had ice cream cones for dessert for lunch today.

Nut Brown: Mom, look. The ice cream is his hair, and this is his head (top part of cone) and this is his body. --addressing the ice cream cone-- I'm going to eat your hair for dessert.

Mom: Wouldn't that be weird if someone really said that to you?

Rose Pink: 'I'm going to eat your hair for dessert'? Well, if you were an ice cream cone, it wouldn't surprise me.

------------------------------

Nut Brown has decided that 'monkey' is one of his middle names, and introduces himself that way these days. He climbed a tree at the park so far that other, older kids were really impressed with him. He and Rose Pink have been climbing the short cherry and redbud trees in front of our neighbor's house. Rose Pink calls them 'our treehouse'.

22 August 2011

2011-08-22T14:05:00.003-05:00

The kids and I looked forward to the Woodward Dream Cruise all week- we were going to ride our bikes down to 9 Mile in Ferndale and visit Mustang Alley, and then sit out on Woodward and maybe get ice cream and watch the Dream Cruise.

Instead we ended up spending the morning helping friends move out of their house. I'm glad we went because it turned out that we were the only people who did, but I'm still sad about missing the Dream Cruise. There's always next year, right? Except sometimes I feel like there's not always next year and I'd better make sure I get everything in that I can right now.

Last weekend Nut Brown had his long-anticipated 4th birthday party. In the end he decided on a superhero party, so we invited three other little people over (in costume- Nut Brown was Green Lantern) and they colored pictures of superheros, went on a superhero adventure that ended with breaking a pinata, and of course, ate cake and ice cream and played with all the toys that they brought him as gifts.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of photos of the event. Nut Brown felt very special (I think) and is already anticipating his next birthday. Special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, who stayed up late with us the night before to draw scenery and hang balloons for the superhero adventure!! And happy birthday, Nut Brown. We love you!

19 August 2011

2011-08-18T11:45:00.002-05:00

It's Dream Cruise weekend and the streets are starting to fill up with old cars. On Tuesday night we rode our bikes downtown and attended the 'Kids' Cruise'. It was a pretty casual festival with some people singing kids' songs to new rhythms, bouncy houses, city equipment to be climbed on (fire trucks, cherry pickers, a mail truck) and a row of old cars that it's okay for kids to touch. We had a good time. Rose Pink & Nut Brown both climbed the climbing wall from the Parks & Rec and did great. Rose Pink made it all the way to the top of easy, and Nut Brown made it 2/3 of the way up the medium wall.

The weather was beautiful, and the festival was fun, but the best part by far was riding there and back together. Rose Pink just got a new bike (and pink and black plaid affair that she has named 'Skull') and Nut Brown rides on a hitchhiker bike behind Mr. Brown. We ride gently through the neighborhoods under the trees and my heart just wants to burst with love because my family is so wonderful.

6 August 2011

2011-08-06T12:27:00.002-05:00

Nut Brown and I were just making chocolate cookies in the kitchen, and he got the beater to lick. After a couple of rapturous engagements with the dough, he whispered to the beater, 'I want to lick you forever.'

In early July, Nut Brown got the summer buzz cut. Super short, he demanded. After I was done, he ran his hand over his new do and said, 'My head feels like a blanket.'

---------------------------------------

Nut Brown: Dad! How do you count to C?

Mr. Brown: How?

Nut Brown: A, B, C!

30 June 2011

2011-06-30T14:48:00.002-05:00

We've randomly decided to go to Iowa and visit Hugh & Jess for a long 4th of July weekend. We're all excited. We got the kids all excited. Then we asked them where they thought we were going. Rose Pink thought we were going to BJ's house. Nut Brown thought we were going to visit Grandma & Grandpa (which explained why he was saving his Swedish fish for them). They were a little surprised when we clarified where we are actually going, and now excited all over again.

