Annabelle Jeanne Brown

Well, a lot has happened since I posted last..which is to be expected since I haven't posted anything since what, October!! Seriously. But the most exciting would have to be the birth of our first little girl, Annabelle Jeanne. She was born on the 15th of January at 5:53 AM and weighed in at 9lb 9oz and 21 inches long. She was born with the same cute cheeks as her brothers and a full head of hair. She was unique in that she has an extra finger on her left hand. It wasn't attached by bone to her hand so they just tied it off to cut off the blood supply and eventually it will just fall off. Pretty interesting. My sister Kathryn commented that she will have something fun and interesting to say when she plays 2 truths and a lie!! Kind-a funny. We are loving her and the addition she has made to our family. Jackson has really taken to her and loves to hold her and puts his finger in her mouth to "feed" her. Logan points to her, esp when she cries but is still a bit unsure about her.
Things are going well so far but right now she is pretty easy. I am sure things will get a bit more difficult as she gets older and requires more attention. But for now, I am enjoying each moment, especially those that I get alone with her during the night. I appreciate the family and friends around me that have been so supportive and helpful during this time of transition. Not to mention an amazing husband who knows how to take over and give me a break. I feel very blessed.
Here are a few pictures and I am sure there will be many more to come!! Enjoy!!

Moments

Here are a few moments we caught on camera in the past little while. I think having kids has made me appreciate all the little things that just make me smile.

I love this picture of the boys. It seriously captures what life is to them right now. They are having so much fun together and just enjoying the simple things of life. I love it!!

As a parent, sometimes we have to sacrifice some of those things that we hold precious....like sleep for instance. But for me, those sacrifices seem so small, esp when I get to wake up to this everyday!!
Jackson and Logan love movies and Wayne is exposing them to some great ones already!! This particular morning, Jackson sat down and then of course, Logan soon follows. This is a constant lately. It is fun though because you can see the love and admiration that is already growing between them. So fun.
I LOVE this picture because I think it captures a lot about our family.
We like being a little crazy sometimes
Wayne loves nothing more than his two boys (and soon to be little girl)
We love and appreciate our good friends (this was taken at our good friend Maylie's carnival themed birthday party)
We LOVE life and try to live to its fullest



Last but certainly not least our kids have taught me that we just need to be ourselves and don't be afraid to have fun!!
PS You can't really hear the music because the door to the car was closed but it is still fun to watch them!!

Yet another catch-up!!!!

I am always playing catch up......seriously. You would think I would learn after awhile that I just need to do it and not have it on my list of things to do....for like 4 months. Wow. I guess I have become more of a facebook girl and not so much a blogger. Not because I don't want to blog but because it is just easier. Anyway, enough of my excuses.
We are doing really well. Wayne is still working for the ambulance company here in Salem but he has added another job to his work load. He now works as an ER tech at the hospital. He enjoys it but he doesn't think that he will last much longer as really he is meant to be a firefighter/paramedic. But that is a whole different subject!! We are still here in Salem....we hope to move in the future but it looks like it is going to be a couple of years and not a couple of months, as we hoped. So is life though.
So our new little one is a mover and a shaker to say the least. It is funny though.....I like it because it reminds me that she is still there and that she is doing alright. That is right. We are having our first girl. CRAZY. I almost didn't believe it when we found out but we are excited to add another sweet spirit to our home. She is due to arrive on January 13th.
Jackson is 21/2 and growing up before our eyes. We are in the process of potty training and he is catching on pretty well. A tub of different animals has been our life saver though. He gets a small one when he goes pee and a big one if he goes poop....he loves to share this information with everyone that he sees as well as letting them get a peek at his underware. He is very proud. Jackson is very inquisitive and is always asking questions....almost to the point that it is almost annoying. Especially when he asks the same ones over and over again. But at the same time, it is fun to see him learning and discovering new things. He also started a preschool/play group once a week with 5 boys from the ward. He is enjoying himself, esp because he is going to "school" like the other big kids. Very fun kid with tons of personality and wit.
Logan is 16 months and is also growing before our eyes. He is honestly a such a big kid......I get asked a lot if Jackson and him are twins, just because they are similar is size. Logan is still learning how to get around but he sure does like to "do" or try to do everything his brother is doing. He loves to point and grunt at things and doesn't say much to our understanding but he sure makes a ton of different sounds. It is pretty funny. I think one of these days he is just going to start talking in full sentences!!
So, here are a few things we have done in the last little bit....at least the ones I was able to get pictures of!!!

