That's our Ethan

Sunday night, offhandedly, Ethan says "I got an award on Friday."
Mom and Dad's heads suddenly jerk towards him and away from his little siblings. 
With big huge smiles and jaws wide open "WHAT?!?!?!?! For what?"
Ethan pulls out this framed certificate he got and a gift certificate for a free treat from the school cafeteria.  From his 6th grade team (there's one other team), he and another girl were given the award for being "Knowledgeable" (dad says "in other words: Smart").  
If I had gotten this award, I would have been prancing to the car on Friday afternoon asking what kind of treat my parents were gonna give me for getting the award.  Not our Ethan.  He almost forgot to tell us!
So proud of that kid and his ALL A'S this quarter.

Dancing...by our Littles

Memories from Christmas

- Spending 4 beautiful rainless days in Modesto with the all of Rob's family.

- Torturing the Voss family by forcing them to play games all night long.
- Having breakfast at the motel with Grandma Rae, Tim and Jayne.
- Watching Darby (13 mths.) share her toys with Esther (7 mths.).

- Having Darby almost walk for her first time between Aunt Joni and Uncle Rob.
- Bingo!  (that was for you, Russ)
- Seeing extended family even if it was for just a short time.
- Getting the Howells (Rob's sister's family) all to ourselves for a whole day.  My kids really love their cousins!

- Christmas Eve with the fewest Browns EVER at Aunt Sue's house.  Where was everybody?
- Waking up early Christmas Day and taking our big kids over to Chris Cable's house where we made breakfast burritos and gift bags of fresh fruits and muffins.  Then we delivered them to some people who needed a pick me up on what may have been an otherwise depressing day.
- Spending Christmas Day with both sets of parents together.  Never imagined it would happen and it was so much fun!

- Being with the Merediths on their last Christmas in Redding.
- Finishing a 1000 piece puzzle with my sister at 2am.
- Watching Tate and Zac take turns whomping each other.
- Being told as I'm prepping my family to leave for Oregon that there were 2-5 inches of snow on the pass and another 4-6 expected that day and realizing it was illogical to make the trip to see my brother and his family that day.
- Seeing my best friend Jennifer Beaver.  There's never enough time.
- Doing black-ops with Noah.
- Going to Cattleman's with my parents and my sister and her husband for their anniversary.  So much fun and the menu special made it really inexpensive!
- My dad spoiling my boys with Laser Tag and Go Karts, the park, and hot dogs at Costco.

 -  Going to In N Out 4 times (Rob went 6!)
- Sitting in church listening to my dad preach when pictures of my siblings and I flash up on the power point.  Not fair that they were from my dorky years. (I wonder if any of my years were not dorky?)
- The New Year's Eve Eve party my brother, Joey, threw for us since we were traveling back on New Year's Eve.  That was a seriously STRONG margarita!
- Experiencing the stroke of midnight while sitting in our airplane seats at the gate in Omaha waiting for the doors to open.  Esther was still awake!
-  Our family Christmas 2 days after we got home.  I did not have time with the move to go shopping for the kids before we left for CA.  We might have to do that every year - I got such great deals on the kids gifts the week after Christmas!

- Not wearing a winter coat for a whole 2 weeks!

I have fallen out of love with Lincoln

Watch out - this is a vent blog.  Rob went out to plow the 6 inches of snow that had fallen between the last time we shoveled last night and right now.  He came back in incredulous - during the night our car window had been smashed in.  Things had been disturbed in the car, but anything of value had been taken last month when whoever had gotten into our car.  This is ridiculous!  The reason our cars are parked where they are is because our garage is still in total disarray from the move.  Rob and I had just been venting last night about how frustrating it is that we can't find anything.  While we are incredibly grateful that we had help moving, we did not label things well or put things in this house in an orderly fashion.  And the empty boxes are getting in the way of the garage being organized anytime soon.  So the vehicles are outside.  But our neighbor says he's never had an issue with car vandalism.  What the heck?  Do we look rich?  Cause we are NOT!  In fact we are so close to broke that I am not buying groceries this week until I get my paycheck on Friday.  Granted, we are trying to live debt free.  Maybe I should just give that pipedream up.  Especially since now we have to pay for a broken car window to be fixed!  The whole reason we had to move was because we were broken into for the 2nd time in 2 years.  That didn't include the numerous car breakins we had or the times our toys/bikes were taken from our deck by the neighbor kids - even by young 2 year olds who wandered unsupervised into our yard.  Each time I tried to remind myself it's just stuff.  This is getting REALLY hard to not feel victimized.  I AM A VICTIM.  I do not want to live in that state, but I have to let myself feel the feelings and get over them.  My God is still in control.  Did I mention that the car we were borrowing in CA got broken into?  Yeah - it has followed us EVERYWHERE.  We cannot escape this.  I feel like Job right now.  I wonder if one of my children is next.  It makes me want to leave this place - escape.  I know it can happen anywhere, but it's happened in Lincoln, NE.  While we lived at Rob's parents house, Rob's window got smashed out 3 times.  Our current neighborhood as well as Rob's parent's old neighborhood are nice areas of Lincoln.  People can say "well it was where you were living."  Really?  Cause I don't believe it.  My friends who I consulted before I moved there have never had an issue like we did with break ins.  Right now, I feel sorry for myself.  I am not a person to do that.  That is not me.  But right now I have to be ok feeling that way.  I refuse to live in that state.  I will continue to live a very generous life, I will continue to show others love even if they are the ones who broke into my home or car, I will continue to raise above these circumstances to be a light for Jesus Christ.  He lived with nothing but the clothes on His back.  I have so much more than that - and I know I don't need it all.  I will not be beaten down.   I will wait upon the LORD and have  renewed strength; I will mount up with wings as eagles; I will run, and not be weary; and I will walk, and not faint. (Is. 40:31).