Birthday Boy

Happy birthday Kody! Our little boy is growing up way too fast. He is 4 years old today!Kody has really grown up a lot in the past few weeks, and he is such a good helper with his sisters. We had a Pirate party for him on Monday afternoon, with a rockin' treasure hunt and costumes. We got him his first bike, and he is loving it! I'll try to post pictures and maybe even a video a little later. Right now, the baby is crying and Kody is bugging me to look up "Panda Master" on the internet. Aah, the joys of motherhood!

My Baby

My friend Leslie wanted to practice her newborn photography, so we had a little photo shoot for Madi. It was so much fun to hang out and pose the baby, thanks Leslie! Here are a few of my favorite shots:

Home Sweet Home

Well, our ceiling is now fixed and life is almost back to order. We have moved back home, but for now it's just me and little Madi. But where did everyone go? The 2 older cubbies have gone to visit Auntie B for some much needed R & R after the chaos we've had the past couple of weeks. Here's the short version of the past few days: We took my Mom to the airport Wednesday morning (we miss you already Mom) and on the way home Mollie kept saying that we forgot Grandma. That afternoon we took baby to the Dr. to get her belly button cauterized (I guess it wasn't closing on its own), and that evening we stopped at our apartment to pack the kids for their big trip.

Thursday morning we got up, scrambled to get everything packed up and ready to vacate the temporary apartment and set off for our big trip to Pittsburgh where we met up with Auntie B for the big hand-off.The kids are now having the time of their lives and getting spoiled like crazy, did you expect anything less?! Click here to see pictures of their adventures.

Friday morning we were able to sleep in a little before heading back out on the road to take Brett and his classmates to the airport for a conference this weekend. Now it's just me and the little one, and I have to say it's a little too quiet around here. I've just been doing laundry and catching up on my sleep (I didn't get up till 10 this morning!). It's been nice to spend some one on one time with my baby, I might even take some cute pictures of her tomorrow.

Pardon Our Dust

It all started last week. I was up feeding Madi in the middle of the night (I know, don't you wish you were me!) when I heard a little critter of some sort scratching away in our ceiling. Of course, I called housing and they sent over a pest control guy who basically told me to give it a few days and the mouse (or whatever it was) would find its way back outside and we'd never see it. Gee, thanks for the help. Fortunately (I think) for us, the pest guy did notice a crack in our bedroom ceiling. Later that afternoon 2 guys showed up from housing and said the pest guy had called and told them about the crack. I was in the middle of my nap so I have to admit I was a little annoyed that he'd made such a big deal of it. I mean, I had noticed the same crack like 6 months ago and chalked it up to a bad paint job - this is student housing after all! Anyway, these guys took a look and could actually lift the whole ceiling up (that's not supposed to happen). They immediately called to get someone in to put up supports until the contractor could come and fix it. They also told me that we had to vacate our bedroom right away and not even sleep in it. With my mom visiting, there really was no room at the inn so we ended up sleeping on our mattress in the living room all weekend, and Madi slept on the couch. First thing Monday morning the contractor came and got to work. At first they said that it was just a couple of loose nails and maybe one bad spot that they would re-do. As it turns out, when they opened up the ceiling to take out the bad part, the whole thing basically came tumbling down, insulation and all! So, we were moved to a temporary apartment while they finish the ceiling. Whew, I don't know how much more excitement we can take!!

** PS, if you need to reach us for some reason you have to do it via email because we are just otherwise unreachable!

What's in a Name?

For anyone who doesn't know about our strange naming habits, little Madi's middle name may have come as a shock that you still haven't figured out. Even if you do know, but are unaware of what the reference has to do with Michigan, I will try to shed a little light on the subject! First, for anyone completely in the dark:

To make a long story short, we decided when naming our children that we would give them names that have a special meaning to us.It started with Kody - since we met in Alaska and were finally able to get pregnant our last summer there, it only made sense that his name would be something Alaskan. So rather than look in a baby name book we pulled out the map and came up with Kodiak. It's actually his middle name, so there have been a few people who thought we actually named him Kody Kodiak - we're not that strange people!

