The Little Man

Here's just a cute video of Graham singing. I love it. I especially love how he stops and says "cheese" to the camera because he thinks Jeremy's going to take a picture of him.

Momentous Day, Part two

So I just wrote about the snow on Dec 4th, but something just as important (if not more) happened that very same day. My mom, who I've been begging to get her ears pierced for years, finally did the deed. She's always said that she doesn't want to bother with earrings, but out of the blue she announced that she thought she'd finally get her ears pierced. So at the age of ___ she and I went out in the snow to Claire's, the pre-teen heaven, and sat in the brightly colored store while a lady with no sense of humor at all pierced mom's ears. I couldn't believe it was really happening after all these years.

Showing her idea to prove that she is indeed over 18!

It's hard to see, yes I know, but there are little cubic zirconia in those ears.

Winter Wonderland, Houston Style

December 4th was a momentous day for us. It snowed in Houston. Real snow. We don't own mittens or gloves (because we live in Houston, duh) so we all had numb hands as we frolicked in our winter wonderland. Jeremy suited up,

Marin checked the weather,

And we headed outside!

Even Grammy was in town to enjoy our unusual weather.

In-law feud? I'm not sure.

Work, shmerk, it's snowing!

Sickies

Marin and Graham have both had Swine Flu in the last week and it has reminded me of something I really like about having sick kids. Ok, so there are lots of not-so-nice things about sick kids (barf, etc.) but I just love how sweet they are when they feel bad. There's no talking back, no whining, no fighting between siblings. Just a sweet, snuggly kid who wants hugs and love. I love that.
So Aunt Corey was here over Thanksgiving and took some pics of us outside (yes, Graham was sick while we were taking pics). I'll soon post some of them because there were lots of cute ones. Santa, can I get a super expensive camera for Christmas so my pics look like Corey's?

Halloween, Finally!

Halloween was on a Saturday this year, which was fun. We started the festivities by carving pumpkins with Marin's friend Audrey. The girls carefully drew out their jack-o-lantern face options and then chose their favorites. Graham snacked on apples and tried to grab the knife.

Don't be deceived, the girls only scraped the pumpkins for a second and the moms slaved away for the next 20 minutes to get all that junk out. Then we baked the seeds and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. Ok, not really, but it's a fun thought.

By 5:00 costumes were on and we were headed for our neighborhood Halloween parade. I'm still not sure why I've bothered to go for the last 2 years. It's pretty much a mob of kids and parents that walk around the block following a fire engine. No really, it's a mob. I mean hundreds of people! And this year the fire engine couldn't even be there so we walked behind a police car. It was fun, really. Actually, I'm not sure.
I did have fun watching my cowboy and cowgirl though. Their cuteness was overwhelming.

Audrey and Marin enjoyed walking together and after our stroll around the block we let them do some trick-or-treating.

Graham got candy from the world's largest whoopie cushion...

and was quickly done with the trick-or-treating. After hitting a few houses he realized that he didn't need any more candy, he just needed someone to open what he already had so he could start eating. He would hold up a piece of candy and walk up to the nearest adult (even strangers) and plead with them to open the package.
All I need is a seat and a lollipop. Halloween heaven.

And just like that, it was over. I was the saddest of all.

The Mind of a Little Girl

Marin: Where are you going?

Me: I'm going to teach ballet.

Marin: Are you going to the Little Girl Nutcracker Ballet?

Me: No. Where did you hear about the Little Girl Nutcracker Ballet?

Marin: In 1 John 3:18. And when you go, you'll get glitter and diamonds and jewels from the fairies.

Pop Goes the Weasel

Grammy's birthday package for Graham finally arrived and in it was this great Jack in the Box that he is thoroughly enjoying...

It's October - that means Pumpkins!

We went to our local nursery and decorated pumpkins today. I do believe I've passed on my pumpkin obsession to my kids.

Marin made sure no one was stealing her ideas

And Graham just hung out.

They made funny faces,

Got tired,

And went home happy!

First Day of School

Well, I tried desperately to get Marin to look at the camera. I mean, it's her first day of pre-school so she has to have good pictures! Oh well.

