State Fair of Texas

In all of Husband's years in Texas, he had never been to the State Fair.  Can you believe that?  So, we took the kids and had a blast.

The kids loved "Little Hands on the Farm."  The each got a basket and some corn kernels.  They feed the sheep and gathered some wool, planted a seed and gathered some vegetables, fed the cows and gathered some milk, and then loaded up their harvest and rode the tractors to the market.  They sold their harvest and got a "dollar" to spend on cookies at the store.  It was such a fun and clever way to show how the things we use and eat every day start and how they become what we use.

They had one of the best model train exhibits I've ever seen,  Hyrum was a fan of that one, for sure.

Sculptures made of butter, fried food, dog shows, and lots of other fun exhibits.  We had a lot of fun.  I love days where we get to be together as a family!

The Little Moments in October

I'm not very good at catching the day to day excitement (or lack thereof) at the Brown house, but here are a few highlights from the month of October.

Hyrum has a love for selfies.

 Grams and Papa sent Hyrum Ring Pops in the mail.  Talk about love.

Hanging with all THREE of my kids! (Baby #3 arriving May 1, 2015) 

 Using the Baptist Church parking lot for bike riding practice every morning.  Thanks!

 Awesome Mohawks

"Quiet Times" that end like this...

Loving my kids, even when they try my patience.  Trying to find ways to stay busy and happy as the temperatures go down...and down...and down.  Loving Texas, even if we miss friends and family in Arizona.  We are definitely in the right place.  Having a husband who loves his job makes all the difference.

Frontiers of Flight

We took advantage of a free offer and went to see the Frontiers of Flight museum near Love Field.  Hyrum was in heaven.  He ran from one plane to the next.  It would have been neat to read and learn a little bit more about each plane, the history of flight, and some important people in aviation, but three year olds are just not into those kinds of details.

Still, it was a fun day and we loved being able to be out as a family!

Little Kickers

Our local community center did a series of sports for kids ages 3-5 at a very reasonable price this fall.  We signed Hyrum right up!  His first sport was soccer.  This was his first organized sport or class and he loved it.  It's always fun to watch 3-5 year olds learn how to listen, follow directions, and learn new skills.  These sports were intended to be an introduction to skills, rather than competitive, so each week they focused on new skills, rather than playing against another team.  

Two thumbs up!

Donut Pirate

We threw a little pirate costume together for Hyrum to go pirate himself some free donuts from Krispy Kreme.  Isn't he the cutest pirate around?  The best part was then he wanted to be a pirate for Halloween and I didn't have to figure out another costume.

Turner Falls and Ardmore Wilderness

All the way back in September, we went on an adventure to Oklahoma with Grandma Brown.  It originally started as a plan to visit Turner Falls.  Turner Falls has swimming holes, hiking trails, and caves.  Plans changed when we arrived and it was raining!  We stopped for lunch and then decided to stop at Arbuckle Wilderness, a drive thru zoo.  It was so fun to have the animals drive right up to the car!  Hyrum thought it was super neat to throw food to them.

 The burros were my favorite.

 The emus and ostriches were a little intimidating.  

We only opened the windows a crack when they came around.

 Hyrum still talks about the zoo in Oklahoma.  He would go back anytime!

By the time we were done at the zoo, the rain had cleared up so we headed over to Turner Falls.  We started off with a little hike.

Husband and I were adventurous and climbed up into one of the caves.  It was cool until I looked to one side and saw that the entire wall was covered in long-legged spiders.  It looked like the entire wall was pulsing as they moved!  Eek!  I backed up real quick until Husband saved me from the wall behind me that was exactly the same!  Blech!!!!

This is the largest waterfall in Oklahoma (77 feet).  It was pretty, but the swimming hole there did not look appetizing.  We found another area where the water seemed to be flowing a little faster.  It was sallow enough in most places for the kids to walk around and explore the freezing water.  Dad and I enjoyed the slides down the way where the water was deeper.  They were speedy slides with quite a drop at the end.

The best part was having the whole place to ourselves, thanks to the rain!

Staying Home

As many of you may know, recently President Barack Obama made the following statement:

"Sometimes, someone, usually mom, leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. And that’s not a choice we want Americans to make."

How sad.  How sad that he feels that way.  How sad for anyone to feel that way.

My response is that maybe there are more moms out there who wish they could stay home with the kids instead of staying in the workplace.  I have certainly met my share.

It makes me grateful for my decision to stay home with my kids and most especially, that I had the freedom to make that choice!  I am grateful for Husband's employment that sufficiently meets our needs.  I am grateful that we consciously make the choice to live within our means over and over again!  I am grateful that Husband supports me in my decision to stay home,  How blessed I am!

                     _________________________________________________________________________________________

Movies on Main: free snow cones, free popcorn, free movie

The mosquito won. 

 Cosmic Kids Yoga - YouTube (look it up!)

 Edible paint fun!

Seriously!  I just love them!  

When I Grow Up

When we moved to Rowlett, I had the opportunity to become visiting teaching companions with an amazing woman.  She has since become a very good friend.  From the very beginning, I told Husband, "When I grow up, I want to be just like Adrienne."  I still think that from time to time.

This morning she called me, "Have you heard about the music class for kids?"

"Yes, but Tony works Monday mornings and we only have the one car so I hadn't really planned on going."

"Can I pick you guys up?"

See what I mean?  That's the kind of friend I want to be!

She's always willing to tote me and the kids around as we go visit teach or join the play group or go to music class.  She tries her darnedest to be a fantastic visiting teacher who is truly concerned for her sisters.  She texts after a big storm to make sure all is well.  She is continually thinking about others and reminding me of the attributes of Christ that I want to develop!

Thank you, Adrienne, for your wonderful example of love and discipleship!

Luna Trip

Every Labor Day weekend, the Gibbons family gathers at the head of the ditch in Luna, New Mexico.  I hadn't thought much about it until my sister mentioned going that weekend.  All of a sudden, all I could think about was how much I wanted to be there.  Husband had to work, but it was only a 12 hour drive.  Surely the kids and I could do that, right?  For two days in the mountains?  With my family? 

I set my mind to it.  We were going.

Husband thought that maybe he should take some time off and go along.  He didn't like the idea of us driving across two states by ourselves.  He was probably right.

I drove most of the way.  Tony can't drive at night if his life depends on it.  He just gets too dang sleepy.  Trouble was, he couldn't sleep while I was driving because every little bump in the road made him jump.  Whenever I swerved to miss a bunny (which was ridiculously often) he would wake up saying, "Are you ok?"  So, when he did drive, I had to stay awake to keep him awake.  Bleh!  It made for a rough drive, but we made it by morning and then of course I was too excited to be there to sleep!

My mom and the kids arrived later that day.  We hadn't told them we were coming, so it was a surprise.  My mom's first response was "You punk!"  I loved just being able to be with her for a short while.  I miss that mother of mine.

The kids had fun playing with my cousins and with Anzlie, the other great-grandchild of the bunch.  There was plenty of dirt, mud, a creek, crawdads, and ring pops (supplied by Grams and Papa, of course).  We ate lots of yummy food, enjoyed cooler weather, and just plain had a good time.  

Now, next year we have to go again for Grams and Papa's 50th anniversary!  Woohoo!  Hooray for a wonderful example of love and dedication to family!