When baby #2 came along I just really loved the name Mollie, so we took out the map again for her middle name (we were living just south of Marin county when she was born).

Have you figured it out yet? The map of Michigan wasn't very helpful, unless we wanted to name her Kalamazoo, Petoskey or Ypsilanti. Ann was an option, but we have too many friends with the name Ann or some derivative.

Brett had mentioned the name Madeline, and we had joked about naming her Maizy for this reason and then when it came down to it we put the two together and really liked it!

That's the story for our crazy naming habits, and we're sticking to it!

p.s. Be assured that even though Papa Bear has adopted the wolverines and his youngest has a middle name of maize he still bleeds blue, royal blue that is; although the cougars are no longer royal blue papa bear grew up with royal blue and that is still in his blood. GO COUGS, and Wolverines!!!

The Moment You've all Been Waiting For...

As you know, the newest cub in the Bear Family has arrived. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Madeline Maize...The stats: born April 23 at 12:45pm, weighing 8 lbs. 1.5 oz. and measuring 20 1/2 inches.The vote is in, and we all adore her!Kody and Mollie took to tiny Madi immediately, with lots of hugs and kisses . They both wanted to hold her, and they couldn't wait to open up the burrito blanket to see her little toes. Mollie kept saying, "I want to see she toes" until we finally agreed to unwrap her.

The baby is here and healthy and Mama Bear is doing great. To be continued....

Baby Time?

Well we are at least in the hospital and have been since 2 am (it is now 11:15). So here is the good news bad news stuff.
Good news - we are in the hospital.
Bad news - we are still in the hospital.
Good news - The epidural finally seems to be working (after 2 babies with unsuccessful epidurals). Bad news - it was really hard and painful to get the epidural placed.
Good news - the epidural seems to be working.
Bad news - the contractions stopped after the epidural was placed.
Good news - they carry pitocin at the hospital.
Bad news - after the pitocin started to bring on the contractions the epidural didn't seem to be working.
Good news - they upped the epidural and the pain went away.
Bad news - Mama Bear got sick.
Good news - they had some medicine to take care of the nausea.
Bad news - the antiemetic knocked her out.
Good news - she can sleep now.
Bad news - she has to wake up to deliver.
Good news - the epidural still seems to be working and she can start pushing as soon as she wakes up.
Good news - the baby is doing great
Good news - the baby won't be born on our anniversary, so Mama Bear doesn't have to share her special day and neither does baby.
Good news - I think I can get out of my craniofacial anomaly final for a little while longer
Good news - they have cable here
Bad news - daytime television stinks
Good news - they have internet here
Bad news - daytime television stinks and they have internet here so I blabber on on Mama Bears blog as she sleeps.

Ocho

Happy Anniversary Papa Bear! Thank you for eight wonderful years, I wouldn't have wanted to spend them with anyone else! We've changed and grown in so many ways (I'm afraid I've grown a little more than you) and been through so many ups and downs together. I feel like you lift me up and have helped me to become a better person. I sometimes wonder where I would be if I hadn't taken that summer job in Alaska, and the one thing I know is that someone was helping me out because He knew how good you would be for me.So, in honor of our anniversary I am going to fulfill my obligation to a request from a friend. Amber tagged me way back in December and I just never got around to doing it, but this is a perfect time to ask forgiveness and give you a little info about me and my true love!

