You know you are a Brown when:

You'll do anything to get your hands on some food!

Seriously, we don't mess around when it comes to our food. Looks like Annie is gonna fit in just fine. :)

Things that make me go, "hmmm?"

• How many times must you go up and back down the stairs in your house in a any given one hour period to check "workout" off your to do list for the day?

• How many times in any given one hour period must you either A.Tweet (and to think supposedly the cool people do this...but yet they call it Tweet...hmmm??) or B. Check your Twitter account to be deemed a Twitter junkie?

Note: I do not have a Twitter account, I am just wondering for a few of my dear friends and a loved one..."ahem"... :)

• Does pulling a piece of thread out of the hem of your jeans and getting the noticeable piece of pepper out of your teeth count as flossing?
  
  
• Is it lying when your child's preschool teacher asks you how many hours of sleep your child is getting at night because he is "pretty irritable lately"...and you count from the time you put him in the bed rather than from the time he actually falls asleep (and you know there is a BIG difference between the two)?
  

• If you haven't actually popped open a can of soda in years, but you drink 90% of your husbands when he pops one....who is healthier...you or your husband?

• Are you a bad mom/person if the receptionist at your child's school called and asked if you would be willing to organize the teacher appreciation gift gathering for your child's preschool class and you said no? Just a "No"...followed by a simple, "I am not good at that kind of thing, sorry."

• How about if you don't work and you are a stay-at-home mom...and you still said "No" to the receptionist?
  
  
• OK...last mom guilt one: Are you a bad stay-at-home mom if your child's preschool teacher calls to ask you if you looked at your son's report card yet because it is still unsigned in his book bag and she put it in there "Days ago"?

Favorite quotes/texts this week

Scene 1: Max and I sitting on a park bench enjoying an official "date." Max is thoroughly enjoying a chocolate milk and a glazed doughnut covered in chocolate icing and sprinkles. I am drinking a breakfast smoothie while drooling over Max's chocolate icing doughnut. We are playing our official "3 Questions" date game:


Me to Max: "You know, Max, I think you are really good at being a leader at school and doing your school work the first time Ms. Sandy asks. What do you think you're good at?"


Max (as his lips are covered with chocolate icing and a milk mustache): "Fishin and goin on dates." :).....What're you good at, mommy?

After some dialogue, I tell Max it is his turn to think of a question for us to answer:

Max (With a huge chocolate grin): What's your fav-o-ite thsing bout me? :)

MELT my heart!! :)

~~~~~
Scene 2: Jack stumbling into my bedroom at 6am with bedhead, half opened eyes, and a scratchy voice:

Jack: Mommy, is today da day Pasta Gawand (Pastor Garland) is gonna be my papa? :)

(Today was grandparents day at school and he has been looking forward to Pastor Garland coming to be his adopted papa!...Thank you, Pastor Garland!)

~~~~
Scene 3: Chris, the kids, and I at the mall, rushing to the car to head over to Hallandale for small groups. After 15 minutes of standing in the parking lot searching for our car keys to no avail, Chris concluded that he must have thrown the keys in the garbage with the scraps from the chik-fil-a kid's meals the boys just enjoyed. As we returned to the food court to debate which trash can can we used, I realized we were going to be late to small groups. I immediately started texting for back-up.

Me--to my friend and small group member: Hi girl. can u please get things started for me tonight? think i'm goin to be late.

p.s. we lost r keys in a trash can (don't know which one) in the food court at the mall. :). will be there asap.

Friend: Sure. on my way there now. traffic is terrible tho.

p.s. you guys r a bit dysfunctional outside of church, huh? :)

ME (As I watch Chris digging through trash can number 2 with only one glove on): Yes. Yes, we are definitely dysfunctional. :)

p.s. WARNING: dont shake Chris' hand tonight. :)


