Just some fun pictures

These two guys have my heart!


Owen loves to wear my new Uggs...he thinks its hilarious when he falls down!




Meeting Alex Hoover! and...another morning with mom...Playing in the kitchen cabinets....


Owen needed a trim....I had gotten several "what a cute little girl" comments lately...grrr...


And...helping put the candles on mom's birthday cake...he thought this was a lot of fun.

A mid February Update...and my rambling thoughts :-)

Disclaimer: (for those who only visit us for pictures :-))Sorry, no pictures on this one. We just downloaded a whole bunch of pictures onto our computer, but the laptop is being slow, so I'll have to post from the desktop later!)

Owen's new word is hammer. :-) He got a workbench with lots of plastic tools for Christmas and he loves to run around the house and fix things with his hammer. We are discouraging hammering on the walls, TV or our sliding glass doors...but permit him to bang on other surfaces. He started saying hammer (really its his first two syllable word outside of Momma and Daddy) on Monday afternoon while he was hammering the cabinets in the kitchen.

We are working on obedience and trying to formulate a plan for discipline. Last night we put Owen in time out three different times and had to spank him for biting (something he RARELY does, thankfully!). Yikes. The hardest part is that he thinks we are playing a game (telling him no, even though we use very serious voice!) with him until the actual action of discipline takes place. I think we'll be ok. He is still Mr. Sensitivity and seems to catch on quickly. These last couple of days have just been a little more...interesting. :-) He's trying out the defiant and mischievous thing....and we're trying our very best to discourage it! I'm going to pick up a parenting book my friend Amy House (from Grace) recommended to me. She's a facebook friend and has a three year old so she's always throwing me some good parenting advice! (see how great community is on facebook! Seriously...if you haven't joined yet...get with the program!) :-)

Also, I would like to say that I just love having a boy...love love love it. I think in my pre-baby days I would have never thought I could love having a boy like I would have imagined loving having a girl. But the momma-son thing is super special. Of course, I'll have a whole new set of wonderful emotions and feelings when and if God gives us a baby girl.

I was reading in a parenting magazine at the gym yesterday evening about how each baby stage you are in really is the best stage. I so so agree. I have absolutely loved each and every stage of Owen. I MISS the baby stage...but LOVE where we are now. Every single age period has been perfect. I think I'll remember the next time I have a newborn how fast everything goes and to worry less and SAVOR more...but I'm not going to get upset about my kids growing up. Every stage is a new adventure and brings new joys and blessings. Basically being a parent is awesome. (remind me that when I have teenagers, ok?) :-)

February has been a good month for us. A cold, stay inside kind of month, but fun nonetheless. Josh blew me out of the water when he organized a "surprise" birthday party for me the weekend of my birthday! Wow! He totally gets points for this because I was just complaining to HIM about how he would never be the kind of husband to throw me a party! It was great! I had nearly 30 friends over to visit me (including the Hoovers from Winona Lake with their new baby Alexander!) and it was a great time. Josh also got me a new little camera (I think its a Cannon powershot...I'm not great with knowing the brands, all I know is that its little, cute and pink and it fits in my diaper bag!), roses and for Valentines he got me a pair of dark brown UGG boots! Seriously. Its been a good month for me! Lest you think Josh has gotten slighted, for a Valentines Day surprise I agreed to purchase a new TV for our living room...a 32 inch lcd that his dad had connections to a good deal for. I'm not much into high tech TV's or electronics of any kind but this deal was too good to pass up and hopefully this will keep Josh happy on the TV end for awhile.

We are finishing up a series at College Park in the book of Job, titled Suffering: I choose to bless. Shew. Its been a hard series for reasons I won't choose to share here...but God has definitely been working in my heart and hopefully the next trial I encounter I will apply the lessons I learned in this series and "suffer well". I wanted to share some quotes that Pastor Mark referenced in his last sermon. One is from the evangelist George Mueller: (I'm copying Pastor Mark's outline he has posted at www.yourchurch.com)
(who preached his wife’s funeral message after 39 years of marriage. He spoke from Psalm 119:68) – ―"Thou are good and do good.‖ His outline was ―God was good and did good: 1) In giving her to me 2) In so long leaving her to me
3) In taking her from me He also said:
"I miss her in numberless ways, and shall miss her yet more and more. But as a child of God, and as a servant of the Lord Jesus, I bow, I am satisfied with the will of my Heavenly Father, I seek by perfect submission to His holy will to glorify Him, I kiss continually the hand that has thus afflicted me".