Marin is loving school, which I knew she would with her independent little self. The week before school started we went to the open house to meet her teacher and check out her new classroom. Marin had so much fun playing in the room that she looked at me and said, "Mom, when are you going to leave me at school?" AKA, "Mom will you please leave so I can have fun here with all these toys and my new friends." Don't shed any tears for me, I'm used to the "see ya mom" look I get from her when I drop her off at church.

My little girl is growing up and I just love her. I am so thankful for you Marin and couldn't image a better daughter.

Some Birthday Videos

I forgot these videos from Graham's party. Evidently Graham thinks he turned 5.

Granimal Turns 2!

Well my baby isn't really a baby anymore (tear). He's an adorable, playful, energetic ball of boyness and now he's 2! I'm just in love with the little guy despite his destructive tendencies and his ultra picky appetite. My new favorite thing is that he points to any and very truck he sees and says, "Choo choo truck". He seems to have his trains and his trucks mixed up, but hey does it really matter?
So here are some pictures from his party at my in-laws house...

"Look Dad, I made a reverse mohawk on my cupcake"

"Oh me, oh my, it took turning 2 for me to finally get some manly PJs." I should be ashamed that Graham wears Marin's old PJs to bed most nights (but I'm not).

Ballet class

Marin has been super excited about ballet class and she loves going although she doesn't pay much attention to her teacher and prefers her own ADD-ish routine. She's not a sit-still-and-be-quiet child, that's for sure. And there's not a shy bone in her body. I was thinking that she would want to be teacher's pet, like me, and get all the gold stars and be the best at everything. Yeah, not so much.

Growing Up

It's been hitting me lately that my kids are really growing up! Graham is no longer my little baby boy. He's now a 2 year old, a real 2 year old. I can't believe it. And Marin, well she started ballet classes last week and she starts school next week. It's really mind blowing to me. I have to say that I really like her age right now. She's eager to help because she loves the praise she gets from it and hey, I like the help. She'll get diapers for Graham and bring up the dishes. I'm just soaking it up because I know soon enough I'll be getting the "Get lost mom" look when I ask her for favors. And she says the funniest things. The other night Jeremy was sharing some of the sales techniques he's been learning and Marin (looking exasperated and falling off the couch) says, "Don't sell to me Daddy." The way she said it was just hilarious.

Here is a picture that I took at 11pm. I was making my nightly rounds to check on the kids and I came across this when I went to her room. I guess her room was too dark for her and she wanted to be near the light that was coming from the hallway.

The girl needs very little sleep and plays in her room long after bedtime until she finally falls asleep somewhere. This was the strangest place I've found her though.

Beach Days

We've had lots of weekend adventures recently. Jeremy and I went on a marriage retreat last weekend and left the kiddos with his parents. When Jeremy was dropping them off Marin said to him, "Graham is going to miss you, but I'm not going to." And sure enough, she didn't.
The weekend before that, we went to North Padre with his parents. So I can say for the record that it is nicer than Galveston but Graham, Bill and I all had tar on the bottom of our feet at one point or another - draw your own conclusion. Marin absolutely loved loved loved the water and wasn't at all afraid, unlike her brother who stayed safely on the sand the whole time.

God made the...

This video speaks for itself. I just love it.

ABCs

My friend Mariana has been nice enough to plan little alphabet lessons for our daughters. Audrey and Marin have a lot of fun with it and let's face it, the moms have fun too. Well at least I do, seeing as how I just show up at her house and she has everything ready to go. Give the girl some props!

Is this normal?

Uncle Andy has been training Graham in the ways of the Wetherell men. I'm not really sure what I think about this.

And the great thing is that he clobbers me at the end.

Mini Sooger Boogers

You know that horrible, deplorable Jack In The Box commercial for mini sirloin burgers? Marin has been walking around saying...

Funny Sayings

So Marin is always saying funny things (I know every child her age does but it always seems funnier when it comes from your own kid). I forget them almost immediately but here are a few I've managed to remember...

Saying #1

Marin had been told on more than one occasion that she's not allowed to get into Grammy's tasty lip gloss. So Marin strolls into the room looking guilty and says, "I didn't get into Grammy's lip gloss. Don't smell my lips."


