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kareeleigh
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Name: Karee and Brandon
Metro:
Birthday: 6/8/1982
Gender: Female
Interests: I love my Jesus, my amazing husband, and my beautiful children - wherever they are, home is! :-) God has richly blessed my life through people - my family and friends mean the world to me. Outside of that, I love to laugh, sing, play the piano, run, rollerblade, work out at the gym, travel, cook, relax, write, talk, read, be spontaneous, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. I love sunshine, a late night walk under the stars, the color blue, the sound of my children's laughter, and the sound of the key turning in the lock when my love arrives at home!
Expertise: Making my husband and my children laugh, changing dirty diapers, cleaning up spit up, making "owees" feel all better, and rocking my babes to sleep. :-)
Occupation: Wife and Mommy :-)
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  kareeleighbrown
Member Since:
1/24/2005
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| Vacation!**EDIT**
I actually wrote this blog this afternoon, but xanga was giving me a horrific time in uploading photos, so here's the delayed product minus a several pictures that just refused to upload... 
So, I'm taking a break from packing for our trip to MI to blog.  Both of my kids are sleeping, something which is starting to become a thing of the past. I think Li'l B is beginning to outgrow his nap. Regardless of whether or not he sleeps, I always have him go down for "rest time" - a time for him to quietly sit in his room with a book, a puzzle, or some such activity. Not only does it force him to slow down for a few minutes, but it gives me a few moments of quiet, too. Every now and then on days he's especially tired, he naps for awhile. Today was one such day.
Perhaps it was the excitement of the morning that had him so worn out. I had a check up and an ultra sound this morning! It was SO much fun to see our little babe. We actually got to see the baby in 4D, although our shy child kept his/her hands in front of the face almost the entire time, so we never got a clear shot of the whole face at once. That's ok - I absolutely loved seeing the features of our baby, the tiny little toes, and the long fingers. The tech took her time in showing us different shots of the baby, and we just kept saying, "awww!....oh, wow! ... awww!" the whole time. It made me so excited! Brandon was able to come with us, so we brought the kids. Ellie had no clue what was going on, but Li'l B started to catch on as the ultra sound went on. At one point he said, "Is that the baby's hand?!?!" He then wanted to know if the doctor was going to "take the baby out now."  He is so ready to hold "his" baby. 25 weeks and counting! The babe did measure a little bigger than average - I told you I thought we were going through a growth spurt!
 
On Friday, I hooked up with my friends Leslie and Barb to go blueberry picking. Contrary to our last berry picking experience, both kids quickly lost interest in picking and began playing in the sand that completely surrounded us. (I have no idea how such delicious berries grow in that "soil" ... ???) Before long, the sand, sweat, and sunscreen made QUITE the mess. When I asked them how in the world they got so dirty, Li'l B said, "We made sand mountains and put them on Miss Barb's car!" Oh my. I will say her bumper was suspiciously sandy!
The dear, sweet lady who owned the blueberry orchard was delighted when she saw my messy munchkins and said it took her back to when her kids were small. Evidently it's impossible to keep kids clean when you take them into such environments. I ended up stripping the kids down in her backyard, hosing them off, and then taking them home for a good scrub down. What a memorable day. Brandon and I did laugh later, realizing that our blueberry adventure reveals a bit about our parenting style. We are pretty laid back most of the time - it never really occurred to me to ask the kids NOT to play in the sand. I rather enjoyed watching them play and was amused by their ability to get dirtier than I could ever imagine was possible. Kids will be kids.
I really should get back to packing. We are headed out in the morning for MI - Uncle Matthew and Aunt Rachel's wedding is on Saturday (yay!!), so the kids and I are hanging out with family until then. After the wedding, we are headed up to TC for a week, and then back downstate again for a few days before we fly back to NC. We are so excited - Li'l B has been talking about this airplane ride for days! My next posts are sure to be full of fun family pictures. I do think we are going to freeze our tails off, however. The temperatures in MI are in the 60's this week - after being used to 90's or 100 with humidity everyday, we are in for a shock.
Hope ya'll had a great weekend and a great Monday! Sending love!
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| Summ-a-timeI've been meaning to blog for a few days, but just haven't had the time to sit down and write. My plan was to do that yesterday, but I had one of those fatigued preggo days where I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Xanga most definitely got put by the wayside in favor of some rest while the kids napped yesterday. I blame all such exhausted feelings on what I'm sure is a growth spurt of our little one. Li'l B came up to me on Sunday as I was getting ready for church and said, "Whoa, Mommy! Your tummy is getting REALLY big!"  He later said, "Do you have one baby or TWO babies?!" I keep telling him that my belly is going to get much larger before we get to meet our baby. I don't think he believes it can really happen. I do have an ultra sound next week, though, and Li'l B is coming along to see "his" baby. He is very excited. And yes, we are still planning on NOT finding out gender, for those of you who were hoping we would change our minds.
 