Secondly, Sarah Edwards. The wife of Jonathan Edwards "who died at 54 after 31 years of marriage. Sometime after the funeral, Sarah wrote the following to her daughter":

"What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hand on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband and your father has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be".

I just loved these quotes! I especially love the end of Sarah's quote..."We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be".! What wisdom and faithfulness in that statement! My hope is that I will remember these lessons that God has taught me through this series and that I will draw upon his goodness in hard times...that I may honor him through suffering is my prayer!

Lastly, I know a majority of you who read have no desire to know my thoughts on life so if you are just here for pictures and a quick update I don't fault you at all for not reading through this or not commenting. However I do know that that SOME of you are blessed by my ramblings and for that reason I choose to keep on posting in some form what the Lord has been teaching me. Thanks for indulging me and I hope that in some small way you will be blessed by what God is doing in our lives.

Happy weekend all....a fun and much lighter post will surely follow soon! :-)

Country Fried Steak

So more than five people facebooked (lest any of you blogspot readers are confused, all of my blogpostings feed into facebook and most of my comments are left there :-)) me about wanting this recipe so here it is. Its from a Taste of Home magazine that I got in the mail over the weekend.

Crumb Coated Cube Steaks (or Country Fried Steak)

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
23 saltines, crushed
2/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 beef cube steaks (4 oz. each)
3 Tbsp. canola oil

Gravy:
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1-1/3 cup of milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and milk. In another shallow bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, flour, salt, baking powder, cayenne and pepper. Dip steaks in egg mixture, then cracker crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, cook steaks in oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, stir in flour until blended, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with salt and pepper


Happy Eating!

For facebook....

A couples survey. This seemed fun...I thought our families might enjoy this little entry. I also tag all of my readers to do this...either on their blog or facebook!
You will also be happy to know that at the Valentines Dinner party we went to on Saturday we played the Newlywed game and Josh and I were the winners! (would anyone doubt it though?) :-)


♥What are your middle names?
Kimberly Ann and Joshua Aaron

♥ How long have you been together?
We officially became a couple on Nov. 7, 1998

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Its hard to say. We probably knew OF each other since elementary school

♥ Who asked who out?
Josh did the asking...in the form of a very serious letter following Leadership Conference :-) (oh my....Bethesda... )

♥ Who' s siblings do you see the most?
well his....since my only brother lives in Dayton

♥ Do you have any children together?
Owen Matthew Brown, April 24, 2007...basically he is the love of our lives :-)

♥ What about pets?
not anymore. We used to have Maggie (a crazy West Highland Terrier) but then she peed on our bed and ate the corners of our walls and I had had enough and she was given to a wonderful retired couple who lives in Evansville. She now lives better than we do...eating organic food and sleeping by the fireplace. It worked out. (did I mention she chewed my wedding album! ARGGHH!)

♥Did you go to the same school? We did. Both times. Bethesda Christian and Grace College.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
I think we are equally as sensitive. Although I've come along way in the sensitivity department...I think life and having a child can do that to you though!

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
probably Chili's

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
St. Thomas

♥ Who has the worst temper?
neither of us really have "tempers"...Josh is a bit more 'fiery' than I am but thats because he is a redhead

♥ Who does the cooking?
definitely DEFINITELY ME :-)

♥ Who is more social?
Me again

♥ Who is the neat freak?
Still me!

♥ Who is the most stubborn?
Probably me

♥ Who hogs the bed?
Uh oh...me again! It just happens! I need to sprawl out!

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
We generally wake up at the same time now that we have Owen

♥ Where was your first date?
Applebees

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Josh's family is bigger

♥ Do you get flowers often?
I wouldn't say "often" but he has improved over the years

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
This is a ridiculous question because we were always serious. Way too serious at way too young of an age....but we got engaged after several years of dating and our engagement lasted 1.5 years

♥ Who eats more?
Josh I guess?

♥ Who sings better?
I don't think either of us have a particularly good voice really... :-)

♥ Who does the laundry?
me...sometimes Josh helps though

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
definitely Josh

♥ Who drives when you are together?
we mix it up.

♥ Who picks where you go to dinner?
We both do.