1. How long have you been married? 8 years today!
2.How long did you date? We knew each other for about a year, but actually dated 8 months.
3. How old is he? Old enough to be legal!
4. Who eats more? I'd like to say he does, but right now it's me.
5.Who said "I love you" first? He did, Christmas Eve 1999
6. Who is taller? Do you even have to ask?!
7.Who sings better? We both sing like angels!
8. Who is smarter? Book smarts, him for sure! But I happen to be way smarter in the "useless random information" category.
9. Who's temper is worse? Now I'd say we tie on that one, but I'd like to think I control mine a little better. (he might tell you different)
10. Who does the laundry? Me
11. Who does the dishes? Me again. Okay, he helps quite a bit.
12. Who sleeps on the right side of th bed? He does.
13.Who pays the bills? Depends on the bill.
14. Who mows the lawn? Lawn? What lawn? I'm sure that by the time we actually have a lawn it will be Kody!
15. Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time, but he's so much better at it!
16. Who drives when you are together? He does, I'm too directionally challenged.
17. Who is more stubborn? Again, I 'd say we're pretty even on that one.
18.Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Since I'm never wrong, I guess that would be him!
19. Who's parents do you see the most? Neither, and that's so sad. We miss them like crazy!
20.Who proposed? He did, and I was totally clueless - he took me to the lake, sang a song he wrote about us and at the end it said something about me being his wife. I looked at him and said, "are you asking me to marry you?" He was like, "duh" and handed me the ring!
21. Who has more friends? Me!
22.Who wears the pants in the family? We both wear pants; I hate dresses, and he would look pretty silly!

The Waiting Game

I'm not sure what is going on, but I keep thinking "today's the day" and then another day goes by with no baby. You may look at our freaky little baby floating off to the right and say, "you still have 10 days to go, what's the problem?" but I'm telling you that my body keeps tricking and teasing me into thinking this might be the day. I won't go into all the gory details, but I will tell you that I have been having very real, very intense contractions everyday for the past week. I didn't have anything like this with the other 2, so it always makes me think I'm starting to go into labor. My Dr. told me at my last appointment that the 3rd baby is always a little strange and I'm starting to believe her! So for now I will just keep living my normal life and breath through these contractions, and maybe sometime in the next 10 days I'll have some results! I'm just really ready to take this big giant baby in my arms and give her a big squeeze and lots of kisses and then put her in time out for being so stubborn!

*Good thing I made my rice crispy treats for primary in advance, because today just could be the day!

Cravings

The other night as I was laying in bed trying to sleep I got a sudden craving for a cheeseburger. Now, I don't mean just any cheeseburger -- I'm seriously craving a cheeseburger from In-N-Out, animal style of course. Heck, I might even make it a double double if I could! And fries and a chocolate/vanilla shake. Oh why don't I live in California anymore? Or Vegas for that matter! I don't have cravings very often, but when I do I kind of obsess about it until I am able to satisfy the beast. During my mission I craved a corn dog of all things, and I couldn't find one for over a year! I'm afraid it will be that long before I get to pay a visit to In-N-Out, but it will be worth the wait!

Not Much, but...

Here are some pictures from our snowy Easter morning that I just haven't felt like posting because I want Spring to come already! (we did have great weather last week, but now it's cold again and supposed to snow/rain this weekend)Yes, even big Mama decided to make an appearance!

The boys in their ties watching basketball before church

A tender moment (I'm sure daddy told them to do this)

What a handsome boy!

I just love her happy laughing face!

P.S. In case you're wondering, the name poll was very successful in my mind (Sophie was my first choice) but Brett doesn't agree. We're back at the drawing board, and the clock is ticking! Hopefully this little one will receive a name before she's 25, but it's been tough this time!

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my birthday and I'm wide awake wishing I could get back to sleep. I woke up about an hour ago (the current time is 5:53am) when Kody got up to use the bathroom. Of course, I had to follow suit and since then have been unable to get back to sleep. It's funny, they tell you to get as much sleep as you can before the baby comes because you know there will be none for the next several months. Doesn't anyone (doctors and experts, I mean) realize how hard it is to sleep when you're in my condition?! I can't even remember the last time I had a good night's sleep, or even slept in the same bed as my hubby for that matter. Kody has taken over my spot and I'm in the other room most nights.

