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.


Day one was chilly (dare I say cold?) and the pool was the warmest place to be!
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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!).

Ava was having fun throwing the ball for Winston and Shadow

Playing a little catch

Boo Boo hanging out on the grass
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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.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Fun in Kennewick

I didn't know those two words could go together until this weekend (fun and Kennewick)! I had a great time with three out of four of my old girlfriends from Multnomah (Dorina, Brooke, and Jenny). We met at Jenny's house which was pretty central for all of us. What a blessing to get caught up, fellowship, pray, and worship together for the first time in many years. 14 years have past since Jenny and I were roommates as 17 and 18 year olds! So much has changed in all our lives (Africa, kids, husbands, jobs, life). It's good that (as Brooke said) some things never change.

Sunday, June 08, 2008


Hey, how'd we get Morrissey for a son?
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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!?!

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!
This is my favorite all-time picture of our little Boo! I can't believe she's almost 15 months!

Whatchu Talkin' About Willis?!?!


Brynne making a funny face for Uncle Ian. (This post is dedicated to Brooke, who made me laugh so many times by making this face in college!)

Jon took these the other day when Momma wasn't home...


She's getting off to a great start (heehee)
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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.


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Tuesday, May 06, 2008


Ava's version of the elephant Tika on "Barbie as The Island Princess."
It makes me smile every time I see it.
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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!)

Thursday, May 01, 2008


Our sweet smelling Daphne about to open her eyes after a long winter nap...
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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!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Woah, There Little Brynne!


This picture is for Grace and Norah. It seems that "Cupboard Love" runs in the family...

Check out the Busch Family Blog (click on name) to see what I'm talking about...
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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!

Outside the partially submerged sub (we were only about 12 feet underwater).
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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!"

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!)

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.

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.

Making herself at home

Keeping watch over Daddy while he naps. Within two hours of being home she was already snuggling with me on the couch voluntarily. She really is such a sweet kitty.
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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Spingtime!!


It's finally springtime in Portland and our garden is growing all these cute little "buds".
See if you can spot a handsome One in our Camelia tree!

One of the prettiest flowers in our garden is the Ava-Lou


Budding Blossom Brynne is growing sweeter everyday!

My GG's (Grandma Grace's) favorite flower: The pink Camelia. I always think of her when I see this tree.
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Monday, April 07, 2008

Knittin'


A little sweater and bonnet I made for my friend Tonya's new baby, Samuel. I think I'll never go back to knitting blankets; it knitted up so much faster!
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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).
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Wednesday, April 02, 2008

AVA


Ava made this today with some legos--I thought it was pretty cool how she used the sides of the A's to make the "V".
It's "AVA" lego style!!
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