29 June 2011

2011-06-29T09:07:00.004-05:00

This just made me laugh. Getting kids out of the tub the other night- Nut Brown had already been dried and dressed and was hanging out on my lap while Rose Pink finished washing her hair. When she got out she came into the bedroom and Nut Brown exclaimed in a shocked tone of voice, "Rose Pink! I don't want to see your nakedness!" which is only funny because they were naked together in the tub not five minutes before!

Very sadly for me, Nut Brown has lost the tight confiding grip for holding hands that small children have. He's growing up. He doesn't always want to hold my hand any more when we go out. :(

28 Jun 2011

2011-06-28T20:04:00.003-05:00

My parents were here recently visiting for a weekend. Nut Brown yesterday: "I'm going to make a picture of Grandpa because I miss him SO MUCH." Here he is with his portraits of Grandma and Grandpa.

Tonight, getting ready for bed, he gets a cup of water and has an enormous gulping drink. Pulling the cup away from his face, he sighs and says, It's a good thing there's oxygen in here.

24 June 2011

2011-06-24T13:12:00.003-05:00

When my parents were here visiting two weekends ago (hooray for Grandma & Grandpa!), Nut Brown was discussing what happened at church with us at lunch afterwards.

Nut Brown: I got a bracelet too!

Rose Pink: Where is it?

Nut Brown: ... I ... I think I left it at church.

Grandma: Last time I saw it, Nut Brown, it was in your pocket.

Nut Brown: (lights up) digs around in pocket and triumphantly produces said bracelet.

Nut Brown: (digging further) and I have this too! (holds up a thumbtack, with the point towards us) The shield of DEATH!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-18T20:06:00.005-05:00

Happy Father's Day to Mr. Brown! He is such a wonderful man and so good to our children. I love to watch him being tender with them and enjoying them. Today he and Nut Brown had out the pot lids and the plastic swords and were beating artistically on each other.

A couple weeks ago, the kids and I found an enormous bottle of dice at a garage sale and decided to give it to Mr. Brown for Father's Day. He was very surprised and also pleased- there were dice of all sorts in there, all sizes, shapes and colors, including a 30-sided die, which are pretty rare these days. The kids also had a great time playing with them.

I also interviewed the kids to find out how much they knew about their papa.

How old is your daddy? R: I don't know. Thirty-one. N: Five!

What is Daddy's job? R: take care of kids. N: Protect the kids.

What does Daddy like to do? R: work on the computer! N: Drive the car!

Where does Daddy like to go? R: Meijer. and Wal-Mart. N: In the forest.

How are you and Daddy the same? R: We both have blue eyes. And we both like ice cream. N: We both have short hair. I can jump higher than Daddy.

How are you and Daddy different? R: He has wide feet and short hair. N: Daddy's feet are way bigger than mine. And we talk different.

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? R: wrestle! N: play basketball with him.

What is your favorite thing that Daddy cooks? R: spaghetti. N: chicken.

If you could go on a date with Daddy, where would you go? R: to walk around and shop at the mall and buy some things for me! N: To Chuck E. Cheese!!!!!

18 June 2011

2011-06-13T07:28:00.003-05:00

Last night, I suggested to Rose Pink that if she would ride her bike without training wheels to the ice cream shop, I would buy her an ice cream cone. She has been anxious about riding without training wheels, but with the prospect of an ice cream reward she set off, albeit reluctantly. We successfully negotiated the 3/4 mile ride through our residential neighborhood, and enjoyed the ice cream. Mr. Brown and Nut Brown came along, with Nut Brown in the bike trailer. On the way home, Rose Pink told me how much fun it was to ride a bicycle.

This morning, I had to carry some cookies over to a neighbor a few blocks away, and Rose Pink suggested that she and I ride our bikes over. So all of us rode over to the neighbor's house, and then rode to a park about a mile away and played there for awhile. On the way home we stopped at the corner store for cold drinks.

Every time that we mentioned going anywhere, Rose Pink suggested riding our bikes. She said it was lots of fun, and that bikes are even faster than cars! In the late afternoon, she finally won us over again, and we rode our bikes almost two miles to a park that's on my way home from work, and from there a couple blocks over to the Telway, a little bitty diner, and had hamburgers for dinner. It was so much fun to be out and about and to have increased our range so much. Nut Brown was very patient (and slightly bored) in the bike trailer, but it will be fun this summer to ride places together (library! farmer's market! other ice cream store!). Hooray!