Note: After digging through 3 trash cans ( in the food court at the mall!....I just gag remembering some of the things he had to dig through!), Chris decided to check the last store we were in...Yep, they were sitting on the counter by the register. :)
~~~~

Quote of the day

Me to Jack: "Jack, Mommy is really sad that you through a temper tantrum at school today when Ms. Betsy told you to lay down on your mat for nap time. You are going to get a spanking when we get home."

Jack: "I didn't throw a tempur....How you say it? tempur tanter?...I didn't throw a tempur tanter, mommy. I threw my mat and my pillow."

I am happy to report that not only did I laugh (on the inside, of course) but this happened 2 weeks ago and we have not had a repeated mat and pillow throwing episode...yet :)

Bath Time Hairdo's

MAX AS THE JOKER:

JACK AS CINDY LOU WHO ( from THE GRINCH)

Jack Favorite bath time hairdo:

Sleep will come

My mom once told me, "Don't worry about sleep--it will come. Just get some when you can." That's exactly the way it is around here--on top of the kids and their fluctuating schedules, we have so many exciting things going on that Chris and I have decided to quit stressing about sleep--we have learned to "just get some when we can." I think "when we can" is going to be after this life! I've been telling the Lord that I can make it without much sleep throughout this short life if He just promises to leave me in the grave and let me sleep for about 3 days before I join the party in heaven :). I haven't gotten a clear answer from Him on that one yet.

Regardless, Chris and I don't want to miss out on anything --except maybe the evening news, the MLB playoffs, and the drop off line at school--occasionally.

Here are a few pics of Chris, the boys, and Annie attempting to "get some when they can."

Cousins

Anytime Max and Jack get a chance to spend time with their cousins, they have a blast---No Butts About It!! :)

Our Dream Date!

A few days ago our dear friend, Gloria, and her kids took the boys for a day at the pool, which meant a day for Chris and I to just chill. We quickly decided to take Annie with us and head to the mall for a little shopping. What an adventure that turned out to be. I am so thankful I don't get nearly as flustered when things do not go as planned as I did when Max was a baby. I would have lost my mind by now, if the Lord didn't teach me to chill out and just laugh.

So here's how our trip went: First, let me back up and say to the ladies who read this: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER go shopping in hopes of trying anything on two weeks after you deliver a baby. I mean, what in the world was I thinking? Seriously, just stick to buying accessories. OK, so Chris and I are in Express and we are checking out- he is getting a shirt, and I am getting a bag (a very smart purchase-- the bag is a huge accessory--one that you can hold behind you to cover your backside, or in front to cover your stomach. It fit me just perfectly:). As I hand the cashier our purchases, I hear Annie EXPLODE --I mean she blew up (Chris is cradling her in his arms at this time and just gives me the wide-eyed, "did that just come from her?" stare). As I am trying to politely refuse the cashier's "open a store credit card" plea, I notice out of the corner of my eye that poop is literally dripping from Annie onto Chris' toes (and yes, he had on flip flops :) and all over the floor. Chris had no idea - until he took his first step. It was so funny!! You should have seen Chris trying to walk out of the store nonchalantly like he had everything under control, while trying to walk on his heels only and hold Annie as far away from him as his arms would reach. It was hilarious..... I was crying from laughing so hard :) We cleaned Annie (and the floor) up and promised each other that we were going to forget the whole "3 second rule" for food that drops on the floor in a public place with Max and Jack. We figured we are probably not the only parents whose kid's bodily waste has dripped on the floor.

Our next stop was Gap. As we were in the dressing room, The PA systems comes on and announces very calmly, "There has been a imposing threat to the mall, please proceed as quickly as possible and in an orderly fashion to your nearest exit." Chris looks at me and says, "We gotta go, it could be a bomb." You have got to be kidding me -- I just actually tried on a shirt and a pair of pants that actually fit and hid my tummy, and now I have to leave them here because we are about to be bombed. Here is our conversation that followed:

Chris: (as I am scrambling to get my own clothes back on): "I would send you with Annie, but since you're not dressed, I am going to take her. Meet me at the car."


ME: "OK, Sure Babe, I will probably die in here; but that's cool, I will take one for the team. Go ahead."


Chris: (as he is grabbing the car keys and the diaper bag) "This could be our last good bye. I love you."


Me: (Laughing and thinking to myself--Man, that was just like Kate and the Titanic dude's final good bye). "I love you too."


As I finished dressing and ran out the dressing room, (with my new shirt and pants, of course. I mean, if the place is about to be bombed, they will probably just let me take them, right? At least I will own something that fits that Chris could bury me in.) I quickly noticed that everyone seemed way to calm to be thinking danger was imminent. I ran straight to the cashier and asked where the nearest exit was located and if she could hold my clothes until the threat was cleared. She bursts out laughing and says, "Oh, Mam, that was just a drill. There is no real threat."

WHAT? JUST A DRILL? In the mall, full of people- you are going to announce over the PA to evacuate, and never come back on to tell us it is just a drill? Who does that? Explain this to me, please. Isn't that like saying Hijack on an airplane?


