Discovery Center Trip

I took my littlest love to a local children's museum today.  Discovery Center at Murfree Springs.  She's been before as a brand new 2 year old, but today was like a whole new experience for her.  She was so neat to watch explore and play all on her own.  I only snapped

a few

pictures,

which is too bad because we had such a lovely time and my girl was such good company. 

I am treasuring these precious days with her at home ... and all over town. :)

Four-Wheeling at Last

We headed a little ways south yesterday to visit with a coworker of Josh's who has some room to breathe (translation: a yard bigger than our patch of grass).  It was nice to see Noah back in the saddle with Josh

as this is a special past-time he and Josh shared day after day when we lived in Alabama.  

 

Sadly, there hasn't been much chance of that since we moved, so Anna had no idea what she was missing ... until now.

Luckily, when you know someone with some actual land, there's a good chance they have some furry friends to speak of, too.  Noah was so brave and got busy feeding the goats

and Nixon, the donkey.

Anna, recalling her trauma the last time she tried to feed farm animals, was not willing to help much, though she did let us coax her into actually NOT screaming and even allowing the critters to come a little closer.

She much preferred the peaceful picking of fresh strawberries

and flowers, of course.

And what's a day outdoors without roasting hot dogs and marshmallows?  So, cook-out we did. :)  I also tried my first ever blackberries.  Not bad!

Then we did a little four-wheeling of the Power Wheels sort.  Noah and Anna took turns off-roading while the grown-ups sat around the fire and chatted.

Other highlights of our time with Mrs. Lynn and Mr. Bruce (who Anna kept calling Mr. Bob) included a couple dogs (not pictured), a tree swing,

and wandering a ways in an empty creek bed ... til Mommy made them stop for more pictures ... that a certain little lady would not really cooperate for.  

We liked the day and surroundings so much, we agreed to come back this summer for a Staycation at their house one weekend to dog/house sit when they go out of town.  Who could resist all this ... and the pool in the backyard, too?  Not the Family Brown, that's for sure. :)  We'll be there with bells on and the four-wheelers in tow. 

T-ball Recipe

The recipe for a perfectly adorable and successful first t-ball game includes all of the following ingredients:
 

One little boy and his new uniform,

A dugout and teammates,

A turn or two at bat,

Base runs,

Catches and throws,

Some chew,

Some more chew plus ear-plugging,

A sister lounging in the audience,

A daddy volunteering (mandatorily, ha!) at the concession stand,

Your own personal photographer in the stands (aka - Mommy),

a pinch more of ear-plugging when the fans go crazy,

And, oh yeah, a win, 17-13!  Go Big Blue!

Don't Lie to Yourself

I am so in the zone with this song lately.  I love it and how it reminds me to recalibrate my thinking and refocus my attention away from worthless things, drama, pettiness, distractions, worry, fear, jealousy, etc. Oh, how I need to hear and practice the self-talk of ... Don't lie to yourself, o my soul - love your God.   Just love your God.  It amazes me what a discipline this is!

O My Soul by Audrey Assad



Rivers and stones and the trees of the field, they sing in the night
And a thousand tongues lay deep in your lungs to raise to the sky
Don't lie to yourself, o my soul—love your God.
Don't lie to yourself, o my soul—love your God.

Deep in your heart you feather and tar your folly and fear
Expose them all for the fools they are and the world comes clear
Don't lie to yourself, o my soul—love your God.
Don't lie to yourself, o my soul—love your God.

Your worries will never love you
They'll leave you all alone
But your God will not forsake you
O my soul.

Don't lie to yourself, o my soul—love your God.
Don't lie to yourself, o my soul—love your God.

April's Mood

I am in the throes of another bittersweet April.  All of April every year my brain is consumed with an awareness of Noah's coming birthday at the fresh start of May.  I get weepy if I try to speak about it.  Or type it.

It always stuns me as I try to wrap my brain around the new number my precious boy will be.  It always moves me to so vividly recall our lives during the events that unfolded into his adoption.  It always makes me cry to realize how far away his baby days are.  It's always a raw reminder of how in love I am with my son.  I don't think I will ever do or love something so much as raising him. (Anna, too, of course, but -you know ...This post is about my Noah.) 

Only seven days left of five?
Is he really going to be SIX?
Is that really me and Josh who are going to have a six year old?

Bedtime Prayers

Josh says at bedtime he and the kids were talking about when Abraham sent his servant in search of a wife for Isaac.  Josh explained to the kids what type of person they will want to look for as husband/wife one day as well as what kind of friends they should be looking to make now.  When it came time to pray, Anna didn't want to participate.  So Noah took over and prayed for good friends that will be nice and not talk mean and not tell lies.  It was then that Anna decided she would like to pray after all.  Anna in prayer, by the way, is really one of the sweetest things you might ever behold.  She is the most vulnerable and trusting and earnest and honest and innocent precious baby I ever heard utter words to heaven, so you can imagine how it stole her daddy's heart (and mine, when I heard the retell) when she prayed for a "handsome husband" that would be nice to her and not tell her he doesn't want to marry her.