Saying #2

Grammy: Are you telling me the truth Marin?

Marin: I'm not lying. I'm guilty.


Saying #3


So I was trying to have a teachable moment with Marin. You see, my wedding ring had been lost for over a week and I had just found it in this basket in the guest bathroom. So here I am telling Marin how God had answered my prayers and how I finally found my ring in the basket. She laughed and said, "I know, I put it there."

She thought it was so great that God had allowed me to find the ring that she had hidden. Good thing she didn't put it in some obscure bag that I had thrown away!

Saying #4

Ok, this isn't a saying at all, it's a doing. Graham knows that he's not supposed to bang his fork (or anything else) on his highchair tray. So, he was joyfully disobeying tonight and as his fork crashed down on the tray, a cheerio went flying in the air and dropped right down Corey's (his aunt) shirt as she was eating dinner at our table. It was really funny, but maybe you had to be there.

Men over 30

We went to the Children's Museum last weekend for a birthday party and I thought Marin was going to have so much fun. Well, she did, but someone else had even more fun. They need a section of the museum dedicated to men over 30. Seriously. I kept telling Jeremy that it was time to go up to the party room because lunch was waiting and I found that I kept repeating myself because he just couldn't be torn away from his creation (you make this flying contraption and then stick it in the wind tunnel to see how well it flies). Good times.

And now to the real kids...

Pat on the Back

I was giving myself a pat on the back today because Marin was behaving so well and I was sure it was because of my good parenting. When Jeremy got home I told him all about how sweet and polite she had been. It seemed that some real progress had been made. Well, it turns out that it wasn't progress, it was a guilty conscience. Better win mom's favor with good behavior so she doesn't explode when she finds out what you did. As we were putting them to bed Graham started gagging on something in Marin's room and I was afraid he was going to puke everywhere. I would gag too if I was chewing on POOP! Marin had left a pretty little pile-o-poop in her room (I think she did it when she was supposed to be napping) and Graham found it. I think that's the second time Graham has eaten poop.
So, a word of wisdom...If your child is on especially good behavior, don't pat yourself on the back, look for the poop.

Graham...

After blogging about Marin, it occurred to me that I really must document Graham's life right now since he's in such a boy stage (I say this knowing that he may stay in this stage forever). Jeremy looks proudly at his son and says, "He just has a lot of testosterone." Well, that testosterone is destroying my house and physically abusing me. We started calling him Your Highness after he began beating me when I got him out of his bed and didn't immediately have a bottle ready for him. Don't get me wrong, he's still the apple of my eye and quite possibly the cutest little guy on the planet. But despite what others had warned me about boys, I still wasn't prepared for the hitting, throwing and other acts of violence that he employs throughout the day. And now that he's getting bigger, he's even a threat to Marin. Well honestly, she deserves it.
I understand now why men are sent off to war and why men do the heavy lifting. Graham's just doing what God made him to do. I just need to figure out a way to channel his manliness. Three cheers for boys!

Look Auntie Mel, I'm pumping my legs!

Marin has long refused to pump her legs and I've never known if she just couldn't figure out how to do it or if she was just refusing to try. Whenever I would try to teach her she firmly resisted, saying that she didn't know how and begging me to push her. "Higher, Higher" she would yell as I pushed and pushed, my arms growing tired, but not so tired that I would refuse her the joy of swinging.
Well her Auntie Mel is visiting this weekend and the two of them went in the backyard for a late night swing. I went out and spied on them as they watched their shadows and looked at the stars. And then they hopped back on the swings and Marin did a little push off the ground and started swinging all by herself as if she'd been doing it for years. "Look Auntie Mel, I'm pumping my legs" she said as they swung together.
I almost fell over. I couldn't decide if I was proud of her or mad at her for fooling me for so long. She is a stubborn one so I shouldn't be so surprised. It's a commentary on human nature, I say.
So, here's to tricky little princesses!

