Our Favorite Place...

Blast from the Past...
Jonah Fredrick (18 months old) at a birthday party--check out how chubby!!
 

Our church had to cancel our annual camping trip (it was 110 where we were supposed to camp and that's just suicide) so instead we went to the Columbia River for the day and had a wonderful time BBQing, having water fights (the boys are loading up their guns in this picture), and swimming in the river. It was a relaxing and fun day with our friends!

At Rooster Rock there isn't much shoreline, but the water was so refreshing after the HOT weekend (105+)! Jonah and Simon battling and contemplating hopping back into the water.

Jon "battling" Miriam Griffin in the murky water...

Ava and Jillian making a "Mud-Castle"

Last week Jonah had VBS every night. The kids kept calling it PBS (ironic!) Ava and Paige waiting for the music to start...
The two Whirling Dirvishes...

Jonah and class doing the motions to the songs...sorry about the blurriness--they move so fast! 

Last night Bepo (my sister April) watched the kids while Jon and I coordinated the Basque Thank-You Dinner:
Bepo: Okay, let's go get in the bathtub!
Ava: You know how to give kids baths, Bepo?!
Bepo: Yes, I do.
Ava: First you wet their hair, then you put soap on their hair and all over their whole bodies. But, I don't know how to give kids baths, I'm just a kid still.

The Brawley's:
Jon, Elisabeth, Jonah, Ava, and, Baby!...due sometime in early April.

When we told the kids that there's a baby growing in Momma's tummy Jonah immediately said, "It's gonna be a boy and I'm gonna name it Michael!"
"Why Michael, Joe?"
"Cuz it's a nice name."

11 Years ago with friends on the top of a mountain out in Corbett...we called it "Brooke-Ian" (cuz they brought us there). This was taken in 1995!
I am in the top right hand corner with the ugly glasses and sunflower t-shirt on (hey, sunflowers used to be popular!)...We are having our 10 YEAR college reunion next summer--I can't believe it!!! (Back row, L-R: Derek, Kris, Brooke, Me; Front Row, L-R: Karl, Ian, Becky) Good Times!

The other day Jonah put on Ava's belt and came downstairs, "Momma, you know that this is a boy's belt? Boys like purple, too!" (Uncle Ian this one's for you!) I thought it was quite the contrast with his spiderman t-shirt!
 

Don't worry, Gamma and Nana!
The "rash" from the previous post (below) turned out to be bug bites and were gone within a day. (big smiles from me--I was afraid it was chicken pox--you know how I love to "go and go!" Two weeks at home would have been torture on my poor soul!)

This morning:
Elisabeth: Ava, I'm a little worried about that rash you have...
Ava: Yeah, and I'm a little worried about the freckles on Jonah's nose and cheekies.

Jon (playing Sleeping Beauty and Belle with Ava): Sleeping Beauty needs shoes.
Ava: No, there's no more shoes. She can just wear her paws.

Ava had fun this morning dressing Momma, complete with my "fancy" shoes! This one's certainly a girly-girl, who still loves to "wess-o" (wrestle), and who loves to wear her Minnie Mouse dress everyday!
The kids enjoyed coloring Curious George printouts this morning. As I write this they are headed off to play "Sleeping Beauty's horsies", a little game they created together. When Jillian went home after staying with us for three days last week she told her older brother, "Jonah likes to play with girls and boys!" (click picture to enlarge)

I love all natural Trader Joe's cheese crackers! (they should pay me for this ad!) 

Independence Day!

Just a cute picture. 

"Mmmm....Phenomenal cheesecake, Louise. I haven't had cheescake like this in 20 years!" 

Boy oh boy it doesn't get any better than individual mud pies (complete with gummy worms)made by Aunt Melanie!


"Check out my little shark, Mom!" Jonah chose to have the little beach dessert made from blue jello, with teddy graham lifeguards and life savers for life preservers--they were very detailed and so cute! I wish I had taken a picture.








Photos courtesy of Jon Brawley

Queenly Ava going for a ride with Benz.
Vincent checking it all out with Mommy.
Melanie teaching Jonah how to catch us some dinner while Jon and Corey chat (check out how many people there are across the lake at the park!)