A weekend of fun OR the Browns band together

We spent last weekend at my sister's house again. Like always, we descended like the plague with M and I and David, as well as my brother and sister-in-law. We started our trip off with a Mystery Dinner on Friday night--thanks to my sister's genius. If you have never had a mystery dinner, do! We had many in high school growing up. They are dinners where you order from a menu with items called by different names (sometimes decipherable, sometimes not). You must even order your utensils, plates, etc... in a set number of courses. This made for fun as we tried to eat broccoli salad, for example, minus any utensils. (way to go, Andrew!) Poor Shayna got all utensils and plates in the first 2 courses and no food until course #3. We soon discovered though that the original Brown children enjoyed their time far more than the in-laws. We did not mind the lack of utensils, condiments, plates, drinks, etc... Does this have anything to do with how wackily we grew up?

The Mystery began with a menu of Easter items

Poor Shayna

The next day we enjoyed the ninja gladiators in front of us as my sister's 4 kids put on a fashion show display. We played Apples to Apples that afternoon with the two boys. It was fun to see how everyone thought (including my very random thought processes), and even more fun because we were playing with kiddos! After David finally woke up from his nap (the first attempt resulted in a singular--we hope-- escape. He climbed out of the pack and play and easily opened my sister's handle doors to toddle back into the family room), we had an Easter egg hunt in their very sizeable and very beautiful backyard. So many places to hide eggs that they may still be finding them next year. Even David got a bucketful. The candy inside was a big hit for all! We enjoyed another yummy dinner (this time not too mysterious) and fell asleep to the Computer who Wore Tennis Shoes. Or was it the Strongest Man in the World?

Preparing for the hunt

a little help from her Daddy E found a gold egg! oops...that one was already found! David's bucket

Resurrection Sunday- We attended church with the Wilsons and then came back for some family portraits in their beautiful backyard! After another yummy lunch, we packed up and headed back to Houston, stopping off in Richmond on the way to drop off A and S.

The Weylers

The Browns

The Wilsons

As a sidenote: my sister posted the recipe for the oh-so-yummy dessert she made this weekend. Enjoy these Brownie Goody Bars!

The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la

Can anyone name the song, composer or otherwise that this title comes from? I know my husband can! (hint: it is not the expected pop music genre)

Four years of changes

These photos are dedicated to my very patient sister-in-law and to all those who have been waiting to see the end result.

Study Before: Study After: Living Room Before: Living Room After: Dining Room Before: me in the process Dining Room After: (was it worth the mess? Oh, yes!) Family Room Before: Family Room After: Upstairs Guest Bath Before: Guest Bath After: Master Bedroom Before: Master After: And now for the big reveal...

Master Bath Before: Master Bath After: ...and the even bigger reveal... Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After: And this one is just because every time I went around the house taking pictures, David would chime in "cheese" and then grin because he wanted me to take his picture too! Oh, did I mention this post was begun Jan 25 and only just now posted???

The whole gamut

My reading has been covering a lot of different lines recently.
First--Gianna by Jessica Shaver. It is the true story a girl just a bit younger than myself who was aborted but survived. She is a believer and has used her story as a form of ministry. The book was interesting from the political side and some of the substories were amazing. The book is written from the perspective of a teen (she was only in high school during its publishing) and is a bit immature at times. However, a good reminder of what girls go through all the time.
Second--a much lighter read! The Yellow Typhoon by Harold MacGrath. This is one of my favorite fiction authors. He wrote in the early 1900s (this one is 1919) and always gives a well-written adventure romance novel...most often a spy story during WWI. This fits into this mold quite well, but unlike many others I have read, it was not quite as sweet. One of the main characters is a wretched female. (not that I am supposed to like her, but...) and there is a bit of mystical element to this one that is not otherwise present. Still a fun adventure. Now--I am in the midst of a second-time read...just as good now since I am in a different stage of my life. Created to Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl. It is constantly convicting me to be more cheerful, more gracious and more loving in my responses to Michael. It is a fabulous read!

In honor of the Middle East Grandparents

No, my parents are not really middle eastern. (albeit SA is their current residing place) and Yes, don't you think our son, with a bit more of his summer brown, could fit in quite nicely!

My best friend

I realized today that I do not talk about my best friend enough. He is the wonderful man to whom I have been married for almost 10 years! I am so thankful for Michael! He always builds me up in public and is so affectionate (two areas that I need to work on). This man knew how tired I was this week and how much I had going on so he volunteered (yes, completely voluntarily) for me to make a honey-do list for him to do while I counseled on Thursday night. I left him with a few things to do and came home to this:

and a very clean house. Thank you!!!

I got to spend last night with my two favorite boys on the best date!

We headed to the Woodlands to spend another 40% coupon on Legos at Borders. This brought us to Market Square. We decided on a Lego kit after a few minutes. I pondered over God's great grace played out in a blind/mentally retarded teen girl who was strolling around the store with her arms looped over the shoulders of another preteen girl. The most beautiful sound was coming from her lips as she sang the whole time. God's gift in that beautiful voice! We paid and left. Then we took a leisurely stroll around Market Square enjoying the beautiful weather and taking in the sights. We opted for a relaxing dinner at Potbelly. David actually ate a good bit of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then begged for bite after bite of our chili. What a blessing when he does eat! We then strolled back to the center of the square to watch more Tai Kwon Do and watch the kiddos play in the fountains. And of course, the night was not complete without letting David get down and play too (after removing pants, socks and shoes). He absolutely loved them! Even after the initial surprise of being caught it the water once... Can't wait until it warms up a tad and this can become a common outing. We drove home at dusk after a beautiful evening together!