Life Goes On

Yes, life does indeed go on whether or not you're blogging. That would be a "not" in my case. Our computer has been broken for about a month, which doesn't help. We've had job loss and flooding and all sorts of interesting things going on in the Wetherell home. Fortunately the kids are oblivious to the drama and just continue on with their adorable selves. Some days I just stare at them in amazement because I can't believe how big and smart they're getting. Marin says the most hilarious things and is still pushing the limits as much as she can. And Graham is so "boy" it's ridiculous. His physicality is destroying my house (and sometimes causing personal injury) and the laid back personality I thought he had is proving not to be so laid back. So, without much ado, tweedledee and tweedledum welcome you back...

Marin wants to know if anyone else is obsessed with eyebrows like she is.

I check on the kids every night before going to bed (one of my quirky mom things) and I found Marin asleep with marker all over her eyebrows. She can't get enough.

Graham still has a shoe obsession

But even shoes come in second to balls...

Chuck E. Cheese, Really?

I never thought I would say it, but I took my daughter to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday. And it really wasn't bad. In fact, it was easy on me, fun for the kids and not too crowded. I'm a fan. The poor Chuck E Cheese man was swarmed with kids trying to hug him to no end. He tried several times to wave goodbye and walk away, but that didn't disuade the kids one bit. They wouldn't let him leave.

We had a small party with just a few friends and it was really fun. Marin even got her purple cupcakes with snakes on them. For those who haven't heard, she started saying around Christmas time that she wanted purple cupcakes with snakes on them for her birthday. Who knows where she came up with that idea but it was stuck in her head for a month so I felt like I really had to do it. A little food coloring and some gummy worms did the trick.

Here's the, "blank stare with a hint of a smile" that Marin gets when she's on a fun overload.

Blowing out candles on the purple cupcakes with snakes on them.

And Graham, well he's always up for a party!

Even the big kids had fun.

I Don't Love My Family

I am always amazed at how my little ones are growing up and discovering new things every day. Last night was rough for poor Marin and after being disciplined she said through tears, "I don't love you mommy." Gulp. It wasn't like she was being mean, she just really had hurt feelings and was upset with me and all she knew to say was, "I don't love you mommy." She said it over and over through tears and even said that she didn't love her family anymore. I know her well enough to know not to take it personally, but it was still sad because she was really hurt and was trying to express her feelings. I can't put my finger on it, but there was just something about it that showed she was getting older and figuring things out.

After going to her room to think it all over she came back (15 minutes later) and said, still in tears, "I really do love you mommy and I do love my family" and then she gave me a huge hug. I just told her that I always love her, even when she gets in trouble, and she and I had a wonderful bonding time. It was truly one of the sweetest times I've ever had with her and I'm thankful to God for it. My little girl, in all her 3-year-old emotions, is growing up, figuring out life and melting my heart.

I've Fallen Off The Blog Wagon

When you struggle to remember your blogger password, you know you've fallen off the blog wagon. But here's my attempt to hop back on. I never did post pics of Christmas in California, so...

The Graham Meister welcomes you all to view the California happiness.

It was freezin' beezin' while we were there and one morning Jeremy took the kids on a walk to the local Starbucks in the sub-zero weather. There's just something cute about kids when they're all bundled up.

On Christmas Eve we all got jammies (as is the tradition) but Jeremy got beef jerky instead (he doesn't wear jammies and would much rather have jerky). Oh the joy. Even Graham tested his manliness against the hot and spicy strips.

We saw uncle Andrew and got to hang out a bit (kid free) which was fun

Had a slumber party with the cousins (which resulted in very little sleep for all of us)

And Marin got Tinkerbell, her favorite present by far. She ran in circles around the house singing, "Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell all the way." Here's a video of her at least an hour after getting Tinkerbell and yes, she's still singing about it.

So many other stories but alas, Christmas was 6 weeks ago and it's time to move on.

Tales of Christmas Past

"Gee whiz, Christmas sure is swell"

Graham and Marin had a blast this Christmas. We celebrated with Jeremy's family a few days early and the kids got more presents than they knew what to do with. Graham was up to his usual antics...

as were the brothers

and Auntie Mel brought gifts from a far off land (The Netherlands).

Marin even got her very own car

although Graham thinks it's his.

