Because I'm Waiting for the Work PC to Reboot . . .

I will share these. They were taken, like, long ago. It's pretty sad that I'm just now getting around to taking them off the camera.

Nora put that hat on Henry. He didn't seem to mind.

Nora also dressed herself that day.


Look at his little smirk.

That's really all I've got [time for].

Cheerio.

Everything Happens for a Reason

I've heard this phrase repeated over and over throughout my life, and as I get older and see more things, the more I disagree with it. Maybe a lot of people say this particular phrase because they feel that it's equivalent to the phrase, "When God closes a door, He opens a window."

I believe in God. I have a strong faith, and I am constantly working at it. I have learned through my faith journey (if you will) that when I am seeking God's will, I find peace. Some events require a lot more spiritual work than others, I'll admit.

This phrase, "everything happens for a reason," always nags at me because I feel that it's a culprit to one of the arguments that the doubters of God seem to always have. "If your God is so wonderful, why did He let <insert some awful tragedy> happen?"

Good things happen to evil people, and bad things happen to good people. Our world isn't a place of justice. It's a world filled with human beings, animals, and the forces of nature. God doesn't kill people (at least, not since the days of the Old Testament). God doesn't stop bad things from happening. Things happen. The storms fall on everyone. The sun shines on everyone. There isn't always a reason. Things just are the way they are.

I believe that most times, an answer to prayer is not what was anticipated. I think this is where the dreaded phrase was born.

It is exactly because there is no reason in some happenings that I need my faith. My faith helps me cope with those things that cannot be explained with reason. I know (and am also related to) people that feel that anything can be rationalized. I can see the point in that, of course: it helps them cope with those things that many would claim cannot be explained.

Cool 4-D Videos of Baby Brown #3

We had our 20 week ultrasound this morning! We got to have the same technician that we had when we had our ultrasound with Nora. Luckily, she was actually decent this time (and on time, thank God).

We were a little surprised when she told us that we could only have one adult in the room (Nora was totally with us during our ultrasound with Henry), but she was cool enough to let Willis bring the kids in when we found out the sex. That was probably for the best, anyway. If we had known, though, we could've prepared a little better for some waiting room entertainment for the monkeys. Oh, well. It went well.

It's a boy, by the way! God, help us.

Check out these cool videos! I'm thrilled that we left with a DVD instead of a couple of lame pieces of paper! Times are a-changin'! (Our hospital obviously had some serious upgrades since the last time we were in.)

I think he looks like Henry already (even though he looks a little creepy and under-baked).

Nora wanted the technician to look at the baby in her belly, too. We told Nora that better not be happening for at least 20 years. She didn't seem to get it. Poor kid.

Good times!

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

It's been awhile since I've had a good ol' Tuesday rant, and today, there just happened to be enough material for it. Amber and Sara are the original pros of this little game. They tell it like it is.

Hey, It's Okay . . .

To watch your kid pull a TV down on himself and still not really understand how it happened. (No TVs or children were hurt in the falling of said TV.)

To want to put that same kid in a hamster ball for, like, daily life. (The little dude is relentless with the deadly stunts and constant climbing.)

To hate your pets a little bit when you're pregnant. (This is not even an exaggeration: they know when you're pregnant, and they act weird. And sometimes stupid. Really. Try it out sometime.)

To be surprised when it isn't snowing around here.

To be even more surprised when the sun decides to show itself.

To let your kids watch Princess and the Frog, like, every day. (I watched movies like The Little Mermaid and other more inappropriate movies about a million times a day for years, and I'd like to think that it didn't entirely rot my brain.)

To almost like Randy Newman songs when they are sung by people that aren't him. "You gotta diiiiig a little deeper . . ." (Here's a link to that song on YouTube if you're interested.)

To believe that you've completely avoided a nasty cold just by religiously using the Neti Pot and some Breathe Right Strips. (When I'm pregnant, I get colds like a pro, too.)

To recognize that the housework is about to go downhill for awhile due to the fact that your energy level just plummeted at about the same rate that your belly exploded.

To not really believe how long it takes for a family with young kids to recover after a grueling, travel-intensive week. We're going on week two of being home, and we still aren't quite right. (Willi was gone last weekend for work, though, so that makes things kind-of weird, I guess.)