It's now much later (10:00am) and I did go back to sleep for about a half hour before Kody came in to say happy birthday and snuggle with me. Here's the conversation we had:

K: Mom, what party do you want?
(we've been discussing what theme he wants for his party next month)
Me: Oh, I don't know. I don't really need a party.
a few minutes of snuggling go by, and then:
K: *gasp* You need a cake!
Me: Yes, I guess I do but I don't really feel like making one today.
K: I love you, Mom.

Do I have the sweetest boy in the world or what?!

Are You Still There?

I know, it's been way too long since I posted anything of substance on the blog and I wouldn't blame you at all if you've gone away. Just in case some of you are still checking and wondering if we're still around - here's a little something!We haven't been doing much lately, but at the end of February we took advantage of Brett's mid-winter break from school and

went to this cool hotel in Frankenmuth.

They had an indoor waterpark,

so we played in the water and had lots of fun

while the weather was snowy and cold outside!
(check the cubs blog to see more of our fun activities!)

What's for Dinner?

Help! I have really been slacking in the meal department lately. Mostly because I just don't feel like cooking, but also I'm sick and tired of my "usual" fall-backs. Do you have any quick and easy recipes that are also yummy and new? I know my family - namely Papa Bear - would greatly appreciate any and all suggestions. Better yet, any volunteers to come for a visit and become my personal chef?

Better than Chocolate

Happy Valentines Day Papa Bear! When we got married, you said "our song" should be Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan and it is so fitting! You know I love ice cream, chocolate and basically anything full of sugar. I am still so in love with you, and last night you made me love you even more! After such a terrible day with the kids kicking, screaming, hitting, fighting, throwing tantrums, etc etc and I was so tired on top of it all - the only thing I wanted to do is curl up in bed and throw a tantrum of my own. You came home and helped the kids finish their dinner, entertained them and then got them ready for bed so all I had to do was tuck them in. And you did all this when you should have been preparing for your presidency meeting. And then, to make it even better you surprised me with chocolates and a rose when you got home! You'll never know how happy you make me, especially on those days when you walk in the door and want to run right back out because I'm so grumpy. You don't complain when I haven't fixed anything for dinner and it looks like all the toys have taken over the living room, you just gather the kids and encourage them to help pick up and get ready for hot dogs again - or whatever we can find. Thank you so much for being the best husband in the world! I love you forever and eternity!

Tribute

I've been trying to come up with the words to say and searching for that "perfect" picture for a little tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley, but today I came across this slideshow and figured I couldn't do it any better. Thank you to all those who have posted tributes on their blogs, it's been so nice to hear what everyone has to say about such a great man.

I am so thankful to have had him as the leader of our church for so long. I was on my mission when he became the president of the church and we were lucky enough to have had him come to a regional conference and speak to the congregation just a short time before. When he walked into the arena, everyone stood and started singing "We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet" and the spirit was so strong it reconfirmed my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and the knowledge that these men truly are called of God.

As we were listening to General Conference this past October, President Hinckley was speaking and because of the words he was saying I turned to Brett and said, "do you think this is his farewell talk?" I just really felt like he was saying good-bye at that moment, and I'm so glad that we were listening.

We will miss him greatly, but I am so glad that he is now reunited with his wife and others who have gone before!

By the Way...

If you are interested in seeing what the kids were up to while we were away, I've posted a few pictures on their blog: www.grizzlycubs.blogspot.com I know, it's been forever since I posted anything new on that one - I'll try to be a little better about it!

more to come...

Tarragona

Make a photobook - it's easy!

After our time in Barcelona, we took a train to Tarragona, on the coast. It was a beautiful day, and we had lots of things to see! We rented a tiny little car, and began exploring. Please enjoy our slideshow of what we did! At the end of the day, we took the bullet train to Zaragosa, where Los Browns are serving their mission.

Barcelona

Here's the first set of pictures from the big trip! We spent a few days exploring Barcelona, what a beautiful city! I really loved the architecture by Gaudí, he was so creative. Of course we have a million pictures, but I thought these were a good sample. I have to apologize for the sideways pictures, though, for some reason I couldn't rotate them.