2 June 2011

2011-06-01T20:09:00.003-05:00

Nut Brown coordinates his outfits. He came downstairs the other day in an orange sweatshirt and orange shorts and announced, "I'm a carrot!" When he wears red, he tells us that he's an apple.

He drew a cactus in the driveway, and shouted, "NO PAT NO! Don't sit on that!" (Name that Dr. Seuss book.)

Mr. Brown has gone to Dallas for a niece's blessing, so I get to stay home from work til Monday afternoon. I'm so excited by this - the staying home bit. Although it is completely weird to have him gone. Usually it's me that leaves and has to subsist via speakerphone conversations.

sub-urban

2011-06-01T20:00:00.001-05:00

There are quite a few cars on the road here sporting a license plate frame that says, "Make the choice//SUBURBAN". I'm pretty sure that it's from a car dealer around here somewhere, but every time I see it, I want to pump my fist in the air and shout, "Yes! I choose sub-urban!"

1 June 2011

2011-06-01T19:56:00.002-05:00

Last night, reading scriptures, we ran across the word "Gentile". Rose Pink suggested that it was a cousin to 'reptile' but I explained that it usually refers to people who aren't Jews? What are Jews? was the next question. So I went through the rehearsal about Jacob/Israel, and twelve sons, who became twelve tribes or groups, and one of his sons was named Judah, and members of that tribe are called Jews. "Oh," she says. "Are you a Jew?"

"No," I explain, "Daddy and I are members of the tribe of Ephraim, which is a different one of the twelve."

"Hmmm," she says. "Does that mean you're Ephs?"

30 May 2011

2011-05-30T20:32:00.002-05:00

This morning we walked/rode bikes downtown and watched a Memorial Day parade, which was lovely because there were lots of American flags to salute, three marching bands and no candy to fight over. Plus we got to cheer for the Dept of Public Works snowplows, which is truly a cause we can believe in. It was a great parade, and it was even more fun because we got a family walk out of it. We came home and had lunch and I did spring cleaning-like things while Mr. Brown watched Dr. Who and the children played, and then we went swimming for four hours at our friend Tiffany's house, where I got to watch my children positively delight in the water and moving around in it, and also to admire how my husband looks in a swimsuit. It was even hot enough today that I got to swim, too, and enjoy the sunshine. Then we stayed four more hours and made Indian food with Tiffany for her family and it was extremely delicious and tasty, except for the naan biscuits, but what's a biscuit between friends? We drove home down I-696 with the windows down listening to the road noise and feeling the wind in our hair. Nut Brown fell asleep in the car, and it has been a perfectly wonderful day.

27 May 2011

2011-05-26T09:05:00.002-05:00

The last several days it's been rainy and rainy and rainy, and I've had to get rides home from work because I'd ridden my bike in but it was raining to hard to ride home. Yesterday Mr. Brown and the kiddles came to get me. This morning it was cloudy again (but not raining) and Rose Pink warned me at breakfast, "It's supposed to rain today, Mom, so be wise and take the car to work!"

-------------

I love how Nut Brown rests one hand on my wrist while he sits on my lap to read books together.

25 May 2011

2011-05-25T09:34:00.002-05:00

We recently went out for ice cream at a little shop in Ferndale. It makes its own ice cream at the shop, in a variety of interesting flavors. Nut Brown decided on 'PB & Pig', which is peanut butter ice cream with chocolate covered bacon in it. It was surprisingly wonderful. Rose Pink had "Kooky Monster", which was vanilla with cookie dough that had been dyed blue. I tried 'Honey Lavendar' and "Salty Caramel" and ended up with 'Chocolate Overload' or something like that, and all I have to say is that this is what chocolate is supposed to taste like. I think it had fudge chunks in it, and oreo cookies. Yum. Can't wait to go back and try some more!

