My Eldest Child! :)

I made a little video of Sawyer's first three years after being inspired by Julie Hardy! Thought I'd share the video here. Of course, I'll have to make another one for Eli too! His time will come before I know it! It was fun to look back through pictures and see how much he's grown so quickly.

Click HERE.

5K

I ran in the Enterprise Junior Women's Club's 5K Saturday. The weather was perfect, and I made it to the finish line, so I was proud! :) I was a runner in high school, so it feels good to still be able to run! I felt like I had something to prove since I'm now a 30-year-old! (Can't hardly believe I'm in the 30 and older category!) BUT...Some of the 60+ women at the gym inspire me and make me realize that there is no reason I shouldn't be able to do a 5K 30 years from now too.

Here I am with sweet friends from church

My workout buddy, Laura (with her cute daughter)! Without her...I would have finished a much slower time, but she was for "giving it all we've got!" Thanks, Laura!

Then, I headed to Clayton to spend the day with my boys. Walker made his first attempt to kill a turkey, and I'd like to report this is what he got....


But...he had no such luck. This is one from last year, so he'll go back and try again next weekend.

Play Time

Have I ever mentioned that my husband is the biggest kid I know? He likes to play as much as anybody!! ESPECIALLY with these two little characters that we live with! I had to do homework for my class on Saturday, so when I went out to check to see what my boys were up to....this is what I found!

(My camera is getting worse by the day, so please forgive the quality of the pictures! It hasn't been the same since Eli dropped it off the counter Christmas morning!)
Walker and Eli (on the lawnmower) were chasing Sawyer (in his Jeep) as fast as they could all go across the backyard, and I know this had been going on A WHILE! They all three had big smiles on their faces! I use to be the type that wanted to GO all the time, but I'm realizing more and more that being home is really good too! I'm SO THANKFUL my boys get to have Walker as their daddy!
Here's my 2 after "the race" with their leftover Poptarts.

The big 3-0!

Well...I am officially 30-years-old with a 30-year-old sister. I guess this is the first birthday, where the old birthday cards start to apply to me. Bourland sent one in the mail that said...It takes a lot to admit you're 30...like 5 or 6 years! That's about how I feel about it! But...I also saw one that said, "I don't like to think of myself as 30. I'm just 18 with 12 years of experience!" Some days I feel 18. Some days I feel 30 (with two children)! :)

Oh well! Either way! :) What can you do? I'm just going to enjoy it! My 20's were a hit for sure! I feel like I was very productive, so no regrets...only excited to see what God has in store for my next 30 years will hold. I know I am incredibly blessed. So,my plan is to enjoy my blessings! We went down to the beach to celebrate with these 2 characters on Saturday morning. I think they're cute!



Allyson had a birthday tablecloth on the table, several balloons, presents and a cake! I'm a big fan of having a twin sister anyway, but ESPECIALLY on our birthday. There's nothing like throwing a party for yourself-except having an excuse that we're doing it for each other. She's a REALLY, REALLY good one! I am so crazy thankful that I've been able to spend the past 30 years with her. I have two best friends in this world. One is Walker Williams. The other is definitely Allyson Harper. I can't really explain how much I love that girl, but I really, really love her and am really glad we get to play together pretty often.
It's kind of like...If my children are my hearts walking around outside my body, my dear Brown-Brown is like my left arm and half my brain. I can't hardly function without her. It's ridiculous, but I call her for 20 different things throughout the day. A few examples...If I forget to look at directions before I go, she looks up the address for me. If I need balloons ordered, she's on it. If I'm planning a baby shower, she comes up with over half the plans! HOW NICE IS THAT?!?! AND on top of all that...she's really the kindest person I know. She has a sincere heart of gold that only wants the best for the people around her, and she is able to see the best in everyone. I really, really like her!
Here's my bedroom at her house she decorated so lovely. :) Here's the cake (from Publix). YUMMY!

It was 68 degrees and mostly sunny, so we headed to the beach. Our plan was to play on the beach, get a pedicure, and go out to eat. It all worked out just as planned, and it was a REALLY, REALLY fun day!

And before dinner at the Backporch....

Blessed!

I am feeling 100% completely blessed today. I was just able to rock my sweet Eli and lay him in his bed. I am not a normal rocker, but I am thankful for the times that he allows me to do this! (I'm also thankful that he doesn't REQUIRE a good rock to take a nap, but every so often...I indulge that he's my BABY!)
So...we had a big birthday party last weekend. It was nothing short of a fantastic day. Thank you, Lord! We've had a winter for the record books. Sawyer's birthday is February 15th. We could have planned a party for Feb. 13th and played in the snow, but fortuantely, we had marked the calendar for Feb. 20th, and we had a WARM day full of sunshine! Thank you, God!
I will tell you that this 3-year-old business has brought tears to my eyes on SEVERAL occassions! I feel like I have known Sawyer forever, but at the same time, he's THREE, and it's going by so fast!!! I'm just really trying to soak it all up!
He has an OBSESSION with excavators, so we had an "excavator" birthday party. My child is a WORKER! (obviously a trait inherited from his daddy) He is constantly "getting the job done." His imagination is out of control. He'll play in his sandbox for hours building a hospital, a school, or a house. He also LOVES to help! He'll run as fast as he can if I ask for a bib for Eli or a spoon out of the drawer. He's incredibly happy and LOVING! He'll tell me MANY times a day that he loves me, and recently, Walker told him that I was the prettiest girl in the world...so, Sawyer has started telling me that throughout the day. Of course that's ridiculous, but I sure do appreciate him saying so! :)
I heard someone say that having children is like having your heart on the outside of your body...I GET THAT! I totally agree! These little boys are my little hearts walking around, and I'm so thankful for them and their crazy good daddy! I think Walker's probably 98% responsible for why my children have turned out so well so far!
Anyway...sorry to go on a rampage. Just wanted to write down a few of my blessings! Nothing wrong with liking your family, right?? :)
I also think there's no better reason to throw a party than to have family and friends to celebrate a year of life.
Just a little b'day advice...I read in Parents' Magazine that a cheap, fun thing to do for your child's birthday is to blow up balloons and fill the room with balloons while they sleep the night before the birthday. We did this, and it was a HIT! Sawyer said, "Mama, Daddy...come look! I have balloons in my room!" PRECIOUS & cheap! ;)

"Cheeeeeeese!!"

I brought the camera out yesterday afternoon, and this is what Eli did! :)

Here's the live version....

(In case you wonder...The big scab in the middle of his forehead is from his attempt to jump off the front porch step. I watched him "Count" 1-2-3, and then dive head first into the sidewalk.)

ABC's

My little man has had his abc's down pat for a while, but I was able to get it on video the other day when he decided he'd sing it for me with the camera out. :)

His other favorite songs include Jesus Loves Me, The Wheels on the Bus, Zacchaeus and I'm in the Lord's Army (which is also Eli's favorite at the moment). Eli has SEVERAL words , but yesterday, he walked outside and said "Tractor" as plain as day. I was impressed! He has put 2 words together once. I was talking to Allyson, and told him to say, "Hey, Sissy!" He did. :) Sweet boy! Anyway...here's my video...I like Katie's so much today that I decided to add my own. Also, if you don't normally read her blog, you might want to read it today. She talks about the Bell Center where Caroline is going to "school" two days a week. Hope you'll enjoy!