As we made our annual trek to Kahneeta (early this year since Jonah has been begging to go for two months) a whole herd of horses crossed the road right in front of us! Needless to say, Ava and I were very excited.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Kahneeta Year 5
As we made our annual trek to Kahneeta (early this year since Jonah has been begging to go for two months) a whole herd of horses crossed the road right in front of us! Needless to say, Ava and I were very excited.
Jonah slow down! (running for another trip down the waterslide). Jonah's gone from not wanting to touch the water (year one) to being a regular little fish. This year he was a good enough swimmer to venture down the water slides without water wings!! Ava also made some swimming progress this year--see that small waterslide going into the 3 ft pool near Jonah? Ava looked at it and decided she was going to go down it! After about ten trips down, she asked Jon to catch her and he backed off at the last second (to try and get her to put her face in the water). That plan didn't work too well and she made the rule that boys are not allowed to catch her anymore, only girls (I guess she knows who the more sympathetic gender is!).
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Ava on Marriage and Berries
(Just a little background: Jon and I met at a college group function at a roller skating rink. I asked him to teach me to skate backwards...)
Ava: I just LOOOOOOVE these berries! They are SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOD!!
Momma: You love them? Then why don't you marry them? (I know, I know, I'm still in third grade)
Ava: Marry them?! What?! We have to be buddies first!
Momma: How long do you have to be buddies for?
Ava: A really looooooooooong time.
Momma: How do you be a buddy?
Ava: Well, you have to help a'chother (each other). Like help each other roller skate.
Ava: I just LOOOOOOVE these berries! They are SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOD!!
Momma: You love them? Then why don't you marry them? (I know, I know, I'm still in third grade)
Ava: Marry them?! What?! We have to be buddies first!
Momma: How long do you have to be buddies for?
Ava: A really looooooooooong time.
Momma: How do you be a buddy?
Ava: Well, you have to help a'chother (each other). Like help each other roller skate.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Fun in Kennewick



Sunday, June 08, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Jonah's First Hit!!!
With only two games left in the season, Jonah got his first hit and his first run last Saturday!! He did so great and was grinning from ear to ear! When he hit it we all (the other parents, too) were cheering so much and yelling "He did it! He did it!" and when he rounded home plate and gave me a high five he said "Maybe Dad will buy me Mario Kart Wii!!" (yeah, right!)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
More "Ava-isms"
Ava cracks me up! The other day she was telling Daddy to scare Jonah while getting ready for bed:
Jon: Do you want me to hide and jump out and scare him?
Ava: No, just come up behind him and give him a little "Hi there"!
And this morning I let Jonah have his Wii time early-on, and he passed a certain galaxy he had been trying to beat yesterday:
Ava: Oh, Praise the Lord!
Momma: Ava, you crack me up!
Ava: Do I laugh you out!?!
Jon: Do you want me to hide and jump out and scare him?
Ava: No, just come up behind him and give him a little "Hi there"!
And this morning I let Jonah have his Wii time early-on, and he passed a certain galaxy he had been trying to beat yesterday:
Ava: Oh, Praise the Lord!
Momma: Ava, you crack me up!
Ava: Do I laugh you out!?!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
A Few Moments With Boo

Brynne's little personality has really been coming out lately. She seems to have a bit of a dry-ness to her funny-ness and loves to make us laugh. Tonight Jonah crept in her room to say goodnight and she sat up and just waved at him from her crib with a little smile. That's the kind of thing Jonah really appreciates and was dying laughing!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Laura's Magic Mud

Jon's cousin Laura put this on her blog and the kids tried it out today...It's called Magic Mud, made from water and cornstarch. It totally feels dry--so crazy! Jonah loved this but Ava wasn't so sure...she calls it Goopey Gunk instead.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Friday, May 02, 2008
You Can Tell
It's spring for the Brawleys when every meal on the menu is either served with a salad or IS a salad...(see side-bar for menu!)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Menu & Recipes for Last Week
Per Jamie's Request:
Mon--Crockpot Tostadas:
1 lb ground beef, browned
2 cans refried beans (or black beans)
1 envelope taco seasoning
8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 Cup water
Combine in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 6 hours. Spread on tostada shells and top with your fav toppings. These are super yummy! Recipe from "Fix-It and Forget-It" slow cooker cook book.
Tues--Chicken Arrabiata with Linguine & Salad:
6 ounces fresh linguine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup prechopped onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 T evoo
Grill/saute chicken breast with italian seasonings....
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm. Heat tblespoon oil in pan. Add onion, minced garlic, basil, and crushed red pepper to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add tomato paste and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or just until sauce begins to thicken. add chicken to pan and cook 3 more minutes. Add parsley to the pan, stirring well to combine. Serve over pasta.
Wed--Lentil Soup with Sausage & Bread:
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 chopped onion
3-4 cloves diced garlic
2 stalks celery, chopped
Saute all 3 in EVOO until nice and soft and slightly brown. Add some thyme, salt and pepper, baby carrots, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 cup lentils and 4 C chicken broth. Simmer for at least 1 hour.
Thurs--Chicken with Gorgonzola Sauce, Salad, & Mashed Potatoes:
Cook your chicken however you want and top with this delish sauce:
1 Cup whole milk
1/2 Cup gorgonzola cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
Shortly before serving, warm the milk over medium heat in a small pot. Add the cheese and melt it into the milk. Stir sage into the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Recipe from Rachael Ray.
Fri--Rosemary Chicken Potato Pizza:
Boboli pizza crust, homemade pizza crust, or a loaf of foccacia bread, sliced in half width-wise (to make two big pizzas)
garlic sauce (2T garlic to 2T melted butter; i usually 3x it)
cooked/chopped chicken
fresh rosemary finely chopped
fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped
3 boiled and sliced thin small red potato
shredded Mozzarella
combine and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
Recipe from my sis Jamie!
Mon--Crockpot Tostadas:
1 lb ground beef, browned
2 cans refried beans (or black beans)
1 envelope taco seasoning
8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 Cup water
Combine in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 6 hours. Spread on tostada shells and top with your fav toppings. These are super yummy! Recipe from "Fix-It and Forget-It" slow cooker cook book.
Tues--Chicken Arrabiata with Linguine & Salad:
6 ounces fresh linguine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup prechopped onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 T evoo
Grill/saute chicken breast with italian seasonings....
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm. Heat tblespoon oil in pan. Add onion, minced garlic, basil, and crushed red pepper to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add tomato paste and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or just until sauce begins to thicken. add chicken to pan and cook 3 more minutes. Add parsley to the pan, stirring well to combine. Serve over pasta.
Wed--Lentil Soup with Sausage & Bread:
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 chopped onion
3-4 cloves diced garlic
2 stalks celery, chopped
Saute all 3 in EVOO until nice and soft and slightly brown. Add some thyme, salt and pepper, baby carrots, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 cup lentils and 4 C chicken broth. Simmer for at least 1 hour.
Thurs--Chicken with Gorgonzola Sauce, Salad, & Mashed Potatoes:
Cook your chicken however you want and top with this delish sauce:
1 Cup whole milk
1/2 Cup gorgonzola cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
Shortly before serving, warm the milk over medium heat in a small pot. Add the cheese and melt it into the milk. Stir sage into the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Recipe from Rachael Ray.
Fri--Rosemary Chicken Potato Pizza:
Boboli pizza crust, homemade pizza crust, or a loaf of foccacia bread, sliced in half width-wise (to make two big pizzas)
garlic sauce (2T garlic to 2T melted butter; i usually 3x it)
cooked/chopped chicken
fresh rosemary finely chopped
fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped
3 boiled and sliced thin small red potato
shredded Mozzarella
combine and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
Recipe from my sis Jamie!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
War, Part 3