Are we sure I can't bottle her at this age 

and keep her here forever?  

No? 

That's a pity. 

Guess I'll have to settle for blogging her instead.

Taa Daa: Scarves, Board

This week, I learned to work with a new ruffly yarn and have since finished 2 of them (3 if you count the entire one I lost when it slipped off my needle). I have also already bought 3 more skeins of this yarn, so don't be surprised if you find your next gift from me is one of these bad boys. :}

Also, this past week at MOPS I led my last craft of the year, DIY Memo Boards.  They were super easy to make and the one I made landed on Anna's wall near her bed.  I see many cards and pictures in its future.

And, how cool is it that this post is my 1,000th blog post here on Scrapbook Brown? :)  Pretty cool by my standards! 

First Scrimmage

We can't seem to catch a break with Noah's t-ball season so far.  Three different scrimmages have ended up cancelled for weather or opposing team conflicts.  So we're lucky last night's scrimmage came before the rain last night, because his first REAL game of the season this morning did not fare so well.  It was rained out and there will be no make-up.  Boo!  Thankfully, I snapped a couple pics during last night's first scrimmage.  They will have to do in place of what today was supposed to be.  (Fingers crossed for next week!)

Noah's first time at bat.  Nice form, baby!!  He made a good hit and made it to first base, eventually making it all the way home with his teammates subsequent hits.  (I like how every little guy/girl gets a chance to hit during an inning, by the way. Good plan, t-ball rule makers!)

Anna was looking forward to yesterday's scrimmage because she was excited about cheering Noah on with her pom-poms.

I've discovered something about sitting around watching practices and/or games.  It's very soothing!  I think I'm gonna like ball season. :)

Do Not Be Anxious

Noah has been struggling with loneliness at school for a few weeks now.  He gets anxious in the mornings and cries and, clinging to me, tells me he wants to stay home with me. Other mornings, the struggle is more internal and he just keeps a stiff upper lip and asks me in the car to pray for him.  

But you know what's interesting to me?

That on the mornings when we sing and talk about scripture on the way to school, Noah forgets to ask me to pray for him about feeling lonely when he is there.  It's like he feels armed and prepared, not fearful or anxious.  Take today for instance.  We sang his most recent memory verse (Phil. 4:6,7) over and over again and we talked about what the verse teaches and discussed the more difficult words. And then we sang it over and over some more all the way to school.  He knows it by heart and is so proud to own it and is encouraged by its promise, I can just tell.  I prayed for him still after he got out of the car, but while I was at it I thanked the Lord for how, like his word says, his peace is guarding Noah's heart and mind.  It is just so cool to see it in action; to observe that Noah leaves my car at peace when God's Word is in his mind and on his tongue, so much so that he again didn't feel the need to ask me to pray for him.  

Do Not Be Anxious (Phillipians 4: 6-7) From Seeds Family Worship



Phillipians 4: 6, 7

Do not be anxious
About anything
But in everything
By prayer and petition and thanksgiving
Present your requests to God

And the peace of God
Which transcends all understanding
Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Phillipians 4: 6-7

Cooper Creek Strawberries

Anna and I met up with a friend, Kelli, and her son, Weston, today to walk down the lane and pick strawberries at her neighbor's patch that just opened close to home, Cooper Creek Strawberries. 

I couldn't help snapping pictures along the way.  And can you blame me?  Look how adorable these two are!

Anna surprised me by how little she actually picked.  She sort of just wandered with the bucket in hand, not really doing anything to fill it.  Just scoping the place out.

She tended to waddle along like a little duck close behind Kelli and Weston.

But it was under Mrs. Kelli's tutelage that Anna learned the ropes and got to pickin' finally.

I coaxed her in to sampling the goods, too.  They were so ripe and JUICY and delicious!

Checking out the goodies when all was said and done.

Love these bright and cool - but still warming enough - spring mornings we've been having! 

Thanks for the sweets, Cooper Creek!
We'll be back soon, I am sure! :)

Knutty Knitters

So that group of us girls that learned to knit last October have been keeping at the knitting and even named our little fledgling club The Knutty Knitters.  Yesterday we attempted to get together again to learn a couple new tricks.  Only about half of us could make it, but make it we did!  It was such a pleasant morning gabbing it up with friends.  And while most kiddos were at MDO, Anna had a little friend over, Ava, and they just played and played for over two hours!

Meanwhile, Melissa (our fearless leader) taught Lisa, Angela, Susie, and I how to knit stripes and also how to work with a fun new yarn that comes off looking all lacy and ruffly.  I couldn't put mine down once I got the hang of it and I managed to get about this far last night while catching up on a couple shows after everyone went to bed. 

In the end, it's gonna be a Mother's Day gift for my mom.  Shhhhh; don't tell.  (I'd make one for my MIL, too, but they don't so much need scarves in Florida, I'd wager.)