23 May 2011

2011-05-23T12:29:00.003-05:00

Rose Pink calls dandelion fluffballs 'wishberries'. Also she's decided that butterflies are to be wished on, so whenever she or Nut Brown sees one they race to wish on it. Nut Brown broke off a phone conversation with my parents yesterday to wish on a white butterfly - "I wish for a monster truck that drives on its back!" he shouted randomly, to their confusion.

Nut Brown came down the stairs in an orange shirt and orange shorts and told me that he was a carrot. When he wears all red he tells me that he's an apple.

Speaking of monster trucks, he mentioned at family prayer the other night that when he grows up he's going to get a monster truck for his wife to go to work in.

21 May 2011

2011-05-21T19:52:00.003-05:00

Today we were at a friend's pool and I was watching Rose Pink practice her swimming - she self-propels through the water now, and is completely comfortable getting all wet, and going underwater and so on - Mr. Brown's hard work last summer is definitely paying off. I am super-impressed. And then Nut Brown and I practice pushing off from the edge and he jumps between Mr. Brown and I and then he decides that today is the day that he is going to learn to swim, and he starts swimming between Mr. Brown and I. Back and forth, back and forth, endlessly practicing and yes, there is forward motion, but there is also the courage to leap into water over your head and bicycle pedal your legs until one of your parents finally grabs your flailing arm and pulls you back up. Today was the day. He was amazing. They were both amazing.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-05-16T10:04:00.003-05:00

Happy anniversary to us! We have been in Michigan for a whole year- well, a year and two weeks by the time I'm getting around to writing this. My office at work celebrated by turning off my network access, so I spent my first two days back at work after three weeks off just sitting around daydreaming. Mr. Brown celebrated by taking the kids out to ice cream. Our actual anniversary date is May 5, so I think from now on we should celebrate by going to dinner in Mexican Town, which we haven't explored yet even though we've been here a year.

Here are some of the reasons that we love living in Detroit:

1. Canadian radio stations

2. Indian grocery stores (please note: plural!)

3. Middle Eastern, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Thai & Russian restaurants (to name a few)

4. there's not a major concert tour that doesn't include Detroit

5. the fascination here with cars and car companies

6. the Woodward Dream Cruise!

7. The milder winters

8. the way the city explodes back into life in the spring

9. the Detroit Red Wings (I've decided to be a fan)

10. every driver here sees me on my bike and gives me the right of way.

Look at that, it came out to exactly ten. I'm transcribing a list I wrote up for a friend of mine when I was trying to explain why I'd turned down a job offer in Alabama. While I have been looking diligently for a job there for some time, when I was actually offered one, I discovered that I'm not yet done living in this fabulous city, in spite of Alabama's significant advantages (family, weather, cost of living). Mr. Brown and I decided we'd stay for awhile. There are so many more things we want to do here: visiting Mexican Town is just one of them. I want to make friends with my aunt & uncle in Ann Arbor. I want to make better friends with people I've just started to get to know. I want to go to Canada.

So happy end-of-our-first-year, beginning-of-our-future-here to us! I'm excited to see what we get to do and learn and experience this year!

2 May 2011

2011-05-02T09:44:00.003-05:00

Mr. Brown has a shirt that we all love that is printed in different sorts of chiles. He and Rose Pink have a silly joke where she says to him, "Daddy, you look hot!" and he replies, "Actually, I'm a little chilly!" They do this several times every time he wears the shirt.

Yesterday when Rose Pink came into our bedroom in the morning, she found the shirt and put it on herself. She was strutting around saying, "I'M the big daddy!" when Mr. Brown attempted to feed her the beginning of the joke.

Mr. Brown: Rose Pink, you look hot!

Rose Pink: Actually, I'm a little ... warm. Daddy, I think it should go the other way.

Mr. Brown: Rose Pink, are you a little chilly?

Rose Pink: Actually, I'm just... warm. Daddy, this isn't a funny joke.

Mr. Brown: Maybe not.

