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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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|  Ethan had his one month check up today, just a smidge late, as he is 6 weeks old this week. (How is that possible?) We knew that Ethan was putting on some chub, but my mouth dropped open when I saw him weigh in at 12 pounds, 5 oz ... and measured 22-1/2 inches long!!  He's put on 4 pounds in 6 weeks!  Looks like our little guy is trying to catch up to his big brother and sister sooner than later. It also looks like he's going to give his Daddy some tiring wrestling matches in a few years if he keeps up this growth rate. I think babies with a little meat on 'em are quite adorable, if I do say so myself.  We sure do love our little chunky monkey.
In other news, tonight Brandon and Brad cooked dinner for Leslie and I. They made made middle eastern food, with delectable selections such as lamb, a tomato/bean soup, a rice/noodle dish, and baklava for dessert. The food was absolutely delicious - Leslie and I were quite impressed. The guys did a great job! It was also quite fun to be able to sit on the couch, relax, and talk with Leslie during the entire dinner preparation process. We told them they can make dinner for us anytime they want from here on out!
Ellie is becoming quite the conversationalist lately. I'm amazed at how big her vocabulary is getting, and I'm not sure where my baby girl went! It's always funny to hear her start a sentence with big words like "sometimes" or "probably." She is quite the character. Yesterday I told her, "Ellie, you are SO beautiful" to which she responded, "I KNOW!!! I KNOW, Mom!" Hmmmm, maybe we need to work a bit on humility?!
Today Brandon and the kids made their own volcano with play dough and then used a vinegar and baking soda concoction to make the lava. I wish you could have seen Li'l B's face when he excitedly told me all about their creation. Brandon is so creative and always thinks of neat ways to make memories with the kids. I love that about him, and I know the kids will look back in later days and appreciate that about their Daddy. What a guy!
And I'm sure I could prattle on for awhile longer, but all three of my children are now asleep, so I'm going to spend a few minutes of quality time with my hubby before I catch some Zzzz's myself. Here's hoping my chunky monkey gives me some good long stretches of sleep tonight! And hopefully in my next post I'll have a chance to share a bit about last weekend's beach adventure (I did sneak in a few beach pictures just for fun). Until later, sending love!
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| We had a great weekend. After Brandon completed his test on Friday, we felt the freedom to relax and enjoy some great time together since he didn't have to bury his head in the books all weekend. What perfect timing to enjoy some great fall fun with Halloween. We dressed the kids up as a football player and a cheerleader for Brandon's all time favorite football team - U of M, of course. (And we'll skip talking about how horribly our team played on Saturday, by the way...). The kids looked adorable, and we had a lovely time trick or treating in the 80 degree, muggy weather! Our friends Brad and Leslie joined us with their new addition, Paul, which of course we greatly enjoyed. Our goal for the evening was not only to enjoy some fun and make a few memories, but to connect again with a few of our neighbors. We were able to meet several neighbors that we hadn't met before, and reconnect with a few that I've been meaning to reach out to for awhile now. It was a lovely evening.
Ethan is a month old today. It's amazing how quickly the time is flying. Yesterday at church, several people approached me as I was holding Ethan (babies attract so much special attention ) and made over him. Several people complimented me on how precious he is, to which I always thanked them and expressed how very much we are enjoying him. After my response, several people said to me, "Well, he MUST be your first?" and then were surprised to hear he is our third.
 
  We certainly don't claim to be above that struggle - sometimes the challenges of parenting, discipline, keeping a home, and caring for a family are overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like a thankless job, and sometimes it feels like your days are filled with doing things that by the end of the day are completely undone. Sometimes the kids are little rascals that test your patience, sometimes they fight like cats and dogs, and sometimes your temper is brewing under the surface all day long. Sometimes I miss a lot of beauty sleep.
 
 
It's all about perspective.
And I have to say that I'm so glad Brandon and I had that conversation yesterday because last night went something like this:
*12:30AM - feed our little chubby boy Ethan *1:30AM - Ethan asleep...yay! back to bed*2:30AM - Li'l B wakes up crying hysterically, completely inconsolable for the next hour or so (for no apparent reason...)*3:30AM - Ethan wakes up ready to eat again *3:50AM - Ellie wakes up, screaming for her paci. Oh, and Ethan doesn't want to go back to sleep.*5 something AM - feed a hungry Ethan ... again *8:30AM - Is it really morning already?
I think God knew I needed that reminder before He gave me a rather sleepless night with the kids. Somehow even in the middle of what could have been a frustrating night, God kept whispering that word into my ear:
Perspective....Perspective....Perspective. Teach me to number my days, Oh Lord...
This is a season. It will pass. Actually, it IS passing before my very eyes, faster than I ever imagined it would. How I want to seize the moments, live richly, love deeply and recognize the incredible gift I have been given.
And now with all those thoughts running through my brain, I'm off to fold an absolutely huge pile of laundry....
Sending much love...
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| I just had to add a few more pictures of Ethan, taken by the lovely Amy. I love them, and I'm so thankful that she captured these. Ethan is already changing and growing so much. He is a little chunky monkey already, growing like a weed. Oh, how I love that kid! And I can't forget also to thank my friend Barb for making his adorable hat!
In other news, today was a beautiful day. The kids enjoyed some much needed time outside, as temps soared to the low 80's with a great breeze. Ahhh, love it! I'm still trying to keep myself from doing too much - by the end of the day I had quite worn myself out, and we didn't end up making it to church tonight. It's easy as the Mommy to forget simple things: good sleep, good nutrition, etc. After awhile my body lets me know that enough is enough! Anyway, I fought guilt over staying home tonight for awhile before I just decided to cut myself some slack. The kids are no worse for missing one week, and who knows, maybe we avoided some exposure to the nasty illnesses that I keep hearing about!
If you think of it, pray for Brandon this week. He has a big test on Friday afternoon. He has been diligently preparing this week, and as always, I'm proud of his dedication and hard work. He's one stellar man, that's for sure.
Well, Ethan is not so patiently reminding me that he needs to be fed, so I must go for now. Sending love!
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| So my friend Amy came by last week, brought us a delicious dinner, and snapped some pictures of Ethan. Here are a few of the pictures she took...aren't they beautiful?! Thanks, Amy!!!!!
www.amyfree.com
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