28 February 2017

Nut Brown spearheaded construction of a tank in the upstairs bedroom.  They built the turret and gun, and created elaborate displays and instrumentation inside as well.  They also built a target for practice.

Then they didn't play with it much, because the fun was all in the building!

25 February 2017

We were up to see our friends the Peers in January.  They will soon be moving when they head out for internships as part of his PhD!  We will be VERY sad when we are far apart.  Our kids play so well together, and so do the adults.

Rose Pink attended YW for the first time in their ward.  Doesn't she look so grown up?

The best faces I could get from them before church on Sunday morning.  I think my kids are totally adorable.

I completely love this little oriental outfit someone gave Rosebud!  Plus it's super warm for the winter.

24 February 2017

Rosebud loves to dress up.  She drapes scarves around her head and neck, and seeks out hats and asks to have them put on.  She dug through the bottom drawer of my dresser and pulled out my silk long underwear top and slung it over her shoulders and toddled around with it for awhile.  So fun to watch her enjoy the smooth fabrics and fun patterns!


She has an annoying habit of pooping right after you lay her down for a nap, so you have to get her back up and change her diaper and then put her back in bed.  I just went in to get her, and she had her boppy over her head and around her shoulders.  Super cute!


She walks around on her knees when she can't be troubled to stand all the way up.  And she also LOVES to be underneath blankets.  Making a tent with a sibling or parent is a recipe for a long fun time.  And Rose Pink just discovered that she likes having water poured over her head in the bath.  This is a first for any of my kids.  But she laughs and chuckles and if you stop, she tries to do it to herself!

23 February 2017

Tonight, reading scripture, Mr. Brown prompted Bobo with his verse (Mosiah 29:33):

Mr. Brown: And many more things...
Bobo: and many more things
Mr. Brown: ... did king Mosiah write unto them...
Bobo: ...did king Asiah write unto them!
Mr. Brown: ... unfolding unto them all their laundry...
Bobo: all their LAUNDRY!

For the rest of the verse, he inserted 'laundry' everywhere, and laughed and laughed.  When he laughs, we all want to laugh.  So we all began adding 'laundry' through the rest of the chapter... it was so funny!  "the disadvantages of having an unrighteous king to do their laundry" and "every man should have an equal chance to do his laundry" and "cast in their voices concerning who should do the laundry" and "to judge the laundry according to the law".  Hysterical.

22 February 2017

Yesterday I was sick with a head cold very much, and Mr. Brown wasn't feeling so great either, and when we got to the end of the day, I said to Rose Pink, "I will pay you five dollars if you help Papa with the dishes," and she got up at once to help.  While they were working on it, I heard Mr. Brown say to her, "Pause helping me for a minute and clear the table - let's do a favor for your mother."  When she came to me later for scripture time/private time, she said, "Mom, you don't have to pay me the five dollars.  It was fun to be with Daddy."

Bobo cleaned the living room to get some more video game time, and I awarded him fifteen minutes.  He said, "YES!" and Nut Brown immediately asked if he could play with him.  Bobo said very adamantly, "NO" and persisted in spite of all Nut Brown's entreaties.  Then Nut Brown gave thanks for dinner, and added a request that "Bobo will enjoy his video game time" and when the prayer was over, Bobo turned to him and said, "Nut Brown, I changed my mind.  I want you to play with me!"  I said quietly, "A little kindness goes a long way."  And Nut Brown said, with a satisfied smile, "It sure does."  I'm so glad that my kids have a whole arsenal of ideas to use to get the things they want.

Tonight, I sat with Bobo at the table while he carefully wrote labels for all the parts of his Ninjago coloring page.  I spelled 'katana' and 'gold' and 'rope' and 'grass' and 'arm' and everything else he could think of.  Then Nut Brown invited him to a joint bath and that's what all the squealing and splashing from the bathroom is.

21 February 2017

The other night Nut Brown asked why the hot water wasn't getting hot for his shower.  He and Bobo had just had haircuts and were getting in to scrub off together.  I love Nut Brown for his patient care of his younger brother.  But the water wasn't getting hot.  I suggested that he turn off the cold water knob and turn on the hot water knob.  "But cold water is always on the left, Mom," he insisted, even as he obeyed.  And then the water turned hot, and he said, "Oh! It's hot!  When did they switch it to the left?"

