The Brame Family Happenings

2.5 10am & 2.6 Dinner

I have to cheat a bit on this one. Yesterday at 10am I was in church, so I saved both pictures for today. And today you get a treat because you get bonus pictures!

Assignment: 10am.

Every morning I try to make a to-do list. I am so much more productive when I do so and then when Brian says 'What did you do today' I can actually remember! Here is what my to-do list looked like at 10am:

 

 

And here's why:

my second assignment: Dinner

Tonight we decided to go on a family walk before dinner. We usually eat pretty early, but wanted to take advantage of it still being light outside. So away we went.  When we got home, I knew that we needed to have a dinner that could be put together in 15 minutes or less. So what's the old standby for a quick dinner??? Spaghetti!

On our menu: whole grain rotini noodles, spaghetti sauce, green beans, corn, rolls and spinach salad with apples and mandarin oranges. yum-my.

Did I mention the little bit of "cheese" we had for dinner?

The salad was so scrumptious, and I have a ton of spinach in my fridge, so I think that I may end up making salads for lunch the next several days.

Here was our pre-dinner entertainment.

I can just see Nolan saying 'why don't I get to ride a bike, guys?'

*just a side note. I did get a picture of Kennedy tonight, but it was not a very good picture, so she asked me to delete it. I didn't of course, I may need it for future manipulation, but I told her I wouldn't post it on the blog...today.

2.4 Take a picture of a stranger

oohhh...this was hard for me. I kind of have a moral issue with it only in the sense that I wouldn't want a stranger taking a picture of me and posting it on their blog, just for the purpose of getting a picture with a stranger. Plus, I didn't see any interesting strangers today:)

So, I have decided to post about the 'stranger' in my life. My husband. Between work and his church calling and my church calling, sometimes I feel like we are strangers passing in the night. Though, if I had to have any strangers in my life, I wouldn't choose anyone other than him:)

                                                            Putting Kylers corsage on for Hayden

                                              Up to his elbows in pumpkin guts

                                                            taking the kiddos trick or treating

 

I love you, stranger!

 

 

2.3 Hands

Today, my assignment was 'hands'. This assignment fell into place nicely. It was such a beautiful day out. A little chilly, but very sunny. The girls were playing outside and were holding hands and I knew that that was what I needed to capture. This very moment that they are getting along. Like most sisters, they do squabble, 27 months is a big difference when you are 3 and 6. But my wish for them, as they grow, is that they maintain their friendship and closeness through their teen years. That they make it through the fighting over boys, makeup, friends, clothes and know that their relationship will play such an important part for the rest of their lives.  

2.2 Words

Today's picture of the day is 'Words'. So I have kept this in my thoughts all day long. I have a quote on my wall that says 'Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing'. ya ya ya..yada yada yada. I do feel that way, but I see that all the time and I was waiting for some pow! to hit me today.

I took the three youngest to Costco today. They were well behaved. Nolan gave his cute overly cheesy grin to every old person around who all went gaga over him. We had a good time, not in a rush at all. It was really nice. On the way home, Nolan was sleeping and the girls were sitting in the third row talking and coloring in their new colorbooks. And darn it! I felt like my sister...getting mushy over something so dumb. My eyes teared up at the big girl conversations that they were having. No more Olivia asking Megan questions to that require yes/no answers. Really indepth conversations...you know, about coloring and what kind of pet they want.

And then I picked kids up from school, I got to the school really early because my option was to take a sleeping baby out of his carseat (he's in a big boy carseat now) just to have to put him back in in 40 minutes and have him not get a decent nap or get to the school early, let him nap, put a LeapFrog movie on for the girls and read my book. I went with the latter. Well, during this waiting time, Kennedy walked right in front of our car on her way to recess and didn't notice us. I got to watch her play with her friends and remember back to when I was in fourth grade and remember what that was like.

Hayden didn't come home right after school today. She was supposed to have her first day of tutoring an elementary school student. The teacher that was supposed to provide the curriculum wasn't their today so she only met the student and his parents. Which required several texts between us coordinating me coming to get her. But just that she's old enough and responsible enough to tutor an elementary student makes me sad and proud all at the same time.

After we got home, Nolan was dying to be outside. The girls didn't want him on the trampoline with them because he's too little, so I took him on a walk. Like a walk walk. No stroller. He just wanted the freedom to walk/run. As I came to the corner I saw a 'yield' sign. I immediately thought about my 'assignment' today. But last year my word was 'pause', so that I would remember to slow down and enjoy my kids. And I did...and still am.

I think that I was just looking too hard. Seeing everything I feel is important, but not finding what word or words I wanted. Then tonight, after I put Megan to bed for the umteenth time cause she really wants to 'nuggle', I sat back down with my book. I'm reading My Sisters Keeper' by Jodi Piccoult. Within a few pages I read

They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.

That's it. I look at my nearly 15 year old daughter who is starting college next year. While she has to do the first two years at home, I will be sending her to college in two 1/2 years. I'm not ready. How do you live everyday with a child and then all of the sudden all you can do is talk to them on the phone or text?

How do you have a baby that needs you for everything and all of the sudden is so independent, cries to play outside, runs when he barely learned to walk, climbs, has an overly goofy, purposeful grin?

And then there's the three that are in between.  Somedays I hardly can contain myself that these kids are outgrowing me. And then there's somedays that I can't wait till it's bedtime. So those are my words for the day..... They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.

{My picture is not from today, but it's rare to actually get a picture of all of my kids...so this is it!}

2.1 Your View Today

I am participating in a photo a day challenge, my first ever! The sole purpose is for me to get back into the habit of blogging.

Today's inspiration was 'Your View Today'. I decided to take a picture of a view that I have been enjoying for the last (almost) 14 months, but am ready to STOP enjoying. It's the double edged sword. Love my baby and that time with him but good grief, he's almost 14 months old.  I have to
laugh at myself because I was going to quit after a month, and then two, and then three, and so on. I really only relaxed about it when he was around 10 months old, thinking I may as well enjoy the last couple of months...and here we are. I'm trying hard to stop, but he talks me into it all the time!

So, my view today is my sweet little Nolan (discreetly) nursing.