26 April 2011

2011-04-25T09:29:00.002-05:00

We have some plastic Oreo cookies that are part of a matching game Gia gave us awhile ago. The kids usually use them as toy food, having correctly identified them as cookies. We were visiting an older couple in our ward a few weeks ago, and they set out a bowl of Oreos for nibbles. Nut Brown came up to me all round-eyed: "Those are just like our play cookies, Mom!" Poor deprived child. He's never had an Oreo to actually eat.

25 April 2011

2011-04-25T09:09:00.002-05:00

Travelling through Denver on our way to SLC, we lost Nut Brown at the gate. Looking around to find him, we discovered that he'd climbed up into one of those electric cars they drive around terminals and was happily playing with the steering wheel. The moving sidewalks in the airports were a source of great amusement for our kids. Nut Brown rode one by hanging on to the moving handrail. Both kids ran against the direction of the sidewalk, or walked backwards at various times.

We had a great time with our friends. It was a very relaxing lay-around-the-house sort of vacation, where we got to lay around someone else's house and just hang out. I'm so glad that our kids get along so well - they had a good time playing together. Happily, these friends have the calmest dog and cat that I've ever seen, and that gave my kids a chance to make friends with two of the most non-threatening animals I've ever met. They're much more at ease with dogs now.

The couple we stayed with has two little girls. Getting ready for church on Sunday, there were hairbows for everyone - including Nut Brown. And on Friday, there was nail polish and manicures for everyone - including Nut Brown. I'm excited to go visit our Iowa City cousins in July, so he can participate in the wrestling dogpiles that are more his style than all this girly stuff.

We had an Easter egg hunt in Utah with our friends, in their yard, and it was lots of fun. The other mom had the idea to put those metallic star stickers on the eggs, a different color for each child, so they would only pick up the eggs intended for them and leave the easy-to-find ones for the two-year-old. It was so fun, and totally worth the $30 I spent on candy and cheap toys.

It was lovely to come back to Michigan, though. We were happily suprised by seventy-degree weather and sunshine when we got off the plane in Detroit, and the roadsides were filled with blooming forsythia bushes. I love forsythia. It was also lovely to go to our ward on Sunday. I appreciate it even more after attending our friends' ward in Utah. It's very diverse, and I love it.

Mr. Brown's Sunday School class had 27 people in it on Sunday. He teaches Gospel Essentials, and usually there are about 15 people in attendance. It's a wonderful class (I'm of course completely unbiased) and there is a steady flow through it of investigators and inactive members. It's super great- I've never been in a ward that had offered such an active, interesting Gospel Essentials class. The 27 people pretty much overwhelmed Mr. Brown, though. It may have just been the fact that it was Easter Sunday, but if this keeps up, he says he's going to ask to split the class. We overfilled the classroom.

Last night we were invited to another home for Easter dinner. We were supposed to bring potatoes, and so Mr. Brown made potato pickle soup, inspired by a Polish restaurant we visited here a couple weeks ago with our Iowa friends. It was completely and totally wonderful, and he was highly praised for it, which he deserved, in spite of the fact that everyone said, "pickle soup?" very dubiously when I told them we'd need bowls set out.

We're headed south this afternoon, to Dayton, OH, for two weeks, for a training class for me. Mr. Brown thinks he's really passing the kidney stone for real this time, so he's drinking Coke today. I told him that kidney stones just love Dept of Defense installations, since that's where we'll be staying, and the last time he passed a huge kidney stone was at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, while I was at a training course. Hopefully the Coke will work it's normal magic and he won't have to actually pass it this time.

Have I mentioned lately that I have the two most wonderful adorable children on the planet living with me? They are sweet and funny and clever, and I love them so much!

13 April 2011

2011-04-13T14:31:00.001-05:00

Mermaid, by Rose Pink.

Next week we're swimming off to Utah to visit some friends. Immediately upon our return, we're off to Dayton, OH, for a training class for me. Should be fun!

Cupboard TARDIS

2011-03-28T19:08:00.003-05:00

The children have discovered a teleportation chamber under the kitchen counter. So far it's taken them to Africa, America, the land of the dinosaurs, and Barbieland.