We went camping with a few families from the ward at Silver Creek Falls and had a great time

My oldest nephew Zack, left for BYU in August. Crazy that he is old enough to be away at school

We got a trailer for our bikes and the boys have loved it....

Zoo trip with family while Patti was visiting....very fun and obviously, very tiring.

ROCK ON JACKSON!!!!!!
We went to the fair while Jeff and his family were here....I hadn't been in years. Jackson loved going on the few rides that he could, esp the roller coaster with his Dad. Good times.

Wayne's Dad is leveling out his back yard to create his ultimate yard and of course ALL of the boys had to help in the process. The looks on the little boys faces as they played around with the excavator were seriously priceless.

Hopefully I will post before the next 4 months have passed us by!!!

2 month catch up!!!!

I know, I know.....it has been FOREVER since I have posted anything. We are alive I promise. We have moved since I last posted. We decided that it was time to get an apartment here in Salem since the out of state job wasn't happening as fast as we would of liked it to. So, here we are. We love our new place and although it was so great living with Grandma P after she returned home, it has been so nice to pull out my stuff and have a place that is ours.
Our boys are growing up fast. Jackson is almost 2 1/2 and is such a busy body. His latest loves are dancing (he constantly is dancing and wanting us to dance with him) "what are you doing Mom", "driving" the car, and of course, being such a helper to his parents. He is quite the talker as well and is quite the charmer already. He so enjoys saying hi to people and interacting with kids. I wonder where he got that from....?!!!
Logan will be a year old next week!!!! Wow. I can't hardly believe it!!! He is such a good little guy. He loves throwing balls or anything else for that matter and already has quite the arm. He LOVES his older brother of course. He just smiles and laughs whenever he can get Jackson's attention. He is taking steps, but not fully walking yet, which I know he loves as well because of that independence thing. He is a pretty big kid and am interested to know what his percentages are when we go to the Dr. next week. He is definately bigger than Jackson was at 1 year.
Wayne and I are doing well. Wayne is still working random hours at Rural Metro and spending a lot of time on the internet looking for jobs, places to live etc. I am getting settled, still wanting a few other things for the place, but like I said, it has been fun to get out my things that I haven't really used in almost 2 years.
I am starting up running again......slowly but surely!!! I sure do miss it though. I just got a calling in the ward as a primary teacher (8-9 year olds) which I am very excited about.
Here are a bunch of pictures from the past couple of months........hope you all are doing great!!!

Drift Creek Falls was a such a blast.....the boys were pretty tired by the time we finished

Jackson and Logan LOVE helping out around the house, esp if it is with Dad. Being with Dad really is more fun!!!

We sure enjoyed out Easter this year. We went to a couple of Easter egg hunts and Jackson was in heaven. We spent Easter day with my sister Kathryn's family. It is so nice to live close so that we can spend the holidays together. Love you!!!



We love being outside and we would go to the park everyday if the weather would allow!!! Logan loves the swings lately and sometimes he practically falls asleep as I am pushing him. So fun. We also went and fed the ducks a little bit ago and it was an interesting experience to say the least. I couldn't believe how frisky some of those ducks were......like we had to shew them away because they were getting too close. One of them bit Jackson's finger when he didn't even have any bread in it. I think I may wait awhile til we go back.






For Mothers day, after church we went on a drive to Silver Creek Falls. It was raining a bit but it was still enjoyable and the boys didn't seem to mind. Really, it just felt good to be outside.

Overall, it has been a great couple of months and we feel so blessed to be in the situation that we are in and look forward to the future that is ahead of us. We feel so lucky to be surrounded by such great friends and family and appreciate your encouragement and support. Love you!!!

Is it spring yet?!!!

It is pretty cold and wet here in Oregon these days but we do get a couple glimpses of the sun once in awhile. We take advantage of these days and spend as much of the day outside that we possibly can. We can't wait for SPRING!!!!!

The boys are playing together so much more lately. Jackson is enjoying being an older brother to Logan and likes to bring him toys and make him laugh. Those of you that know Jackson know that he loves to do "strong man" He was doing it for Logan and he was just laughing and laughing....it was so fun to watch. I know this stage of them getting along so well wont last forever, but for now
I am LOVING it.