Jonah, Adian, and Makaena, and I (elisabeth) toured the USS Blueback Submarine at OMSI yesterday. The kids were so awestuck by how compact everything was and of course the periscope, all the switches and lights, and how cool it is that this sub had been involved in a war (Vietnam).
Plus seeing the torpedoes was really cool (about 1.2 million apiece!) Our guide asked if anyone knew the difference between a missile and a torpedo...his answer: 12 million dollars. Yikes!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Ava's Song
You know how sometimes you can't make out the words in a song?
The kids listen to a CD that is all Scriptures put to music often ("Hide 'em in Your Heart", & "Sing the Word from A-Z") and this is what Ava was singing as she was coloring this morning:
"Honor your father, and your mother
So that you may live long in the land...
our God our God is giving you...
that's what it takes from a horrible break!"
The kids listen to a CD that is all Scriptures put to music often ("Hide 'em in Your Heart", & "Sing the Word from A-Z") and this is what Ava was singing as she was coloring this morning:
"Honor your father, and your mother
So that you may live long in the land...
our God our God is giving you...
that's what it takes from a horrible break!"
Saturday, April 19, 2008
War Part 2
My Grandpa Fred (Jonah Fredrick's namesake) served in the Navy during WWII aboard the USS Nashville CL-43 as General MacArthur's personal signalman. The bottom picture is of General MacArthur aboard the armed cruiser. There was a book published in 2007 called Humble Heroes (click on title to follow link) solely about this cruiser during the war. Needless to say, it is being shipped to us as we speak. :) Click here to read the author's blog.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Boys, Girls, and War
Jonah has been all about World War II lately. It all started with playing Battleship and reading a book for school called Twenty and Ten (fiction story about 30 children hiding from the Nazis in France). Anyway, we are now buried in books about submarines, battleships, destroyers, true stories (I threw these in more for my sake and Ava's, and to put a face on the victims of the war), activity books, and history books. I think next week we're going to try and tour the submarine at OMSI. Tonight Jon wanted him to see the movie U571 (censored) about a Nazi submarine boarded by the US Navy (Matthew McConaughey). Ava sat and watched it with us and amidst all the explaining she finally sighed and said, "I don't like this movie cuz it doesn't have any songs in it!!"
(BTW: If anyone has some tips on age-appropriate WW II info for Jonah right now, let me know in a comment! Thanks!)
(BTW: If anyone has some tips on age-appropriate WW II info for Jonah right now, let me know in a comment! Thanks!)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Roll Fish
Ava: Momma, do you have a seven?
Momma: Go Fish. Jonah, do you have a Jack?
Jonah: Nope, go Fish. Ava, Do you have a seven? (Ava hands him the seven card)
Momma: Woah, someone was paying attention!
Jonah: Yeah. That's how I roll.
Momma: Go Fish. Jonah, do you have a Jack?
Jonah: Nope, go Fish. Ava, Do you have a seven? (Ava hands him the seven card)
Momma: Woah, someone was paying attention!
Jonah: Yeah. That's how I roll.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Jonah's First Time "At Bat"
After the game, I asked Jonah what he thought of the game.
He replied, "I never knew baseball could be so fun!"
The Newest Brawley

Meet Blossom Brawley!!
This is Ava's cat. Blossom is four years old and we got her yesterday at the Oregon Humane Society.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Spingtime!!
Monday, April 07, 2008
Knittin'
Annual Spring Visit
We had a great time with Gammie and Papa Mel this past week. While the men went to the Portland Swap Meet the women and kids enjoyed some shopping! Some highlights from the visit include: Thai food, Woodburn Outlets, playing Craps, my mom's bran muffins, lots of babysitting, and Juicy Fruit (Just to name a few).
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
AVA
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