25 March 2011

2011-03-25T14:29:00.001-05:00

Rose Pink chatted me today, using Mr. Brown's account, using all her own spelling. She is so amazing.

St Patrick's Day

2011-03-20T19:19:00.003-05:00

Kiddos woke us up on Saturday morning a week ago as they were searching in their drawers for green clothing. They've been anticipating the St. Patrick's Day parade here for weeks. Then they came into our room and shouted, Happy St. Patrick's Day! as if it were Christmas.

After all the anticipation, the parade itself was not so great. Definitely below the standards set by the Quad Cities parade. There's a bigger parade in downtown Detroit (this was just the Royal Oak parade) but it was on Sunday.

20 March 2011

2011-03-20T19:14:00.002-05:00

Spring is here!

12 March 2011

2011-03-10T19:29:00.004-06:00

We saved those big pieces of paper that movers use to wrap your stuff in, the ones that weren't too wrinkly, anyway. (We filled six garbage bags with the unsalvageable ones and drew ghost faces on them before setting them out at the curb.) Here kids are occupying themselves with a large expanse of paper and 100 colored markers. Nut Brown has drawn brown and green dragons breathing fire in the corner, two black owls shooting lasers above them, and lava raining from the sky. Rose Pink is working on a very fancy crown.

10 March 2011

2011-03-10T19:24:00.004-06:00

Nut Brown's vocabulary is increasing tremendously. Last night he said, "I'm a super hero! I wave my hand and voila! I can fly!" (He knows the word voila! and how to use it!)

In the car tonight, Rose Pink says, "We're eating dinner at home tonight" and Nut Brown says, "No we're not, polka dot!" and reduces us all to giggles.

9 March 2011

2011-03-10T19:19:00.002-06:00

Because snow is for dancing in. Even when you're on your way to church and your dad is shoveling a path to the car. Snow boots are default footwear, because snow and children in this family are like ducks and water; there's no keeping them apart. Notice she's holding her church shoes in her hand.

8 Mar 2011

2011-03-10T19:14:00.002-06:00

Dear LL Bean and Lands End,

Thank you so much for coordinating your efforts and each sending us a catalog today, on this cold dark stir-crazy rainy day. They were just right for filling in that witching hour right before dinner when everyone is just a little nuts and Mom has had it up to here.

Yours sincerely, Adrian Brown

7 March 2011

2011-03-07T09:21:00.004-06:00

Rose Pink made up her own video game yesterday. Mr. Brown has been playing one called 'Sacred' and Rose Pink came out with the idea of making one called 'Hope'... because you'd have to rescue your sister who's been kidnapped by a monster, and you'd have to HOPE that he hasn't eaten your sister yet. Here are my notes on her creation:

-it's in the style of the Sacred video game (running around killing monsters, collecting treasure, and getting experience points)

-the final boss is the kidnapping monster

-the sister is a twin. They were eight when his sister was captured and now they're twelve.

-secondary boss fights along the way include vampire warthogs, frogs that will suck you while appearing to burp (press A to jump away and escape) and vampire angels wearing ripped black dresses with short sleeves that come down to their knees

-the hero knows karate & has two hooked swords like Jet. Also an axe and a chili pepper gun

-hero's sidekick is named Jet. He's a robot like Astroboy but doesn't have rockets in his feet. Instead he turns into a jet. He shoots missiles and you can ride inside him.

-The monster's lair is in a dormant volcano that's about to erupt when you get there to rescue your sister. Lots of smoking black smoke. You have to hurry and get you sister out and leave the monster there to die.

--------------------

And hooray, it snowed on Saturday, a whole inch and a half. Hello, it's March. What's up with this?? However, people at church assure me that the tremendous amount of snowfall we've had this past month has been highly irregular. It may snow this late sometimes, but it doesn't usually snow as much as it has been. That's a relief. I'm worried about my 200 bulbs rotting where they were planted.

