Highlights

Tonight after dinner the kids were working on their homework. Emily told me that she was feeling tired. When I turned around this is how I found her, completely asleep! First grade is hard work! At dinner we take turns giving our highlights for the day. Tonights dinner included these:
Lindsey: going to school and eating dinner with my family.
Emily: Playing with friends and eating dinner with my family.
Tyler: Making applesauce at school and eating dinner with my family.
Eliza: Going to school and eating dinner with my family.
Gracie: Lindsey answered for her in a high pitched baby voice...sleeping!
Ben: Having Eliza being so excited to see me after work and eating dinner with my family.

So before I could answer this I had to think hard for a highlight, It's been one of those days and we were eating tater tot casserole again (eww)....I was surprised that everyone liked eating dinner as a family. Usually dinner time is my least favorite time of the day. The kids are tired, I am tired, I have already made breakfast lunch and snacks. The last thing I want to do is make dinner. I looked around the table and realized that my highlight was eating dinner with my family too. I am making an honest effort to feed my family so now I need your help. I need some new recipes, and I know you have them! I am counting on you people out there in the blogging world to step up and give me some recipes! Post them in the comments or email them to me a bena_brown at yahoo.com.
I am super excited to try new things so don't let me down!

home again, home again, jiggety jig!

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,
We love the sand and the shells that mom and dad brought back. Could you please bring us some more? Thanks,
The Brownie Bites

We're back.

Here is a rundown of our trip home.

8:05 pm arrive in Salt Lake

Ben: That was a great trip, I miss the kids.

Andrea: It sure was, let's get going to Fillmore and see them.

10:15 pm Fillmore

Ben: Grab the kids and lets get going, its a good thing that they are all asleep, it will be a nice trip home.

Andrea: Look how sweet they look when they are sleeping, I missed them.

10:25 pm In the car

Ben: This could be the best trip to st. george ever, wait I spoke too soon.

Lindsey: I am hungry, why can't we stop at a gas station and get something to eat?

Ben: Because it is too late.

Lindsey: But, I am starving, I think I am going to die I am so hungry, why can't we stop.

Ben: I already told you.

Lindsey: (crying and talking way too loud) Why, I am hungry.

Ben: Why don't you try telling me something fun that you did at grandmas?

Lindsey: I can't, I am too hungry.

Andrea: I think you are tired, try to go to sleep so you don't wake everyone else up.

Tyler: Why is everyone talking so loud? I want to go to sleep. WAIT, I left my shoes.

Andrea: no you didn't, I got them.

Tyler: (crying) are you sure?

Emily: "Tyler stop crying, I am going to hit you"

Andrea: Don't hit, Tyler stop crying, Lindsey we are not stopping for something to eat it is 11:00 pm, that is the middle of the night!

Ben: Go to sleep!

lots of screaming and crying, lots and lots.

12:30 am

Andrea: Ben are you still awake?

Ben: Yes, stop asking me!

Andrea: (looking at the kids in the back of the van.) That was a short vacation (sigh)

Ben: Way too short!

1:15 am St. George

Ben: We're home

Andrea: yipee

Ben: let's haul the kids in.

Andrea: They are pretty cute, when they are sleeping.

Ben: Let's go back to Florida.

Andrea: I couldn't agree more.

postcards from Carillon beach

Dear family and friends,


Hello from Carillon beach. Today I saw this little bird. It reminded me of Tyler. It had teeny tiny stick legs, like Tyler. It ran really fast, like Tyler. It picked up little things, like Tyler does. I guess it is time to go home when the local wildlife reminds you of your children!


Love and stuff,


Andrea
















Dear sisters,


Gracie and I are feeling very rested. Are you sleeping at night Sara? Becky, is Randy sleeping at night? Are you still flirting with the dental student Rachel? Can't wait to see you all.





xoxox Andrea







Dear Tarre and Michelle,
We missed having you here. Ben and dad needed a rip roaring game of settlers. I needed someone to drink diet coke with, wait I can do that by myself. It's just more fun with my fellow rock star! I wore the traveling skirt and thought about you. Can't wait to see you. Is softball over?

Love,
Ben the snorkeler and Andrea the rock star





Dear kids,
Just sit right back and you'll hear tale, a tale of a fateful ship. That something,something,something,something.....a three hour tour, a three hour tour. I will sing it to you when I get home.
Today daddy and I went on a catamaran boat to swim with the dolphins. We snorkeled at shell island and then we went to find the dolphins. We found them and we got in the water but they didn't come to us. Too bad. See you tomorrow night. Are you ready to leave Fillmore?

Love,
dad and mom

ps please find your shoes so we can bring them home with us.

Dear mom and dad,

Aren't you glad that you have such a sassy daughter? Thanks for letting us tag along on your vacation. We had a blast! You are the best. Enjoy the rest of your time at the house and come home well rested (you will need to, my kids will attack you the minute you walk in the door!)

Love,

the oldest one

Dear Lloyd and Alice,

Thanks for raising such a nice son. I am really glad that you sent him over to meet me, and that the Sandersons had the birthday candles you needed. Our kids love you both so much. They are so glad that they have a grandma who teaches them things. Thanks for all your help this summer.

love,

the girl with the short brown hair and your son.

Dear Tyler and Eliza,

lets play eye spy. Don't cry if you don't see it right away. You will still get a turn.

Eye spy with my little eye something that is gray.

Is it a dolphin?

Why yes, yes it is.

Your turn.

love,

mommy

Dear Becky B,
Tonight we went biking around Carillon beach. I felt like I was at New Orleans square at Disneyland. The houses look like the haunted old mansion, only A LOT nicer. I am writing this hopping that one day you will make a comment!!!!! Remember when we didn't have 4 and 5 children? I miss you.

