My 30th Birthday Surprises

As most of you all know, I turned 30 last month...September 17th, to be exact. It was a pretty uneventful birthday filled with yummy chocolate cake, a heap of Facebook greetings, and a whopper of a migraine. I was feeling a bit better by evening, so Adam took the kids into town to pick up some take-out Fultano's Pizza (my request). The kids gave me a camera strap slipcover that I LOVE, and Adam said that his gift to me was on it's way via USPS. As usual, I had told him not to get me anything big, and I was perfectly happy to spend a quiet evening at home with my family. The next day was going to be busy, as I was helping out at Tonya and Chris's wedding! So, really, celebrating my birthday was not number one on my priority list.

Camera strap cover (an Etsy.com find)

Little did I know...Adam had a few surprises in store.

The next week I was looking forward to getting a phone call from my dear friend and former roommate Sarah. I hadn't talked to her in ages (at least a YEAR), and she had just gotten engaged and I wanted to hear all the details. She called. We talked. Then, the subject of getting together came up. For over a year now, my roommates and I have been trying to find a weekend to spend together, and it just hasn't happened. In August we were seriously considering September, and as September started coming to an end, I decided "enough is enough!" Sarah suggested the first weekend in October would be good and I told her I would ask Natalie. Mandy, our non-roommate friend wasn't going to be able to make it because another of our college friends was getting married.

That evening, I got a message from Nattie saying that she could make it. I was stoked!! I was texting both Sarah and Nat at the same time getting all the details worked out. I knew that Adam would be fine with it, but I finally asked..."hey honey, is it OK if I have some friends over for the first weekend in October?" Strangely, he responded..."what friends?" Long, sad story short, Adam had already asked them to come for that weekend for a birthday surprise! I was still VERY surprised and VERY touched that Adam would go to such lengths to make my birthday special. I couldn't believe I had unintentionally ruined it...I mean, really...I talk to Sarah once a year!!


The next weekend (September 25th-26th), we got in our car accident. We didn't go to church that Sunday because...well, we didn't feel up to it. Sunday evening my family showed up with pizza, salad, and cake. I thought they were there to cheer us up from the accident, but instead they were there because Adam had asked them to a few weeks prior. Because my birthday weekend was full of wedding and headache, he wanted to give me a surprise mini-party!

Adam was kinda bummed that my gift hadn't arrived in the mail yet. It actually got sent registered mail and was delivered to the post office. I picked it up the next week. Unfortunately, it was packaged in a bag sent from Great Britain and I could totally guess what it was. I was impressed he remembered the hint I gave him a few months prior! I couldn't wait to open it, as it was still going to be a surprise because I didn't know what design he picked. When he finally came home from work I ripped it open to find he'd picked one I loved! He bought me a Golla DSLR camera bag with a design only available overseas. I love it, love it, LOVE it! Super sturdy, durable, well-made, comfortable, and stylish. It's even got a zipper wallet compartment in the front so I can use it as my purse for travel! Plus, the inside is PINK!

Later that week we all got a bad cold. Mom had wanted to take me shopping for some new jeans for my birthday and we were having a hard time finding a day to do it. That Friday, though I was feeling miserable, was the only day that seemed to work. So, when Mom got off work, we packed up the kids and headed to Tanasbourne. We actually had a really nice time. Surprisingly enough, I found some pants that fit (among other things)! We ate at the Macaroni Grill and headed home late. Funny story...we got "accidentally" pulled over on the way home by the same cop that handled our car accident the weekend prior. I think he was a little embarrassed that he pulled over the wrong car. Still, the flashing blue and red was enough to get us worked up for the rest of the ride home.

The next day my roomies were coming! Adam had to go out of town to take care of some things, so the kids and I were left without a vehicle. We had the Montero, but because we forfeited Soren's car seat in the accident we couldn't take the kids (the boosters don't work in the Montero). Sarah and Nattie arrived around noon and the kids were in our faces for the rest of the day. They love guests and always want to be the center of attention...so, they were. I was bummed that Adam didn't come home earlier...and we didn't get to leave the house to have dinner till almost 7:00. Because it was late, the girls and I opted to not take the long drive into town, and instead have dinner at "The Logger." They found it quaint, to say the least...not to mention, it was homecoming night and all the kids were gussied up for a nice dinner at, none other than..."The Logger!" *sigh* The girls now want to make it a tradition...lol!

Me, Nattie, Sarah

We arrived back home to find an empty house. Part of the birthday surprise that I didn't know about was that Adam planned to take the kids and spend the night at my parents house. It was nice to stay up late and not have to worry about waking the kids with our laughter. We had a blast! Truly...it was just like old times.

In conclusion, my 30th birthday was flat-out awesome! Thanks to everyone, especially my sweetheart, for making this milestone a celebration to remember fondly.

Never In My Life...

...has my kitchen been this messy.

What you can't see are the crumbs, the exploding sink full of dishes, the empty silverware drawer (cause they are all in the dishwasher), dried-up yogurt, random bent nails and loose screws, and goodness knows what else. I walked in from taking Soren on his preschool pumpkin patch trip and just had to take a photo. It's sort of a glimpse of how our lives have been in the last month. Our house has been a construction zone, a guest house, a place to entertain, and a hospital for one of the sickest months on record. And, when I'm not doing laundry, cooking dinner, cleaning up vomit, scouring the Internet for our next vehicle, running my little business, taking kids back and forth to school, vacuuming joint compound dust, painting, selling stuff on Ebay, running to the post office, entertaining guests, making deliveries, throwing parties, attending meetings, and sleeping....I'm plopped on the couch for some much needed down time.