6 March 2011

2011-03-04T10:36:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I came home and Nut Brown was wearing Rose Pink's pants, and Rose Pink was wearing Nut Brown's pants. I didn't ask. Maybe I should have!

fun with markers

2011-03-03T15:02:00.004-06:00

Kids and I had fun with markers the other day. Rose Pink wanted to draw portraits. so I drew her

and she drew me

and Nut Brown drew her too

then we moved on to letters, one of my favorite things

(Rose Pink asked what I do at work. I was explaining how I doodle letters during meetings)

she wanted to try it too

then we moved on to free style

Nut Brown produced the following

and Rose Pink created this masterpiece. One of the clouds is in the shape of cat and has burning meteors for eyes. They fell in just the right place.

5 March 2011

2011-03-03T10:42:00.004-06:00

Mr. Brown and kids just watched the new Karate Kid movie. Mr. Brown really, really liked it. And he says that now the kids are doing just what he remember doing with his younger brother when they first saw the original Karate Kid - karate moves they have invented themselves.

4 March 2011

2011-03-02T11:48:00.004-06:00

Last night, after FHE, kids were sitting on my lap (oh my sweethearts!) eating girl scout cookies for treats (okay, I was eating some too).

Me: Okay! Time for scriptures! Let's go in the nest! (our front room with a couch)

Rose Pink gets up and runs into the nest.

Nut Brown: No!

Me: You can sit on my lap in the nest, too, Nutty. Let's go!

Nut Brown: (stubbornly bracing his feet to make it clear he's not moving) No!

Me: Come on, little dude! We can read together.

Nut Brown: No! I want more cookies!

Who can resist? Held hostage for 'more cookies'. So I promised him cookies for breakfast. Then I forgot the next morning. But that's okay, because he did too.

3 March 2011

2011-03-01T08:18:00.005-06:00

Nut Brown has an invisible friend named John. Last night kiddos were pretending to be Kung Fu Panda characters (Rose Pink was Tigress (I know you saw that coming) and Nut Brown was Tai Lung) and when they needed a sparring partner, Nut Brown offered to call John up from the basement for Rose Pink to practice on. Rose Pink was in complete consensus. Later, Nut Brown announced that his invisible friend John was actually a girl, and s/he was pregnant, so s/he could be Po. I completely love the logic there.

1 March 2011

2011-02-25T20:24:00.003-06:00

They're renovating and redoing our grocery store, and last time we went they were giving out plastic hardhats to the kids. Rose Pink has worn hers for a significant part of the day ever since receiving it. Mr. Brown sighed and said, "I had no idea that there was a construction hat shaped hole in my six-year-old's heart."

28 February 2011

2011-02-25T20:22:00.004-06:00

Mr. Brown lately has been concerned about my backing up skills (or lack thereof) so he decided to put up the bumpers on our driveway.

(Seriously, people - a foot and half of snow in eight days? We are tired of shoveling!)

And you ask, have I had trouble with running into the bumpers?? Um. Yes.

26 February 2011

2011-02-25T20:19:00.003-06:00

Rose Pink has a new friend. For her birthday, Gia brought her an American Girl doll that she has named Kit. For this photo, she has done her best to dress alike. The possibilities for play are endless - she's been spending a lot of time in her room with Kit. Kit is apparently Rose Pink's daughter, which means that I'm the grandma. And Kit has a baby doll sometimes too, which makes me a great-grandma. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Mr. Brown and I are both very pleased and excited with the imaginative play happening with Kit.

roar

2011-02-25T20:17:00.001-06:00

Most favorite shirt of the smallest person in the house. It says, "Nobody's bigger than me!" and when Nut Brown reads it, it's usually accompanied by "RAHR!"

25 February 2011

2011-02-25T20:08:00.002-06:00

Haircut day today for the family! Mr. Brown and Nut Brown were shorn this morning, and Rose Pink and I tried a local place for the first time since we moved here. Her hair was not as short as she wanted it (Mr. Brown was still heartbroken by the amount of hair on the floor of the salon) and mine was shorter than I meant it to be.

two kitties

2011-02-23T20:02:00.005-06:00

I was joined by two wildcats for breakfast the other day. Then we played a wild game of Thomas the Train matching bingo. Train-go.