Dino Trek at the Zoo

Yesterday, I took to our Nashville Zoo along with several friends of mine and Noah's.  Never liking to be outnumbered by my hooligans kiddos, I took Noah only and left Anna at home with Josh.  She was  disappointed for a split-second until Josh promised to break in her new ice-cream maker, ride Daddy's 4-wheeler, plant some more flowers, and make cookies, too.  They did all that and more and were just as tired at the day's end as Noah and I were after all the activity that comes with animals, lots of walking, lots and lots of little boy chatter and cahoots, and lots of sun and breezes.  And, oh yeah, lots of cool dinosaur models through the new Dino Trek exhibit they have going on.  It was way cool and really well done!  Noah walked through the whole thing with his guard up (the models move and shoot water) and with his fingers in his ears (they roar, too!). 

Anna Originals

Almost every day lately, Anna will ask me if we can do a craft.  I always feel bad when I am too busy, too tired, or too unprepared to set her up with some materials.  Over the past two weeks, however, she's been getting some crafts done all by herself. 

Flag 

(with a Mommy assist in the taping department)

Parade Hat
(with a Mommy assist on safety pinning)

Guitar

(she actually slathered glue stick all over it to make the bottom secure to the rest, so I helped the girl out and hot glued it for her after that)

I love her creative little mind and her initiative, too.  I can tell she and I are going to be partners in crime ... if I could just get my act together enough to do a little prep work!

Shredder Strikes Again

Our backyard is a crazy mess of mole hills, tunnels, and Chewie's subsequent bigger holes as he tries to catch the moles.  I've actually been surprised that he's come up nil so far this season, excluding a couple unfortunate birds that he managed to ground and shred. And I do mean SHRED.

But today (or maybe it was yesterday, I don't know) his mole-lust was satisfied!  This is what Anna and I came upon in the backyard:

Big fat mole!  (mercifully NOT shredded) 

One down, so many more to go!

This Girl

THIS girl is a pill.

A pill, I tell you!  On any given day, I could give you several new examples of her pill-ness.  Could be her after nap grumpiness, her short fuse, her sassy moods, her picky eating ways, her "I want to be alone!" with her arms crossed so far across her body you think they will pop out of socket at the shoulder.

Today, I'll share just the most recent "pill" moment.   We've been out shopping, she's had her lunch, she's watched me clean, she's been scolded for not being truthful, we settle down to a little tv together and I offer her some choices of shows to watch.  That's supposed to be a great strategy for dealing with toddlers and preschoolers, you know.  Give them power/choice within a set of predetermined options the adult sets forward.  Oh, no.  No, no, no, no, no.  My Anna scoffs at all of such child management strategies.  Be it food, clothes, books, activities, anything, it's gotta be on Anna's terms. This always happens ... just like it did today.

I said, "Anna, which do you prefer? Doc McStuffins, Mike the Knight, Max and Ruby, or Curious George?" Was she satisfied with any of these FOUR great choices.  Oh, no. Heavens, no.  Her highness named a FIFTH option I overlooked apparently.  Not for a second did she buy into the idea that she was limited to my list.  So, Fine!  Caillou, it was.

All pill.

Isaiah 53:5 on Easter

By His Wounds from the Glory Revealed CD featuring
Mac Powell, Mark Hall, Steven Curtis Chapman and Brian Littrell



Isaiah 53:5

He was pierced for our transgressions
He was crushed for our sins
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed

He was pierced for our transgressions
He was crushed for our sins
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed

We are healed by Your sacrifice
And the life that You gave
We are healed for You paid the price
By Your grace we are saved
We are saved

He was pierced for our transgressions
And crushed for our sins
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed

We are healed by Your sacrifice
And the life that You gave
We are healed for You paid the price
By Your grace we are saved
We are saved

He was pierced for our transgressions
He was crushed for our sins
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed
And by His wounds, by His wounds

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Happy Easter to you from the Browns!

On the Hunt

Our neighborhood Easter egg hunt has been a tradition for Noah and Anna since we moved here.  We were looking forward to it today which is why it was so upsetting when it ended poorly. Before the hunt, we were all smiles. :)

But after the hunt, we were all tears.  Well, Noah was all tears at least.  Poor thing got spooked by all the hustle, rush, and chaos of hunting with the 5-9 year olds and froze on the spot, clinging to my leg, crying for Daddy who was over at the 2-4 hunt with Anna.  I tried to salvage what time we had left by holding his hand and hunting with Noah, but by then there were NO eggs to be found.  Noah was upset (naturally) and I was more than irritated with the situation.  Anna had at least recovered six eggs and really couldn't have cared less.

We told Noah to forget that joke of a hunt - that we'd go home and have our own egg hunt. While they napped, we hid eggs all over the back yard.  And these eggs were much more appealing for the kids because some of them had cash.  Chewie had to be chased after he started grabbing eggs and eating the candy in them, which was a funny turn of events.

The tears from the neighborhood egg hunt were forgotten just like that.  Thank goodness!

Looking forward to finding more Easter goodies tomorrow morning from a certain Bunny!