Forgive me for my 3-week hiatus...I hope to catch up soon :)

My Big Boy's Birthday

We've pretty much said goodbye to toddlerhood at the Brown house. Wow. Soren had an awesome 4th birthday. We ate burgers, visited with friends and family, ate some cake, and opened some gifts...typical birthday stuff. Soren wanted a Disney's Cars themed party...so that's what he got. He also received LOTS of Cars themed birthday gifts...including (but not limited to) jammies, coloring books, Moon Sand (that's a fun one for mom to clean up), various toys, and a Lightning McQueen shaped radio/CD player. He didn't say much, and was quite serious throughout the party. One thing that eked a smile on his face was the new addition to his rubber chicken collection. As many know, Soren has a strange love for rubber chickens, and chickens in general, that started a couple of years ago (click HERE , HERE, and HERE for a couple of past "chicken" blogs).

When squeezed the chicken whines.

He told me his remote control car was his favorite gift...

I just had to share this pic...such a mess :)

Today, on his actual birthday, he went to preschool. It was nice to return after missing an entire week last week from sickness and stitches (he's still coughing though). I was snack helper and we ate freshly baked cupcakes and strawberries. It's "B" week this week, and Miss Kara thought it was funny that Soren Brown was having his Birthday today. They read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and made Brown Bears with the letter "B" glued on the tummy with Black Beans! At circle time Miss Kara presented Soren with a card signed by the class and a book to take home. Then, all the kids made him an imaginary cake...

A Rough Week for Soren

I think I've cried more times in the last week than I have in the last year. I've had many reminders this week of how blessed I am. That, mixed with varying unfortunate events, has put me close to my limit. When it rains, it pours...right? Well, for my little Soren boy last week, that little statement is quite true.

Last Saturday (the 25th), Adam wanted to surprise the kids with a trip to the Enchanted Forest in Salem. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, and when we left our home, the sun was already beaming. We didn't tell the kids where we were going, and Synnove just couldn't stop asking questions....she was excited! About 20 minutes into our 3 hour drive we got into a car accident. I'm going to save the details of that little event for a later blog. Unfortunately, Soren got the brunt of it and won himself an ambulance ride to Longview. He got the works...an IV, a CT, at least an hour of glass removal, and 11 stitches. I thank God for my husband, as he is usually the better "mom" in situations like these. He rode with him in the ambulance and kept him in good spirits throughout the afternoon while they poked and prodded.


Soren is such a brave little boy. The doctors were so impressed with his ability to stay calm and sit still throughout the entire procedure. As I've said before, Soren is sooo reasonable, flexible, and trusting. He was very quiet on the ride home, but perked up a bit when we arrived. And, despite the scary morning, he slept soundly through the night with his special bear from the hospital.

The next day Soren was doing well. We put him to bed...and with some snuggling, he fell asleep. I was worried about the kids having nightmares from the accident (Synnove was a bit affected), so my ears were sensitive to sounds coming from their rooms. At about 2:30 AM Soren woke with a tummy ache and ended up with the throw-ups all through the day until the next evening. And, in typical Soren fashion, he was a trooper...AND, always landed in the bucket :) Still, I was heartbroken for my boy and was on my knees throughout the day pleading with God to end the misery. From severe headache to severe tummy ache...what next??

Sick on the couch with his new buddy from the church ladies at the hospital...he named him "Lightning 'the' Queen"

It actually took him a couple of days to recover from his sickness. He was well on Tuesday, but still not 100%. He was very nervous to get his stitches out on Thursday. He doesn't say much these days...but I could see it on his face. I assured him all would be well, and it was. He sat completely still and only shed a single, silent tear when the doctor had to tug a bit on a scabbed up stitch.

That afternoon, the sun was out and it was actually warm enough for the kids to play in their swimsuits. It was just the remedy we all needed for a rough-week-pick-me-up! The kids played while I mowed the lawn and Adam mowed the field. Normalcy...it felt great.


The next few days were busy. I was doing a lot of running around, and we were all battling a bit of a cold...Synnove was the worst...lots of coughing. On Saturday, Synnove was sick with a touch of what Soren had. But, thankfully, it wasn't bad enough for her to want to lay on the couch. She didn't have much of an appetite, but that was about it.

In order to start his IV in the ambulance, the medic had to cut his shirt off...Soren was sad about that. I found an exact replacement on Ebay in a size larger...we got it in the mail on Saturday.

Yesterday, we celebrated Soren's birthday (he's turning 4 tomorrow!), and both kids were relatively healthy. Adam and I put the kids to bed and settled into watching SNL on the DVR. We had to keep hitting the pause button to make sure Soren was OK...as he was doing a lot of coughing...and then whining. I went down to get him to see what I could do to make him feel better. He wasn't well. He was having a hard time breathing and his coughing was making him gag. Then, as if that wasn't enough to end the horrid week, he was also crying in pain. Growing pains...severe growing pains. We stuffed him with medicine...cold medicine, Tylenol, and applied some Vick's vaporub. Then, while he sat in Adam's lap watching Oobi, I massaged his aching legs.

I'm praying for a better week this week!