♥ Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?
not me. I hate being wrong (but so does Josh...so...I'm not really sure on this one)

♥ Who wears the pants in the relationship?
I would say we have a pretty equal marriage. We decide on big things together.

♥ Who has more tattoos?
Neither of us have any.

♥ Who eats more sweets?
I guess Josh does, I'm not really a candy person

♥ Who cries more?
These days...me. I'm a hormonal mess. (again, no pregnancy announcement here!)

♥ How old are each of you?
Josh is older by a year and a month

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
I'll pick one hard situation....the job search for Josh was particularly hard. He did a lot of odd end jobs until he found his teaching job.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
yes, basically anyways...good ole' Brownsburg, Indiana

♥ Who is the smartest?
street smarts? Me; Book Smarts? definitely Josh

♥ Who has the craziest exes?
definitely Josh! ha ha!

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Its ridiculous really. We usually end up going to two places for Thanksgiving, but for Christmas we hit at least six family gatherings.

Menu 2/16-2/22

Monday: Crumb Coated Cube Steaks with mashed potatoes and green beans
Tuesday: Pizza King (per Josh's request)
Wednesday: Beer Chicken Fajitas or Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken...haven't decided yet; rice and re-fried beans...
Thursday: Chicken and Red Potatoes
Friday: Date night out
Saturday: Not sure yet...we are having company...Josh has requested poppyseed chicken. We'll see :-)
Sunday: Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Cheese, Salad and bread

(I'm trying out some new recipes from Taste of Home this week, I'll let you know how they turn out!

Edited to Add: Score one point for dinner tonight. It was basically country fried steak and Josh even said he thought it was better than Bob Evans. :-) Comment or facebook me if you want the recipe!

A facebook post to do over lunchtime...

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be!! Thought you all who knew me back then might get a laugh out of some memories! Share yours!

1. Did you date someone from your school? I did.

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? sure did!

3. Did you car pool to school? nope

4. What kind of car did you have then? a super cool ford taurus!

5. What kind of car do you have now? A black Saturn Vue

6. Its Friday night...where are you? oh my...basketball game, a date with Josh, sleepovers at Missy's house...or possibly working!

7. It is Friday night...where are you...now? ha! Usually asleep on the couch after pizza and a movie! We are trying to mix this up a bit. This past Friday night we went out for dinner, shopping at the mall AND a late night movie. WHOA. Watch out people.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? Many. I taught piano lessons, worked at Blimpies/TCBY, K-Mart, Daycare and lets not forget how I made my millions in babysitting!

9. What kind of job do you do now? Surgical Coordinator for Indiana University School of Medicine...Ophthalmology

10. Were you a party animal? Ha. No. I wasn't.

11. Were you considered a flirt? I doubt it.

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? yes, band. I played the clarinet for three years. I was always third chair and I sucked big time. I would have loved to have been in choir but due to my lovely one-vocal chord voice I have no range.

13. Were you a nerd? like was I a nerd about grades? No. I was lucky to make B's. And I think I bought my way out of failing chemistry and algebra (yay for the megathon!)

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? nope. I did get sent to the office twice though...once for having a short skirt and another time for making a phone call for a friend! I'm such a rebel!

15. Can you sing the fight song? definitely not

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Mrs. Tidball

17. Where did you sit during lunch? at the top of the gymnasium. (at the "Mean Girls" table)...

18. What was your school's full name? Bethesda Christian

19. When did you graduate? 1999

20. What was your school mascot? Patriot

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you?probably...it was a pretty good time of life. Not many worries...lots of good friends. I don't really care to repeat the schoolwork though. I'm kind of over that :-)

22. Did you have fun at Prom?You mean Jr./Sr. Banquet? :-) Yah. I had fun.

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? Well, I'm married to him...so yes.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? sure...if we have one!


25. Do you still talk to people from school? Yes. And I love them. (ditto to that Corinne!)

Some pics that I had easy access to from recent friend gatherings.... :-)

Menu 2/9/09-2/15/09

(Disclaimer: The Italian Theme wasn't really planned....I just happened to re-read everything I posted and noticed that nearly everything I'm making is "Italian" :-) I'm re-thinking Thursday though...so if anyone has some good suggestions using ground beef...let me know!)