The girl teetering on the edge,

Andrea

Dear Becky W.

Today ben and I saw some wave runners on the ocean. Remember when I threw you off the back of the wave runner at Lake Powell and the stream of water hit your backside? :( I am so sorry, that is a powerful stream of water. Although, while I am writing this I am laughing a little, just a little.

see you

Andrea

Dear Uncle Walt, Aunt Ann, Uncle Garth, Aunt Linda and Grandma,

I hope you are ready for a awesome time here. It will be everything you want it to be! Thanks for coming to see Gracie in the hospital. It meant a lot to me and Ben to have you there.

Love,

I am pretty sure your favorite niece and granddaughter.

Andrea

Good night, sleep tight, tomorrow we go back to reality. Hip, hip, hooray!

oh my!

The two most frequent words said in this house, oh my. Everytime I turn around I find those words escaping my lips. When I walk up the six flights of stairs, oh my. When I walk into the living room, with its crisp white walls reflecting the emerald water, oh my. When I sit on the beach, oh my. When mom spots a pod of dolphins from her third floor perch, oh my. When the sun sets, oh my. This place is amazing, restorative, and soul stirring.
I love my hat, Gracie, not so much


beach, hat, sunglasses, diet coke, book (thanks becky m) oh my.

body boarding at sunset, oh my

how romantic, oh my

good night!

I do believe I have been changed for the better

I stood on the beach today and cried. I cried for all that has happened in the last five months. For a baby born to soon. For children crying and needing their parents. For parents who were so overwhelmed they could barely hang on. For grandparents who stepped up to take over and were exhausted.

I cried tears of joy for doctors who cared for my baby when I couldn't. For nurses who are true friends. Who whispered to my baby terms of endearment, pumpkin,honey,little one, when I went home. For the prayers I felt from so many people. People I knew and people I didn't.

Everytime the waves washed over my feet and then receeded back into the ocean I let something go. It is as if the waves were pulling the sorrow from my body. Grounding me with every surge onto my feet. I anticipated the waves, for they brought joy. I couldn't wait for the water to hit me and bring me memories of all the good as the bad was washed away back into the emerald green waters. Maybe things were not truly bad, maybe I was so overwhelmed with everything I couldn't see outside of the box. I can now. The gentle tug and pull of the waves brought me closure. I am sure there is more to come. But isn't that Heavenly Fathers plan? To learn from our earthly experiences? How tough we are. How savvy we become. How blessed we are. People always say someday we will learn from this. I think that this is the day. I think about all the people I love, who have been through this experience with us. I wish you were here. I love you all.

the napping house

thoughts on today.

1. today was a day of rest

2. Tranquility, mother knows best

3. I can still read a book in one day

4. Accomplishing nothing (everything I wanted to do)

5. napping during the day to the sound of the surf is highly underated

the napping house

don't you just love a deep sleep?

finally dressed at 4 pm to venture out into Panama City

mother daughter team

enjoying a much needed vacation

My sister sara has a gift for finding funny signs. I am learning from her. Here are a few for her (poor girl, nesting in the final month of her pregnancy.)

If you are caught in a rip currant tips. My favorite

1. Know how to swim

how about don't go in the water let alone the ocean if you can't swim. You are just asking for trouble!

What happened to those bumps

Seriously. Ben wants to know how much knowledge it takes?

very big shark

the funny thing is that I didn't know that ginormous plastic sharks swim in the ocean

okay

Sharkys

mom: fish tacos

dad: seafood diane

ben: fish plate

andrea: fish tacos

gracie: breast milk on the rocks

the battery died in the car.

Gracie praying please start!

upcoming events:

1. more napping at the napping house

2. one more book to read in the series

3. night time walking on the beach

4. Snorkeling

5. swimming with dolphins on a three hour tour

See you tomorrow

changes in attitude/changes in latitude

I am about to have a change in attitude. For five days I can do nothing but sit and read and think with a daily nap thrown in here and there for the mom. Today the veranda tomorrow the beach.....

What can be better than that you ask? Maybe a baby with humidity hair.

The view from my napping spot today

The stairs to my own private beach.

Toes in fresh unmarked sand. Yes my feet are swollen.

My very own footprints.

Tomorrows napping place.
Sundays napping place. Pretty soon these babies will be decked out with pillows and umbrellas and diet coke and oh yes, me!

The napping house

Can you feel it? Can you smell it? Close your eyes....and relax!

first dip

seashells for the brownie bites who are living it up in Fillmore.

Self portrait.

Tiny Blessings

We did it! Check one more thing off the list! We blessed Gracie! Hooray! She is getting bigger and better everyday. She is off her oxygen completely and only on the other monitor at night. A friend said to me "she isn't a project anymore, she's a real baby!" It's true. We have been waiting to bless her until we felt like she wasn't so fragile. I went to church late (so people couldn't touch her) with her wrapped up tight in a blanket. We left after she was blessed, again so people wouldn't touch her. I was a tiny bit panicked when the little girl behind us started to cough up a lung. Oh boy, I am a germaphob now. We figured out that 33 years ago to the day I was blessed in this dress that my Grandma Joyce made. Grandma also made the white blanket that I have used for all my childrens blessings. Now little baby Schmalz will get to use it. Thanks Gigi. I know she was watching us from heaven.
The Dress

The shoes
The tiny star

The family

Grace Elizabeth Brown

I think I am excited about this!

The food, thanks mom.

The people.......

The sisters

The Grandma
The birthday present from Michelle. Awesome (kind of naughty:) ) birthday present! I am a ipoder and a blogger now!

The skinny girl (not me, Michelle :) )

The nap, on cousin Sydney and Auntie Sara

The end