Through The Years with My Little Pony

Marin sadly looked up at me tonight and said, "Christmas is over at our house." We took down the last of the decorations and it is finally sinking in that yes, Christmas is indeed over. Sad.

I promise I will post some yuletide pics soon, but for now, a commentary on My Little Pony. While in California, my mom pulled out a pony that I used to play with back in the day and we couldn't help but notice how different it was from a modern day pony (I would know because Marin has a whole collection).

It's interesting that even this toy has followed some of the style trends and morphed into the mold of modern beauty. So, without much ado...

My pony

Marin's Pony

Notice the curved matronly lines of the elder pony compared to the trim, sleek and dare I say sassy lines of the youngster. Marin's pony looks like she does pilates and yoga (as evidenced by the reduced size of her behind). She also sports highlights, legs that flare at the bottom, larger more defined eyes and I'm sure she's had a "lifestyle lift". No double chins here. She's a looker (by our modern standards of course). So here's to all the My Little Ponies of the past, present and future!

I'm Teaching My Ballet

We have this noise maker that plays a few classical songs (it came with my pack-and-play) and Marin has been carrying it around in her purse, turning on the music and saying, "I'm teaching my ballet" while she dances around. She even brought it to the park. You can't see it but the purse with the "music" is on that bench.

I know, it looks like tai chi.

You can tell that this was a few weeks ago because she's in short sleeves which is a thing of the past. It even snowed in Houston last week. That's right, snowed!

I Forgot

So, I'm not really sure how I forgot, but I did. Aunt Corey treated Marin to her first ever manicure (ok, she just got her nails painted) and I totally forgot to blog about it. And to top it off Corey got her new sunglasses and a bracelet from Gymboree. I'm kind of feeling sad that I missed it all. It was like a mommy - daughter date except that the mommy wasn't there :(

Ok, I'm over it.

We also thought it would be cute to put Corey's scarf on Graham's head. I should take him on the plane like this to see if they're doing baby profiling. Corey also took this pic of Marin which is one of my favorites now. She's stargazing, aahhh.

The X List

We recently tried to take a Christmas picture of the 4 of us for our cards, but after exhausting the kids' (and Jeremy's) patience, we just went with a pic of the 2 kids. Here are the honorable mentions though...

Candy Cane Lane

So, our church has this children's Christmas bonanza every December and Marin and I went today. She got to decorate a cookie, pet the animals (including the hugest camel EVER) and ride on some scary carnival-looking rides. I say scary only because they looked like they might just fall apart at any minute. I think someone sautered some metal together, spray painted it and tried to pass it off as a real ride. Ok, Ok, I'm really not complaining because the whole thing was free, I'd just like to say that I'm glad we're all still alive. Three cheers for the church carnival. To give credit where it's due, our church is super generous with the whole "candy cane lane" event and it's tons of fun for the kids. enough said.

So here is Marin enjoying a pony ride and the swings (that spun them around backward???).

Marin Singing & Potty Time

I just have to say that I think this is Jeremy's first ever blog entry...


Marin was singing (Cebu is from Veggie Tales) and Graham was clapping. Then she realized she had to go potty. The look on her face is classic.

Fun Attack

So our neighbors were kind enough to give us their old play set. They even helped disassemble it and reassemble it in our yard. It is a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down, but it's still sturdy and works just fine. The kids were only slightly excited about it...

Ok, they're really excited about it.

Christmas Is About Giving Right?

Ok, so we were at Costco tonight and we bought a present for Marin's cousin there. Marin really wanted the toy so I tried to seize the moment to explain that it was a gift and that Christmas is about giving to others because God gave us Jesus. However I realized that as I was proudly passing down these deep truths, Marin, who had not stopped saying, "It's Mine," had increased the volume and was now yelling, "IT'S MINE IT'S MINE" over and over again. So much for, "Yes mother, you're right, it is better to give than to receive."