Monday: Italian Steak Sandwiches on Rolls, Cheesey Potatoes and Green Beans (I have the recipe for the steak sandwiches, but it isn't posted on the internet so I can't link it. If you are interested in this recipe...comment me and I'll e-mail it to you!)
Tuesday: Out
Wednesday: Foil Packet Italian Chicken, Salad and Bread
Thursday: Italian Meatloaf and Roasted Red Potatoes
Friday: Raspberry Chicken, Salad and buttermilk honey bread (Josh is helping host a kids night out at his school to raise money for his coaching fund and I'm having my good friend Anna and her kiddos over for a girls night in...Anna's husband is gone all weekend on a ski trip with youth group! We'll probably make something more kid friendly for our munchkins!)
Saturday: Valentine's Dinner Party with Small Group
Sunday: Chili and Cornbread

Just because I want to remember...

I wanted to take a few minutes to think about Owen and what he's doing at this age. I did a much better job of this when I was blogging on Xanga, but I want to keep it up. This is much more fun than keeping a loooong journal in his baby book (I mean I keep stats and stuff, but not particular developmental stuff). Its amazing to me how you just forget. You think you will never forget what your baby did when they were such and such an age...but you really do. I mean when its time for me to have a newborn again it will be like starting over. I actually kind of like that.
I have this weird philosphy on life that if I space big things out far enough (like weddings and babies) then the actual events will be twice as special and twice as enjoyable. This thinking is twisted and probably incorrect, but its still kind of the way I do life. I like to save the best for last.
For example, in high school, whenver I got a new outfit to wear, I would save it for Friday. Because Friday was the best and last day of the week. Why wouldn't I want to save my favorite outfit for the best day of the week? I'm silly like that. Even now I find myself doing this in little ways. Planning to have my next baby when my life is just a tad bit easier...like why wouldn't I want to have a newborn when my son is potty trained and can do a bit for himself? And I've made my 21 days without a sweet tea or soda...but I'm saving my celebratory drink for my birthday....my favorite drink on one of my best days (well, not such a great day now that I'm old...but you get the idea!). Anyways. I digress. Huge rabbit trail!
Back to Owen.
Here are some fun things that he is doing.

1. He loves to sit up on the kitchen counter and hang out with me while I cook. He will come up to me and put his arms up and say "cook". Its so cute. Especially cute now that I know what he wants!
2. When he wants someone to go play with him in his playroom, he will come up to them and say "hand". Then he will lead you off to go play. Its very sweet. I try and remember to go play with him as often as I can and as often as he wants me to. Because it won't always be me that he wants to play with.
3. He loves bananas more than any other food (I think) and will point to them and say "nana".
4. He has some weird crazy made up word for "please" that no one can understand. BUT when we ask him to say please, this word is always what he says. Unfortunately it sounds nothing like please.
5. He loves 101 Dalmations (the cartoon movie). When he wants to watch it (which is often) he will point to the TV and say "whoof, whoof".
6. When you ask him what sound a cow makes he says "Booooo"! (even though he can make the M sound just fine!)
7. He love to take showers with Josh. I started this habit when he was around six months old. Now he only takes them with his dad, but I think he likes them more than baths. He also doesn't mind getting water in his face.
8. He is OBSESSED and I mean OBSESSED with balls. All things balls. He loves to throw them, kick them, SEE them. He thinks anything in a circular shape is a ball (like the sun in a book we read). Yesterday we were watching Sesame Street and there was a basketball goal in the background of the scene they were shooting...they weren't even talking about basketballs...it was just there in the back...and he started saying "I shoot", "I shoot ball"! I couldn't figure out where that was coming from until I saw that it was there in the corner background of the TV! I promise we didn't pressure him into this or insist he carry a ball at all times. This all comes from him! Its hilarious!
9. He may not say a whole lot (we figured out that he says around 30 words when we went for his check up last Monday) but he KNOWS a lot. Just for fun I asked him to go get his pajamas for me the other day and he disappeared returning a few minutes later with...pajamas. Sometimes I can't believe how big he is. It makes me nervous to think about what ELSE he knows! :-)
10. He loves his multi-colored hat that we bought for him last year from baby Gap. It is supposed to fit a six month old's head. It fits Owen perfectly. The other night he slept in it. Most Sunday's he wears it his entire time in the nursery. I find it absolutely adorable and endearing. in case you are wondering, "hat" is one of the words he can say.

I think I'll stop there for now. I'm sure there are more and I may come back and add later.