We also enjoyed celebrating Father's Day this weekend. I guess it's pretty obvious what a fabulous father my husband is to our children. I daily thank the Lord for Brandon and his devotion to our family. We are indeed blessed. Our gift to Brandon was a grill - something he's wanted for years, but would never go buy for himself. We grilled out three times over the weekend, just to give it a test run. DEEElish! Li'l B and I also woke Brandon up on Sunday with breakfast in bed. Li'l B jumped on the bed, slapped a snoozing Brandon on the back, and said, "Happy Mother's .... errr.... Happy Father's Day!" He then scooted right up to Brandon and said, "Can I have some?" and promptly began chowing on bacon as well as taking sips of orange juice. Made us laugh. What a kid.
 
The kids and I have been spending "Bible time" together each day, normally over breakfast. We've been working on Scripture memory as part of that time, and I am continually blown away by what both kids are learning. Ellie picks up on way more than I ever expected she could. It's so fun to watch them learning together. This week they are learning 2 Tim 3:16- "All Scripture is God breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." As we have been learning the verse, I've been going over the vocabulary with them, trying to teach them what some of those big words mean. Still, I wasn't sure if it was sinking in or not. Then, today I sternly scolded Ellie for some misbehavior during lunch. Li'l B looked at me and said, "Mommy? Was that rebuking?" We were also talking over lunch about how the Bible teaches us. I asked Li'l B what it means to teach someone, and he said, "Welllll....I teached Ellie to go down the stairs. Annnnd, I teached Ellie how to fight me!" It was all I could do not to laugh. He is so cute.
 
We leave for Michigan one week from today. Li'l B is super excited for another airplane ride. We are all so excited for Matthew and Rachel's wedding and of course some extra time visiting home. The kids have plans of what they are going to do at both of our parent's homes: Nana and Papa Shev have a trampoline, and Papa Brown always gives "tractor rides" on his riding lawn mower. The only bummer of the trip is that Brandon will only be able to come for about a day and a half total. I wish he could join us for a bit longer, but we are very thankful that he gets to come at all and be a part of his brother's wedding!
 
Well, folks, that's all I've got for now. Sending love as always from NC!
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| Monday, MondayToday feels like a Monday. Perhaps it's because I let a lot of things slide over the weekend, so now it's time to whip the house back into shape, do laundry, and get myself organized for the week. I have made a conscious decision to sit down and leave my dirty kitchen for a few minutes. The baby needs rest, after all. (best excuse ever! haha! )
We hit the pool this weekend on both Saturday and Sunday. The kids have so much fun swimming, and it wears them out immensely. We always have the best sleeps after pool time. Yesterday we tried out a new pool on post. You can imagine how thrilled the kids were to see water slides at the pool ... and then how utterly devastated they were to find they were too little to be allowed to slide (even if they sat on our laps ) Funny thing is, I felt just about as sad for them as they did for themselves I think. Thankfully it wasn't long before we had them jumping off the side of the pool to us ... something they continued for the next hour straight. Li'l B is becoming quite confident jumping in and swimming short distances to us. We told him that once he can pass the swim test, he can go on the slides. After awhile of practicing, he said confidently with a HUGE smile, "I know how to swim!!! I KNEW I could do it!!!" It was the cutest thing ever. There's something about watching joy on the face of your child that just makes your heart swell.
 