Grrr - A tribute to Graham

"Grrr" is only one of the noises that the Granimal makes. He's becoming quite proficient in his own growling language. And his boy side is coming out more and more every day. He's going to be one of those rough and tumble kind of kids, I can tell. Almost every day he adds another bruise to his poor head and if an opportunity to climb presents itself, he jumps. Grammy visited us this last week and was kind enough to get us some light fixtures (which we badly needed). While we were putting up the ceiling fan, he started climbing up the ladder. Just look at his mouth - you know he's going, "Grrr."

So, here are some things that I love about Graham...

He'll lay his head on you and snuggle

He tolerates abuse from his sister extremely well

He is so fun to tickle and play with

You can tell he's going to be a sweet guy (like his dad)

And last buy not least, he's just so darn cute!

Three cheers for Graham!!!

Trick-Or-Treat

Ok, Grammy taught Marin the word "Thief". As in, Mommy's a thief for stealing your Halloween candy. How much candy does a 2 year old need anyway? By the way, I didn't steal all her candy. Some of it I gave away to trick-or-treaters who came to our door after I had run out.

Anyway, she had fun cleaning out her first pumpkin and watching mommy carve it (which is much harder than I remember).

In true Granimal fashion, Graham immediately ripped off his tiger hat which left him looking less like a tiger and more like a boy in striped pajamas. Oh well. Here he is ripping it off.

We went to our neighborhood's Halloween parade where we marched around the block behind a firetruck. It was out of control and super crowded. We couldn't even see the firetruck. Marin's friend Audrey was there to share in the fun. I've been saying for a year that Marin has to be a marathon runner for Halloween in honor of her running-mania. It's just fitting.

I don't know if you can see it, but the girls are staring at the boy dressed like a hunter and holding a RIFLE. No one's running for their life. The parents are probably saying, "Oh, look at Tommy and his adorable costume." Only in Texas.

We're Here

We finally moved into the new house a few weeks ago and we're slowly (and I mean slowly) getting settled in. We are loving our new neighborhood and our neighbors and we laugh about the things that we're NOT going to miss about our old neighborhood, like the annual Halloween horror across the street. Would you really want Satan overseeing your house one month out of the year?

Fortunately Marin called him Spiderman and we laughed about how Spiderman was on the roof. We're also not going to miss the crazy screaming family a few houses over, the tejano music blasting at midnight and the frequent bangs from our nearby factory (or whatever it was). But most of all we're not going to miss having only 2 bedrooms. Our poor son now has his own room and will no longer be wheeled around in his pack-and-play in the middle of the night. The kids are loving getting to play outside more, especially Graham who darts for the door the minute it opens. He sure is a boy - eating dirt, destroying whatever he can get his hands on, climbing on everything. And Marin is excited about her new pink bedroom. She says, "Pink, I love pink!" We are so thankful for our new house and as I start to get discouraged about all the work it needs, I remind myself that I really do love it here and that God gave us this house, not the one next door, this one. That's good enough for me. Here's the dynamic duo, hammers in hand.

Back Home, Kind Of

We made it back home last weekend after our power was restored! Woo Hoo! It's a little strange though because we moved back in but we couldn't help but think that we were going to be moving out for good in 2 weeks. What a time of transition and change as we continue trusting God for every next step. There has been a lot going on in the Wetherell household, too much to mention, but here are a few events from these last few weeks (not including Ike - he already got his own blog entry).
So, I've known that Marin would probably cut her own hair one of these days although I didn't expect it to be so soon. She was so excited when she ran up to me and exclaimed, "Mommy I cut my hair, it's sooooo pretty." I'm not sure pretty is the word I would have chosen...maybe crooked. The great thing about curly hair is that it hides these incidents pretty well and after persuading her that mommy needed to fix her hair and make it even prettier (by cutting off tons on the other side of her head), it was looking much better (and shorter). Hey, a little lopsided is better than super lopsided right? Here's just some of the damage.

While we were without power we took a trip to Jasper to see Andy and Corey and it was a lot of fun, especially for Jeremy who went golfing with Andy every day. Their house backs up to a golf course and the whole area is really amazingly beautiful. This part of east Texas is heavily wooded and really green. Here's Jeremy explaining the finer points of golf to Marin. He also tells her not to play in the sand trap.

She doesn't listen.

