Brynney or Boo-Boo?

A little name game. . .
If you show Brynne a picture of herself she says, "Thas Brynney!"
But if you ask her what her name is, she says, "Boo-Boo!"

Joe the Writer

I know he's only 8. And I know he's only in 3rd grade. But this got me so excited today that I had to share!
Jonah took this paragraph:
"On a morning in 1609, a man made his way over a bridge. He wore a jacket and a cap. His clothes were splashed with mud, and mud sucked at his shoes. He could hardly see for the rain in his face."
and turned it into this:
"On a foggy morning in 1609, a mysterious man made his way over a muddy bridge. He wore a damp jacket and a cap. His clothes were splashed with mud, and mud sucked at his shoes. He could hardly see for the cold rain in his face."
Much better, right?!
His teacher thinks he's destined for greatness. ;)

Annual Beach Trip!

Thanks to Ian, I don't even have to come up with an original post about this. :)
Click here to view!
(thank you Ian!)

Baby Abey

Abram's first music video. Music provided by Jonah and background screaming fit, I mean singing by Brynne. Enjoy!

Gammie and Papa Visit

Abram met his Gammie and Papa Mel for the first time last week. It was wonderful to have the help my mom provided--she cooked and cleaned the whole time! Papa Mel wrestled with the older three kiddos and got them all riled up just in time for dinner and bedtime every night. Guess it's a Grandpa's privilege. And while it sounds like I'm complaining, might I also say that it's a parents dream...to have them making great memories for the little ones--even while I shout in the midst of the chaos: "Go wrestle in the basement!!!"

Thoughts of a 2 Week Old

"Hey, that girl keeps sticking that baby-doll in my face!"

"I wonder when I can eat again. . . and what the square root of 591 is."

"Oh well, I may as well fill this diaper, too."

The Price of Beauty

Poor Abram learned right away what a nice warm bath can turn into. . .

He went from calm and relaxed to screaming in just a few seconds.

But he sure smelled great after!

Some Random Pics of Some Cuties

Ava in her permanent silly-face
















The kids love to play on what Brynne calls the "Swing-Slide" (and for good reason, I mean, that's what you do on it).
Joe and Ava really wanted Brynney in this picture with them.






Brynne lays her dollie next to Abram all the time, so I thought I'd better get a picture of it. Ava went and got one, too.
I think Boo is moving in for a kiss on that doll...

Welcome Abram Jonathan!

Abram Jonathan Brawley was born on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 12:59am. He is healthy and happy and cute! He was 8lbs 1 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. I was so stoked to not have to be induced and we are all recovering nicely. Stay tuned for more pictures. . .

Bubble Bubble!!

Oh. My. Word.
Jon and I are so thrilled!!
We figured out how to make our favorite treat right at home:
The Japanese school-girl obsession that is Bubble Tea (to quote my friend Steve).
There is an Asian Supermarket right down the street from our house, so after doing a bit of online research we figured out our list and headed down to "Fubon". When we walked in it reeked of fish--I think our kids thought they had just stepped into a foreign country!
We quickly found what we needed: the tapioca "pearls" (called Boba--this is what makes it Bubble Tea), the flavoring we wanted (Mango!), and of course, big fat straws to drink it with.

We got home, I made some sweet iced tea, mixed in some half & half (it has to be milk tea for me to drink it),

cooked up some delicious Boba (10 minutes boiling time, 10 minutes to steep with the lid on),

stirred in a little mango flavoring and voila! (oops, can I use French to describe this Asian delight??) it was ready. For the price of 3 bubble teas at a tea shop, we can enjoy about 50.
Now the only drawback is all the calories involved...

Pizza, Disc Golf, & Friends

I grew up going to the same church in Redlands, California, where I also met Aimee and Jeff Walnofer. They still live in Yucaipa (right outside Redlands) and every summer Aimee plans a surprise vacation for her family (Jeff and two kids: Tobias and Delaney). This year they returned to Oregon and we got to see them for Flying Pie Pizza, disc golf (where Jeff got a hole-in-one and has the pictures to prove it), and some good catching-up time for me and Aimee. We had a great time!!

Ava and Delaney share a love of drawing

They kind of look like they could be sisters!

Jeff & Aimee

The four of us (well, 5 if you count that big belly)

More Teeth (or lack there of)

Ava has lost three of her teeth in only a few weeks! These last two were just within a couple days of each other...I guess one couldn't live without the other.

A Few Days With Poppop/Nannie

Jerry and Louise took the kids for three days this week so Jon and I could get some R&R before this baby comes (due date in two weeks). Here are some pictures of their time together--looks like they had fun!

Ava's New "Do"

 

 

 

Ava has been literally begging to have her hair cut off...I guess it's just too hot for her. We made her wait a while to make sure she really wanted to, then CHOP! I cut it this morning into a short A-line bob. She wants to donate the 10 inch braid to Locks of Love (after seeing her second cousin Sarah do the same).
We think she looks pretty darn cute!

We Call Her Brynney-Boo

Brynne Vs The Orange

 

I think she finally won!

Guess Who Lost Her First Tooth...

 

Ava was biting into a plum on the way home from VBS the other day and POP! Her tooth nearly came out. It took until the drive home the following day for her to extract it, though. She's not that into wiggling. But we think she looks awfully cute (and she kind of has a lisp now)!!!

Brawley 4th of July

 

Two little Nakies swimming in the pool.

 

Two little Nakies playing on the "Swing slide" as Boo calls it.

 

I couldn't resist this one!

 

Our good friends Steve and Brooke stayed with us last weekend and we had so much fun. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to go into labor. Jon and Steve got to play three different disc golf courses, Brooke and I went garage sale-ing (very successfully, I might add), and of course OMSI was on the agenda for the kiddos. It was also Steve's birthday (sorry for the not-great pic, you guys) and it was fun to celebrate with them. The next day was the 4th of July and when it got dark we sat outside watching the neighborhood and downtown fireworks and listening to the sirens...Steve (click on his name for a sound bite--did I spell that right?) said it was as close to a war zone as he'd ever want to be. Brooke was about ready to get the garden hose out and make sure our fir trees didn't go up in flames.
We had a perfect weekend with good ol' friends.

Tastebook

 

 

My sister Jamie gave me a gift certificate to this wonderful thing called Tastebook. It imports your saved recipes off of several websites (such as epicurious, all recipes, and more). Then you input the recipes you want added, have it printed, and voila! My own personal hardcover Tastebook was at my door in three days. Came right in time cuz my fav recipe collection photo album from our bridal shower fell apart that week. . . I guess 10 years of abuse was all it could take.