  It hit me this week that I am having a baby soon. Maybe that sounds strange, but this pregnancy has been so busy that it has literally flown by. I find myself over half way there and can't believe it! Yesterday I looked down at my belly and watched the baby kicking, and I had a brief daydream about that moment when I will get to hold this little one in my arms for the first time. Tears filled my eyes at just the thought as I imagined what this babe will look like, whether I will be holding a son or a daughter, and how richly this one will impact our hearts and lives. It's truly amazing how much you can love someone you've never met, isn't it?
I almost forgot to mention that the kids and I went on a couple of berry picking adventures together this week. We had an absolute blast. Our first outing was to pick blackberries. Ellie ate every single berry in sight (ripe or not), while Li'l B caught on quickly and only picked the ripe ones. We went with my friend Leslie, and he followed her around like a shadow, chatting away and asking her a million questions. It wasn't long before I heard Leslie say, "Uh oh Buddy, you aren't going to have any berries left!" I turned to see him throwing the wonderful, delicious berries he had picked into a mud puddle, one by one, so as to watch them splash. This was followed up shortly thereafter by a squish-the-berries-up-in-your-hand experiment. Needless to say, he had very few to show for his hard work. What a BOY.
 Our second berry outing was at a farm to pick strawberries. I hadn't been strawberry picking since I went with my friend Brittany in Germany - at the time I was pregnant with Ellie, and Li'l B sat and ate berries the entire time. This time around, Ellie took over the berry eating position yet again (I almost considered sitting her up on the scale at the end!! haha!), but Li'l B took his job very seriously. He worked hard the whole time and picked a full bucket of strawberries. It was the cutest thing to look down the aisle and watch him bent over, so focused and hard at work. Adorable. Not only that, but it was incredibly helpful!
I spent the entire afternoon that day washing, capping, and freezing berries. I couldn't help but smile as I got to the berries that Li'l B had picked. He found the cutest, tiniest, "Li'l B sized" berries I have ever seen and picked dozens of them. Some of them were so small that I had a hard time holding them to cut them. They were ripe and perfectly delicious, just a lot smaller than any of the ones I had chosen. I honestly hadn't even noticed the tiny ones, although they were certainly all around me, for Li'l B found plenty of them! I love how children find beauty and value in overlooked things. I think it touches me because it reminds me that God often does the same thing - I am often amazed at the way God is able to use ordinary people to do extroardinary things. He doesn't necessarily look for the most talented, the most engaging, or the most qualified. He just looks for those whose hearts are yielded, whose strength is found in Him alone, and whose lives are surrendered for His use. I pray that I would be that kind of person ... a completely ordinary person enabled by God to do mighty things for His honor and for the glory of His Name.
Funny the things you can learn from strawberries.
Sending love...
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| Richly Blessed...We had a great weekend. It was busy and flew by, but we got to spend some relaxing moments together, and I loved that part. With Brandon's intense schedule as of late, I've come to appreciate any extra moments he has at home. I think that's the advantage of having your husband in a vocation that takes him away a lot - it really helps to put things in perspective, and you don't take time for granted as easily.
Brandon had to work part of Saturday, but he surprised us by taking us out for lunch. He found a little German restaurant nearby, and it was so cute! We ordered in German (well, he did much better at that than I did...), interacted with the German ladies who worked there, and reminisced about our time in Germany while we enjoyed some German cuisine. It was lovely.
In the evening on Saturday, we were able to get together with some friends. I think the high point of the evening was when the guys figured out that Brandon is completely and ridiculously ticklish. You can't possibly understand the extent unless you've seen him react to it - in fact, I have to be very careful if I ever attempt tickling my husband for fear I might get popped in the face. He tends to get a bit out of control. Too funny. I anticipate many more tickle attacks on Brandon during future friend get togethers.
On Sunday the kids and I went to church while Brandon rested, since he wasn't feeling well. When we arrived home, I heard Li'l B and Daddy talking. Li'l B then emerged from the kitchen and said, "Mommy!!! We are going to make your cake! But I'm not going to tell you!!" haha. I love it. We celebrated my birthday (which was yesterday) together on Sunday. The boys made a yummy cake, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed helping to blow out the candles. I also caught Li'l B sampling the frosting a few minutes before cake time. When I asked him about it, he said, "Well, I HAVE to try it to make sure it's not yucky!" I was impressed with his quick thinking, the little goof.
 