To put your kids to bed without lunch—especially if they did the exact opposite of everything you said leading up to that moment.

To want to bottle the sound of your wee son saying, "Bunny!"

To not understand why toddlers have to shred tissues into teeny, tiny, pureed, ridiculous, little pieces at any opportunity possible.

To not believe how fast those little toddlers can shred those tissues mentioned. We're talking milliseconds. I'm not even exaggerating.

To have overstayed your welcome when it comes to "Hey, It's Okay Tuesday."

Quirkiness All Around

I made Nora a princess hat today, and the girl is in love. In fact, when I told her that we were going to the grocery, she assumed she'd be wearing it there. I wasn't going to fight her on it. It's cold. She needed a hat. This hat probably isn't the warmest, but it's a hat, nonetheless.

The kid even dressed herself (her shirt's on backwards). I picked the clothes out, but she said she wanted to wear something "twirly."

This whole "girly kick" thing is fairly new. We've been watching a lot of The Princess and the Frog lately. That could be part of it.


She walked into something and made a dent in the hat, but she had a good smile on this one.


She's suddenly very hard to photograph. I'm not sure what's up with that, either.

It turns out, as we were walking out the door, Nora decided she'd rather wear the owl hat. I was surprised, but I was a bit relieved that I wasn't going to be dealing with her seatbelt/tulle combination.

How's Henry, you ask? Well, he's an easygoing kid . . . except for when he isn't (which is most of the time right now). I think he's teething AND he's getting over a nasty cold. Plus, we're all messed up from being on the road so much last week. We still haven't recovered normalcy yet.

Henry likes to do this in my office chair, and most times, he does it when I'm sitting in it.


Uh, oh.

Luckily, the kids were great at the grocery store. It always seems like the busier a restaurant or the grocery, the better they behave. I think the people are a nice distraction for them. I wasn't terribly thrilled that I had to put my groceries in my own cart since Henry was trying to dive out of the seat onto his face. I'm not sure what was up with that, but the store was wicked busy. I just got lucky enough to be in the ONE aisle that didn't have a bagger. I know I wasn't in the "fifteen items or less" aisle, too, because I checked for that, like, thirteen times. Irony finds me, I guess.

During the drive to and from the grocery, Nora kept telling me that I needed to take her "to the tower." I have a feeling that this whole "tower" thing is in reference to some "princess" thing that's on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or something. She seriously got upset with me when I didn't take her to "the tower," and I had a flashback to when I was a kid. I remember totally freaking out at my mom in the car one time because I was confident that I saw the Little House on the Prairie house, and I wanted her to take me there. Yeah.

I even asked Nora where the tower was, and I told her that I didn't know how to get there. It was quite sad, really. I should know, obviously. (No. Not really, but she was clearly irritated that I had no idea.)

Getting them down for bed wasn't too much of a fight. Well, it wasn't as long as you don't count the serious calming session I had to give to Nora when she realized she wouldn't be sleeping with her new princess hat. Sheesh. Henry went to bed easier than he has in several days. That was welcomed. (I'm flying solo this evening because Willi's at a work meeting for most of the weekend.)

Here's to hoping for some schleep! Dilly out!

Dill Christmas (Late) and Some Other Schtuff

My immediate family finally got together for Christmas this past weekend (everyone minus the Rainbows, that is). I actually busted out my camera! I was so proud of me. Take a peek at these guys:






Henry was a little tired from waking up at 5:30 EASTERN everyday. That's 4:30 at home, folks.

The kids anxiously await their presents.


My kids love them some Unca Ben. 

That wasn't the only time Henry slept on him, either.

Settlers action with the uncles and the nephews.


Molly doin' what she likes to do (monkeying). Nora and Reagan are playing. Bailey just wants to get from A to B.


They're little buddies, now.

 

This is a random photo from around the house just prior to us leaving for our Dill Christmas. 

I don't know when it was taken, but I know Nora took it.

 

Lena (Tea for Tutu Bowtique) made these adorable shirts for the kids. I tried my darnedest to get a good shot of those.

The little rat is actually being a monster right there.


And there.

I was also able to finally write a blog post about the homemade Christmas gifts I made for my nieces and nephews.

The end!