We all had fun riding around in the golf cart and Corey taught Marin how to drive - kind of. And then there's the Granimal. He just did his normal Graham-things. Chillin' in the hammock, breathing fire, the usual.

He is walking everywhere and getting into everything. It was probably a month (at least) from the time Marin took her first steps to the time she started walking on a regular basis. It took Graham about 3 days to cross that bridge and he hasn't looked back. They are just so different. What a super sweetie he is. And so cute I can hardly handle it.

And ok, last but not least, here is Marin after falling on her face. The only reason I post this is because I keep waiting for the perfect time to take them for pictures. Well, it has turned into quite a wait because Marin always has some sort of facial wound/scab/bug bite gone wrong/thing she's been picking at for a month that's now a scar. I keep wondering what's next. Poor Marin.

And on the much cuter side, did I mention that she wears the nightgown that I used to wear when I was her age? I love love love it.

Hurricane Ike Take A Hike!

So I'm not sure I want to be in town next time a hurricane comes through. We didn't sleep a wink on Thursday night as we watched the unbelievable out our windows (although the kids amazingly slept through the whole thing). There's nothing like watching the trunks of your enormous pine trees sway back and forth in the wind or like the sound of branches falling on your roof as you pray that nothing huge falls on you. Fortunately we didn't have any serious damage done to our current house and our new house had some roof damage but it was minimal. We are thankful to God for keeping us safe through the incredible storm and for allowing us to stay with Jeremy's parents afterward. They are some of the select few who have electricity right now. We feel for all the people who are leaving town right now because they have no power and are running out of food because the stores are either closed or empty.
I thought we would post some pictures of what we encountered after the storm. It really was like we were transported to another planet. Both our old and new houses are in heavily treed areas and all the yards are covered in branches and downed trees. It is an incredible sight. As we scoped out the neighborhood we were amazed at how many downed trees there were but how very few of them had fallen on houses. It seemed gracious of God to spare so many people's homes. Please pray for our city as we slowly recover from all the damage.

Before and After

Ok, I should have just called it "before" because we're still a ways off from "after". Our house is going to make for great before and after pictures in the end because it was such a mess to begin with. For your enjoyment here are a few pics. There were 3 confirmed layers of wallpaper on this wall and possibly 4. Steph and I worked for hours to get a quarter of this wall done so we gave up and brought in the pros.

Does anyone want to freshen up in the restroom?

Yes these cabinets really did come down much to my elation.
Here's Steph "Take it to the Next Level" Thibodeaux who made sure no one went hungry or thirsty.

And Josh deserves props for ALL that he has helped us with.

Thirty year old brown carpet anyone?

Here's to borders!

Where have we been?

Ok, it has been over a month since I've blogged and I promise I have a good excuse...We're moving! So, here's the rundown :

The offer we made months ago on a house was finally accepted and we moved into full gear to get our house on the market. We cleaned like crazy and moved out before anyone (Marin or Graham) could destroy anything and landed with our oh-so-generous family. Josh and Steph were kind enough to let us stay with them for a week and a half until we had a contract on our house. I can't imagine what it would have been like to try to keep my house looking perfect while living there. I know people do it, I'm just not sure how. So Marin got to take advantage of "Resort Thibodeaux" (swimming, eating powdered donuts for breakfast, access to all of Kaitlyn's toys).

All joking aside, it was an extremely stressful time for us. We were buying a new house without having sold our old one, which most would say isn't the best idea. But we felt the time was right so we went for it - kinda crazy considering my non-risky self. I felt like barfing for a week straight but kept pressing forward. It has been God's grace (really) that has helped me through each day and continues to help me now that we're remodeling our new house and still waiting to close on our old one. There has been issue after issue with the new house because it is old but we're staying thankful to God and trusting that once we get all the problems fixed, our new house is going to be a great place to live. We really are thankful for it. It's in the neighborhood that we really wanted to live in and it's big enough for us to stay in for quite awhile.

Anyway, once we left "Resort Thibodeaux" and returned home, the kids were back to their old antics...playing in the cabinets together and other destructive activities.