16 February 2011

2011-02-16T08:38:00.004-06:00

During a discussion last night during dessert about 'good calories' and 'bad calories' (i.e. calories from an apple are better for you than calories from cake) Nut Brown declared that calories from dessert are good for him because they're dinosaur calories!

Ever since Rose Pink's birthday party, Nut Brown has been fully engaged in planning his own birthday party this year. He wavers between a 'dinosaur party' and a 'monster party'. Either way it involves a volcano. He is struggling with his guest list, however. He wants an all boy party, since Rose Pink's was an all girl event. He also really wants to invite his sister and I. Decisions, decisions!

16 February 2011

2011-02-16T08:28:00.002-06:00

As part of a discussion during dessert about 'good calories' and 'bad' calories (i.e., calories from an apple are better for you than calories from cake) Nut Brown announces that calories from cake are good for him because they're dinosaur calories!

Ever since Rose Pink's birthday party, Nut Brown has been busy planning his own. He wavers between a 'dinosaur party' and a 'monster party', but either way there is to be a volcano involved. He also struggles with who to invite: whether or not Rose Pink & I are invited depends on the day. He wants it to be an all boy party like Rose Pink's was all girls, but there's only one little boy his age that he knows.

15 Feburary 2011

2011-02-15T13:45:00.008-06:00

My parents gave me a songbook for Christmas, so our night-time song repertoire has sizeably increased. We started by learning "Blood On The Saddle" and "O Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie" (which seem to be related). Nut Brown often asks me to sing 'doo dah doo dah' (Camptown Races) and lately we've been singing "The Erie Canal" and "The Man On The Flying Trapeze". Did you know Trapeze has five verses? I know them all. The last line is 'and my love he's purloined away'. Nut Brown sang it to me randomly in a store bathroom last week. My three year old! Said 'purloined'!

We had friends over a couple weeks ago and she told me how awesome it was that my children were sung "The Impossible Dream" and "Yellow Submarine" for bedtime songs.

We have found that we will hold Family Home Evening regularly if it involves singing lots of songs. So our whole FHE is composed of singing lots of Primary songs and hymns together, combined with appropriate marching and interpretive dancing, followed by a treat (because that's what really makes it FHE, right? a treat?). We look forward to it all week. I love watching Nut Brown learn the songs. Right now a favorite is "Scripture Power". He and Rose Pink will sing at the top of their lungs. Also they love "Put Your Shoulder To The Wheel". I can't wait for the day that we sing that in church and they belt it out with the congregation.

for my sweetheart

2011-02-14T13:28:00.002-06:00

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling) i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) ee cummings

14 February 2011

2011-02-14T08:13:00.002-06:00

Rose Pink has the hacking coughing yucks at the moment, and woke up in the middle of the night having a paroxysm. I gave her some tylenol for her fever, and then told her she was going to have to have some cough syrup to help her stop coughing and go back to sleep. She resisted, saying that it was YUCKY and she DIDN'T WANT ANY but I insisted, bringing her the medicine in bed. She drank off a dose and chased with a cup of water, and then shouted, "BLAAAARRRRGGH!! IT'S YUCKY! I NEVER WANT TO HAVE IT AGAIN!" I shushed her, as Nut Brown sleeps in the same room, and then kissed her and said, "Well, I hope you get feeling better soon." And Nut Brown, without opening his eyes, said sleepily, "Yeah, because then you'll stop waking me up."

28 January 2011

2011-01-28T08:47:00.002-06:00

Rose Pink got for her birthday a 'draw your own clothes' book, with torso outlines and colored pencils and stencils for the shapes of clothes. She LOVES it. Here are some of her creations (all of which she names, she so reminds me of myself sometimes!). The first is my favorite, because she took the shavings from sharpening her colored pencils and glued them on to make the clothes.

I love the boots. She told me very carefully that even though they look different, they really are a matched pair meant to be worn together.