The Brame Family Happenings

2.5 10am & 2.6 Dinner

I have to cheat a bit on this one. Yesterday at 10am I was in church, so I saved both pictures for today. And today you get a treat because you get bonus pictures!

Assignment: 10am.

Every morning I try to make a to-do list. I am so much more productive when I do so and then when Brian says 'What did you do today' I can actually remember! Here is what my to-do list looked like at 10am:

 

 

And here's why:

my second assignment: Dinner

Tonight we decided to go on a family walk before dinner. We usually eat pretty early, but wanted to take advantage of it still being light outside. So away we went.  When we got home, I knew that we needed to have a dinner that could be put together in 15 minutes or less. So what's the old standby for a quick dinner??? Spaghetti!

On our menu: whole grain rotini noodles, spaghetti sauce, green beans, corn, rolls and spinach salad with apples and mandarin oranges. yum-my.

Did I mention the little bit of "cheese" we had for dinner?

The salad was so scrumptious, and I have a ton of spinach in my fridge, so I think that I may end up making salads for lunch the next several days.

Here was our pre-dinner entertainment.

I can just see Nolan saying 'why don't I get to ride a bike, guys?'

*just a side note. I did get a picture of Kennedy tonight, but it was not a very good picture, so she asked me to delete it. I didn't of course, I may need it for future manipulation, but I told her I wouldn't post it on the blog...today.

2.4 Take a picture of a stranger

oohhh...this was hard for me. I kind of have a moral issue with it only in the sense that I wouldn't want a stranger taking a picture of me and posting it on their blog, just for the purpose of getting a picture with a stranger. Plus, I didn't see any interesting strangers today:)

So, I have decided to post about the 'stranger' in my life. My husband. Between work and his church calling and my church calling, sometimes I feel like we are strangers passing in the night. Though, if I had to have any strangers in my life, I wouldn't choose anyone other than him:)

                                                            Putting Kylers corsage on for Hayden

                                              Up to his elbows in pumpkin guts

                                                            taking the kiddos trick or treating

 

I love you, stranger!

 

 

2.3 Hands

Today, my assignment was 'hands'. This assignment fell into place nicely. It was such a beautiful day out. A little chilly, but very sunny. The girls were playing outside and were holding hands and I knew that that was what I needed to capture. This very moment that they are getting along. Like most sisters, they do squabble, 27 months is a big difference when you are 3 and 6. But my wish for them, as they grow, is that they maintain their friendship and closeness through their teen years. That they make it through the fighting over boys, makeup, friends, clothes and know that their relationship will play such an important part for the rest of their lives.  

2.2 Words

Today's picture of the day is 'Words'. So I have kept this in my thoughts all day long. I have a quote on my wall that says 'Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing'. ya ya ya..yada yada yada. I do feel that way, but I see that all the time and I was waiting for some pow! to hit me today.

I took the three youngest to Costco today. They were well behaved. Nolan gave his cute overly cheesy grin to every old person around who all went gaga over him. We had a good time, not in a rush at all. It was really nice. On the way home, Nolan was sleeping and the girls were sitting in the third row talking and coloring in their new colorbooks. And darn it! I felt like my sister...getting mushy over something so dumb. My eyes teared up at the big girl conversations that they were having. No more Olivia asking Megan questions to that require yes/no answers. Really indepth conversations...you know, about coloring and what kind of pet they want.

And then I picked kids up from school, I got to the school really early because my option was to take a sleeping baby out of his carseat (he's in a big boy carseat now) just to have to put him back in in 40 minutes and have him not get a decent nap or get to the school early, let him nap, put a LeapFrog movie on for the girls and read my book. I went with the latter. Well, during this waiting time, Kennedy walked right in front of our car on her way to recess and didn't notice us. I got to watch her play with her friends and remember back to when I was in fourth grade and remember what that was like.

Hayden didn't come home right after school today. She was supposed to have her first day of tutoring an elementary school student. The teacher that was supposed to provide the curriculum wasn't their today so she only met the student and his parents. Which required several texts between us coordinating me coming to get her. But just that she's old enough and responsible enough to tutor an elementary student makes me sad and proud all at the same time.

After we got home, Nolan was dying to be outside. The girls didn't want him on the trampoline with them because he's too little, so I took him on a walk. Like a walk walk. No stroller. He just wanted the freedom to walk/run. As I came to the corner I saw a 'yield' sign. I immediately thought about my 'assignment' today. But last year my word was 'pause', so that I would remember to slow down and enjoy my kids. And I did...and still am.

I think that I was just looking too hard. Seeing everything I feel is important, but not finding what word or words I wanted. Then tonight, after I put Megan to bed for the umteenth time cause she really wants to 'nuggle', I sat back down with my book. I'm reading My Sisters Keeper' by Jodi Piccoult. Within a few pages I read

They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.