Late Night Thoughts

I was just thinking about how fortunate I am to have my two kiddos. It's amazing how their behavior can drive you nuts one minute and have you laughing the next. God knows you need the slobbery kisses and hilarious comments to make it through all the tantrums and messes. Graham does this adorable thing sometimes where he looks at me and raises his eyebrows - it's just the cutest thing. I wonder if he'll have Jeremy's ability to move his eyebrows in strange ways???? He has been sleeping little, crying a lot and biting me (yes, I'm still nursing!) but then he'll give me the eyebrows or some other adorable face and I'll remember that I'm still in love with this bald, fat little man.
I mentioned in passing that Christmas was going to be so fun for Marin this year and for days now she's been telling me that she wants to go to Christmas (like it's somewhere we can go). It is so cute. And yes she's still talking about Rosie and how she gave Rosie a hug when we went on our trip (to the museum). Then she'll throw in that Rosie is just like Barney.

Hairball

Hairball! Ok, seriously, what IS this?

Give Rosie A Hug

We went to the Children's Museum today and ever since we got home Marin keeps asking to see the picture of her hugging Rosie, this slightly scary chipmunk looking thing that was at the museum. We ditched Graham this morning and had a mother-daughter day with some friends.

So in Marin's honor, here she is with Rosie. It's funny how some kids like these creatures and some kids are scared to death of them. Poor Will (aka wheel) was terrified and hurt himself trying to run away. Jeremy has a funny story of a little boy who wouldn't stop screaming in terror when "Shamu" walked into the room. Seriously, who thought of dressing an adult like an animal anyway? It's traumatizing kids around the world.

There are all sorts of fun things to do at the museum like crawling around in old cars, milking a fake cow, face painting, the list goes on.

The Brown Boys (minus Jude), Braden and Ethan.

It Has Been Awhile

Well, it has been awhile since I've blogged. We've been busy getting our house fixed up to sell and it has been crazy. We ended up staying at Jeremy's parent's house for several days because of tile work and painting that was being done.

I love my kids. They bring me so much joy and I couldn't imagine life without them. Marin is little miss independent and is curious about everything. I see other kids clinging to their parents, but not Marin - she's got places to go and people to see. Grandma bought her this ballerina outfit and she loves wearing it around the house with her tiara that recently broke (sadly, it's the fate of almost everything around here). And yes, she's trying to do passe in the picture below, pointed toes and all. I wish I could remember all the funny things she says - there are a million a day. She's in the, "No mommy, I do it" stage. Ok, quick question for other moms...Is there anything you do to keep your kids from twirling their hair? She does it all the time and it makes these horribly tangled knots that she either pulls out or I cut out. Any suggestions?

There is someone else around here who doesn't have enough hair to twirl (and I don't mean Jeremy). Oh yeah, it's the Grahamster/ Manimal/ Grahamarama/ Grams. That tubby little hunk of cutie love. He was quick to pull up but doesn't seem interested at all in walking yet. I am so curious to see what he looks like and how he acts when he's older. He's quite different from Marin, that's for sure, but I'm so used to her that I can't imagine how he'll be. For now, He's the manimal!

4th of July Miracle

Jeremy mowed the yard yesterday and this morning we spotted this huge mushroom that sprouted overnight. Did you know they could grow that fast. It's a 4th of July Miracle!!!

Picture courtesy of our not-so-great camera phone.

No Hug

Well, our camera is broken again and it may just be time for a new one. So no pictures this time but a cute story instead. Marin has been playing this cute game with me lately...
I'll ask her if I can have a hug and she'll say, "No hug". Then I'll kind of make a sad face and she'll imitate me and say, "Mommy sad". Then she'll wait a minute before declaring that she has changed her mind and she'll come give me a hug. It is super cute.
And speaking of cute, Graham is cute all the time. He's getting into everything and stands up constantly. He has lots of smiles for me and he loves his daddy. I wish I had some pics of him.
We're still trying to buy a house, but without much success. We've bid on 2 in the last 2 weeks but lost both of them to other people. It makes you just want to give up and stop looking, but we need to move eventually, so we're sticking with it.
Happy blogging until next time.

Staggering Cuteness

Here's my big stander.