I was thinking yesterday how different birthdays are as an adult than they are as a child. I truly loved the phone calls, presents, cards, emails, and facebook messages (thank you to all of my fabulous friends and family. You guys are just wonderful!). I found myself a bit contemplative yesterday, just thinking about my life in general. Time passes so quickly, doesn't it? Yesterday I took a few moments just to thank God for the precious moments He has given to me over this past year and found myself asking that this next year would be His year in my life. His year to mold me, shape me, and use me so that He is elevated, honored and glorified. And as I looked upon my life yesterday, I couldn't help but be amazed by how richly blessed I am. God has showered me with blessings - a truly Godly, wonderful, one-of-a-kind husband; incredibly precious (even if they are stinkers sometimes! ) babies (and one more on the way ); dear, dear family and friends; a steady income; a beautiful home ... the list could go on and on endlessly. But beyond even that, I am blessed to be His. Blessed to be led by my Father, loved more than words can express, made whole through His grace, and secure in Him alone and His plan for me and my family. I have a lot of reasons to be thankful this year. God is incredibly good.
Sending much love from my corner of the world to you
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|  This has been a full week! We finally made it to Friday, and even better, both kids are sleeping peacefully. (Oh, how they needed it today!!) This is the first afternoon this week that I haven't had something to fill these naptime hours. In fact, I just sat down, treated myself to a kid-sized bowl of ice cream, and am seriously contemplating a nap while the kids are down.
I had my first doctor's appointment this week since I've arrived in North Carolina. Yes, it's true, I hadn't been seen since 11 weeks, and tomorrow is the 22 week point! Crazy, I know. It took awhile for me to get my referral through, to get assigned a clinic, and to get in at that particular clinic. However, I must say it seems to be worth the wait. I was referred off post to a practice that has one doc and one midwife. I met with the midwife this week and was nothing short of impressed with her. I have heard good things about the doctor as well. I'm the "weird" one in this American culture that likes to (well, should we use the word likes when referring to labor?? ) labor naturally - I much prefer being able to move around during labor and to avoid the extra drugs in my (and thus my child's) system. I think my philosophy fit in better in Germany (they rarely do the drugs there), but that's ok. I'll be the odd one out. Anyway, I had a great appointment, the baby's heart rate was good and strong, and I'm measuring right on target. My next appointment and ultra sound is slated for June 29th. I can't wait!
Moving on...I met the owner of our house this week. We are renting through a realtor, so up until now, I have never interacted with the actual owner of the home. She was in town this week and stopped by for a couple of hours. Turns out she grew up in this house and is totally and completely attached to it. She walked me through the yard, pointing out special trees, bushes, and places where she and her family had made memories together. She got teary several times during our conversation, and thanked me over and over for taking care of the house and loving it like she does. Turns out she is a Believer, too. I had such a special time with her, and it was neat to know the story behind the home that has been such a huge blessing to us!
I met up with a friend yesterday and took the kids to the pool. We had such a great time! Li'l B is becoming so confident on his own in the pool - I had so much fun watching him jump in, go underwater, and "swim" around for awhile before coming back up. He told me he swims like a whale. Ellie loved the water, too. I'm sure this will be the first of many pool trips this summer, especially considering that it's already sweltering hot here!
Last Friday Brandon came home saying that he had some extra training starting this past Monday. That man has been burning the candle at both ends this week. His alarm goes off at 4AM, and he returns home in the evenings around 10PM. I have no idea how he is able to function with his intense schedule - he really does amaze me. He has another week of this schedule, so if you think of it, pray for him.
Friday nights are always the "bummer night" since Brandon started this new schedule. I always enjoyed hanging out with him on Friday evenings to kick off the weekend. Since several other wives I know are in the same boat, a few of us decided to start getting together for dinner and hang out time on Fridays. We are rotating homes, taking turns hostessing. I'm greatly looking forward to time with the ladies tonight!
Well, I'm sure I could prattle on endlessly, but I really do want to rest while I have the chance. One of these days I'll have time for a more reflective post....but until then, sending love as always!
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