20 February 2017

Rosebud totally loves taking baths.  She splashes and crawls around.  Her brothers occasionally bathe with her, and she loves that too.  Nut Brown showed her how to hold her hand over the faucet when the water's running to make it spray everywhere and now she does that herself.  She also crawls around the tub and tries to drink the bath water like she's a puppy.  She's so cute. 

reading a book with Rose Pink

19 February 2017

For Valentine's Day, Gia sent the kids a card that they completely loved.  Bobo said, "I want to send Gia a valentine!"  I offered to help him make one, and he said, "I'm going to make one just like this one for her."  He continued to admire it and then said, "I'm going to send this one back to her because I love it so much!"


My parents came to visit last weekend and they took us to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum on Friday, and then bowling on Saturday afternoon.  It was so much fun!  The kids had a great time rolling balls and trying out all the machines.  The bowling alley had a ramp that Bobo used to roll his balls down the alley - he tried out a bunch of different ways of getting the ball started, including head-butting it.  It was a good time for everyone.

18 February 2017

We just had a very unseasonably warm February day - high temp of 61 F.  Plus it was sunny and beautiful - so I spent a good chunk of the afternoon outside.  I actually got enough sunshine for once.  The kids played in the back yard with me and each other and Mr. Brown and I went for a long walk during Bridie's nap.  We walk around and around the block, so the kids can stop us every seven minutes if they need us.  Tonight I took out the recycling and it was a beautiful night, too!  Nut Brown said, "oooh, it's cold outside!"  I said, 'Not nearly as cold as it has been."  He says, "Yeah... it reminds of when it was... February!"  He's so funny.

17 February 2017

If we move to Florida, Rosebud will not remember the snow.

But here she is enjoying it, as much as any one-year-old wearing too many layers to move around comfortably can.

Nut Brown

Nut Brown & Rose Pink

15 February 2017

Rosebud is cute.

At the moment she's decided she's the sole owner of Mama's lap, and will shriek and shove Bobo off if he happens to sit on it where she can see.  Even cuteness has a dark side.

14 February 2017

Rose Pink gave her first talk in church as the youth speaker on Sunday.  She worked hard on it all week, especially Saturday all day, under Mr. Brown's tutelage, and gave an excellent talk about miracles.  Bobo very sweetly prayed for her on Saturday night, and she did a really good job.  It was so fun to watch her working on a new skill, and also taking the opportunity to study the gospel.  She's so awesome!

13 February 2017

Rosebud has a few words - much less than our older daughter at this point.  She can say 'up' and 'hot' and 'bye bye'.  We're working on ''mama" and "papa" and "cup" and "hungry" and some other useful vocalizations.  She also will give you high five!  She does babble a lot, more when she's tired.  Her favorite recurring vocalization is something that sounds like 'ladle ladle ladle ladle'.  She enjoys being tossed in the air, but she is not interested in being tickled at all - it doesn't make her laugh and she just squirms away from you.

12 February 2017

Bobo got Rosebud to wear his Sunday vest while he was supposed to be getting dressed for church.  They both thought this was hilarious!



10 February 2017

Matching ponytails for the girls for church!  We're so cute!

We are ALL so cute!

9 February 2017

Mr. Brown has been losing weight over the last six months, and he's down more than eighty pounds!  Here he is wearing some of Nut Brown's clothes!

He's had to buy several new wardrobes as he's decreased in size.  The last time we went to the thrift store, he came home with a pair of jeans that turned out to be size 12 husky - as in, sized for an overweight 12-year-old boy!!  But they fit him!

8 February 2017

This is what homework looks like at our house.  Bobo is working on his math.



7 February 2017

Rose Pink turned 12 this month! She opted for a 'manicure' birthday party, with the help of a professional who goes to church with us.

She is so excited to be moving into the youth program at church, and so amazing to me to see how mature she is. I'm so glad that she's in our family.

6 Feb 2017

We are using up craft supplies as part of getting ready to move, and I opened up the acrylic paint tubes that I've been saving for 'someday' (why do I do that?) and we painted.  It was a lot of fun to use really nice paint for creativity's sake.  Bobo asked a couple times after if we could do it again - but we used it all up and I'm not buying more at the moment!

The final result:

 

4 February 2017

Nut Brown received a gift card for Pizza Hut for Christmas from his grandparents. He was extremely excited to have an entire pizza all to himself!

1 February 2017

Our friends the Scotts came over to play D&D and we turned on a movie for the kids.  I don't remember why they didn't pull the couch around to watch it, but it was sure cute to see all the kids lined up on a bench!!