That's it. I look at my nearly 15 year old daughter who is starting college next year. While she has to do the first two years at home, I will be sending her to college in two 1/2 years. I'm not ready. How do you live everyday with a child and then all of the sudden all you can do is talk to them on the phone or text?

How do you have a baby that needs you for everything and all of the sudden is so independent, cries to play outside, runs when he barely learned to walk, climbs, has an overly goofy, purposeful grin?

And then there's the three that are in between.  Somedays I hardly can contain myself that these kids are outgrowing me. And then there's somedays that I can't wait till it's bedtime. So those are my words for the day..... They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.

{My picture is not from today, but it's rare to actually get a picture of all of my kids...so this is it!}

2.1 Your View Today

I am participating in a photo a day challenge, my first ever! The sole purpose is for me to get back into the habit of blogging.

Today's inspiration was 'Your View Today'. I decided to take a picture of a view that I have been enjoying for the last (almost) 14 months, but am ready to STOP enjoying. It's the double edged sword. Love my baby and that time with him but good grief, he's almost 14 months old.  I have to
laugh at myself because I was going to quit after a month, and then two, and then three, and so on. I really only relaxed about it when he was around 10 months old, thinking I may as well enjoy the last couple of months...and here we are. I'm trying hard to stop, but he talks me into it all the time!

So, my view today is my sweet little Nolan (discreetly) nursing.

 

Okay, It's the end of January and I have blogged a big fat zero in almost two months. aye aye aye! I am going to attempt to do a 'photo a day challenge' in order to get back into the swing of things.
And can I say how downright awful it is that I haven't blogged? I have had two kids have birthdays--one of them being a first birthday, a sister who announced the genders of her babies and tons of other stuff that has happened. I need to get back into the mindset that this is my journaling and to remember how much I love to go back and look at pictures and read the stories from the years past. I need to make it a priority instead of a 'to-do'.
Okay, keep checking back on me and hopefully I will have followed through!

It's good to be back

Seriously. I have been without a computer since....my last post. I have a short in the motherboard of my old laptop so it's basically dead. I haven't wanted to buy a new one because really, I only NEED it for photo storage, and blogging. Everything else I can do on Brian's computer. So, I have put off and put off buying a new one. There are SO many other things that I would rather spend my money on. I could list them, but the list would never end. Well, good things come to those who wait. My lovely, awesome, fantastic, super-duper, utterly terrific sister (and I'll even include her husband in this) donated their old laptop to me. yeah! I hate technology....or rather paying for technology. Because really, I love technology, namely Pinterest. oh wait, THAT is also a different post. I really am a tree killer. I love paper. I love making lists, I love writing on real calendars. I don't have a lot of desire (none to be exact) to keep my calendar on my iphone. (the only reason I even have an iphone is because it's Brian's hand me down, I was fine on one that I could JUST talk on). I KINDA want a kindle, but only because I love to read. But again, I don't really want to pay for one when I can go to the library and check books out for free. Yes, there are other advantages, and I am slowly being swayed by my husband who keeps asking me if I want one, but I'm just not there yet. So anyway, I am back. I have some posts to do. But I also have a crabby baby today with snot rockets running continuously down his face. gross, I know. So, instead of taking care of him between posts, I better post in between taking care of him. I got totally off on a tangent there. What I really meant to say was 'thank you Cindy and Brandon! I lvoe the computer....it is larger than my laptop was and I love the ways the keys sound when I type away!'

 

Just Nolan

Because he's so darn cute:)

 
 
 
 
 

Back to School Photoshoot

Each year I try to take the girls out (and now Nolan, I keep forgetting!) for a photoshoot. I'm not very consistent at it, but I try. I have a few reasons for doing the photoshoots. 1) The girls love it,  2) I hate buying school pictures. They are so expensive for what they get so I'd rather take a few fun pictures and then have the girls choose their favorites. and 3) I need to learn to use my camera better, so this gives me practice!

Here are a few of my faves:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*and just so in the future, when Kennedy looks back at this, the reason I don't have many pictures of her is because she was being a stinker and not cooperating that day!

 

Soccer

Soccer season is upon us in full swing. Kennedy is playing soccer for the third year and Olivia is playing for her first year. So far, we have not had any rain during practices or games, though I think that that may soon change. Both of the girls are loving it. Olivia is extremely funny. Her coach is named Ryan Hamilton. But to Olivia, it's RyanHamilton. She refers to him as RyanHamilton each and everytime she talks to him. It has gotten to be a running joke in our household. Olivia's  biggest hurdle in soccer is that she is so smiley all the time. I keep telling her to put on her mean face, but that just makes her giggle. Soccer here is fairly easy, we have a big park area that has about ten soccer fields. I think that Kennedy only has three games that are not on our field. Plus, all of the games are during the week, so no having to juggle multiple games on Saturdays. I love the picture with the sun glare...It's about time we had some sun, even if we had to wait unitl September!

 
 
 
 
 

Nolan makes new friends at soccer....