OK well, at least Chris and I will get another chance at our final good bye. We laughed later about how pathetic it was. Maybe I will get a Titanic type good bye (Not the freezing and drowning, just the romance part) after all.

How crazy is that for our first outing together with Annie? All in all, we had a great time and laughed really hard. Thank you, Gloria, for taking the boys for the day. We love you and are so thankful to know that our boys are safe and having a blast when they are with you guys. It was a much needed break and I thank the Lord for the down time with Chris-- poop and bomb threats in all.

Roommates

Since Annie has been born, we have moved the boys into a room together (we have a 3 bedroom house). I love that my boys are sharing a room. I have so many great childhood memories of sharing a room with my sister, Kristi. As young girls, we would fall asleep every night talking about all life's woes from one girl to another. Bedtime was a great bonding time for us. Because of all the great memories I have, Chris and I try to stay out of the boys room once we have tucked them in (unless we here the infamous, "I'm hurt" cry coming from behind the door). We figure that it is a bonding time for them, and great memories will be made as they talk themselves to sleep each night. Well, I forgot to figure in the fact that boys don't talk. They climb and jump and destroy until they crash. Last night, for example, we put the boys to bed at 8:30, and at about 10:30 I here this crazy amount of ruckus coming from their room.

Chris goes to check on the boys, peeks quietly in their room, and then runs back to our room for the camera. Here is the clip of the video he brings to show me.

The funny thing is, Chris records this, and then as he is leaving the room, I hear him say, "Alright boys, just be careful and you can play for awhile longer. You are being good boys playing together without fighting." (Remember it is 10:30 pm!!)

We will definitely never win parents of the year-- thanks to Chris :).

Like mother, like daughter

Thank you to everyone who has commented and celebrated with us as we welcomed Annie into this world. She is doing great, and Chris and I are learning just as fast as we can how to do this parenting thing with three little ones!


As I was looking through all the pictures of Annie's birth, I found these pics which really made me laugh. It is definitely true that some things never change!


OK, here is a picture of me leaving for the hospital for Annie's induction. My mom gave me the shirt I am wearing, and in case you can't read it- I took a picture of just the shirt yesterday.






Here is what I put on Baby Annie 2 days later to wear home from the hospital:


Like mother, like daughter :)

Poor Annie, I hope she has our same sense of humor, or else she's doomed!

Jack Attack

Jack will not let me dress him anymore. He is convinced that he can do it all by himself just like his big brother. The funny thing is, even when he is getting dressed by himself he thinks he is racing someone (see previous post on Always Racing for an explanation!). So he huffs and puffs and just goes flat ballistic while he puts on his clothes-- it stresses me out just watching him! As soon as he gets his clothes on in any way (they are never on right) he screams, "I win, I win!" as he runs around the house. It is so funny.


Check out these pics of Jack proudly displaying his dressing skills and tell me: Do you think he is going to be a plumber or what?

TO ANNIE

I have 3 sisters, and growing up our friends referred to my mom and all her daughters as the "Dwyer Girls." Well, the "Dwyer Girls" can be quite quirky, so in honor of baby Annie, I thought I would make her a list so she will know for sure that she's one of us.


You know you are a Dwyer Girl if:

1. You learned to count by counting your calories.

2. A nose job has been on your Christmas wish list every year since you were 5.

3. Your favorite meal is low fat popcorn with fat free spray butter followed by a bowl of frozen fruit topped with one packet of splenda and a dollop of fat free cool whip. (who brought that one to the table first?? My bet is on Katie)

4. Your hair bill is higher than your mortgage payment

5. You are on a missions trip to South Africa where you know no one, but you straighten and tease your hair, iron you clothes, and put on make up every day.

6. The high light of your week is Saturday morning yard sales and a Chik-fil-a biscuit (Very sad, but true. In our defense, they have great yard sales in Charlotte, and it is so early that we don't have to take the kids :)

7. You have a tendency to give your husband a hard time every time he goes golfing-- just for the pure heck of it (sorry, guys :)

8. Your favorite Starbucks drink is a venti non fat, sugar free, vanilla latte. (It tastes like crap and you know it, but it is what you get because it is guilt-free.)

9. Your favorite snack is a diet coke and twizzlers.

10. You have successfully convinced your husband that he also loves chick flicks, diet coke, and light popcorn with fat free spray butter.

11. Although you will cook (occasionally:) you get absolutely no sense of your self worth from being in the kitchen.


Poor, Annie. You're doomed.

The "Dwyer Girls": (They will all kill me for posting pics-- I should have put that on the list-- You know you are a Dwyer girl if you avoid the camera at all costs :) Sorry girls, good thing I live way down here in South Florida and know how to turn my phone on silent :)

My mom and Kristi

Melanie and Me

Katie

(don't hate me, Katie. I know it is a pic of you putting something in your mouth, but I swear it is all I had. And besides, it looks very dainty:).