The Browning Family

Meet our Gummy Bear

2009-04-16T20:35:00.006-10:00

I had my ultrasound today to verify our due date, and we are right on track! The baby is measuring 9 weeks 1 day old, and we're due on November 18th (actually a couple of days later than I originally thought). I saw a perfect little baby in there, wiggling around & waving! It's amazing how much you can see at such an early ultrasound. I also heard the heartbeat, and it was going strong at 164 bpm. I believe the old wives tale linking gender prediction to fetal heart rate would indicate that we might be carrying a little girl. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

It was a great experience, and I hate that James had to miss it. But I'm definitely thankful that he'll be here for the big stuff, like the birth & first year. Ha! :)

Obviously, I posted the ultrasound pics. They're fuzzy, but you can make out the head, arms, & the legs. Well, sort of.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T16:36:00.009-10:00

I have gotten so behind! Last week we were sick with a stomach virus, then there was Benson's birthday party, then James left for the Philippines, and now we're busy with Easter activities. It's been so much fun (besides the being sick & James leaving part), but I'm kind of looking forward to the relaxing week that's coming up. Here is last week's belly pic, a link to pictures from Benson's birthday, and a link to our Easter pictures. I have an appointment on Thursday for my first ultrasound, so I'll post about that too. Happy Easter everyone!

Benson's Birthday
Easter Pictures

Another week, more belly

2009-03-25T16:04:00.002-10:00

We're at week 7, and the ick has started to settle in. I've been more tired this week, and I just don't feel as well. But I can't seem to eat enough! Here is my 7 week belly and Ella with her cheese stick :). Nothing new to report on baby, as to be expected. I'm still waiting for the nurse to return my call to schedule my "prenatal registration" appointment. Then maybe I can schedule my real appointments. So frustrating!

We're getting really excited about Benson turning the big TWO next week! I can't believe my baby boy is getting to be so big. He's really into Thomas the Train, so that's what the birthday will be all about. I will have tons of pictures to share after the celebration next weekend.

James has Friday off, so we're planning to go to the zoo again. And we're thinking about going on our first hiking trip on Saturday. Hopefully we'll see a waterfall and get some good views of Diamond Head at Pu'u Pia. Next week we're planning a paddling trip out at Kailua, on the other side of the island. Should be fun!

We're Having a Baby, Again!

2009-03-19T22:07:00.007-10:00

Well, it's definitely time to update our blog! As you all know, we're expecting our third in November. I'm going to post belly pics & baby updates here, along with our other stuff. The pregnancy is going great so far! Besides being a little hungrier & more tired in the evenings, I'm feeling fine. I'm really trying to eat much healthier this time, and I want to continue running as long as possible. I've logged 12 miles so far this week, and I haven't really had to slow down much yet. My belly is feeling (and looking, in my opinion) rather large for being just 6 weeks along. James thinks I'm nuts, but I have Ella & Benson belly pics to compare, and I'm not imagining this! Fingers crossed that we continue to pass on the morning sickness. I could do without that. Here's a pic of the kids making our announcement, and Ella & me at 6 weeks. And the link to our February pics is below.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=14moigfq.41iav0se&x=0&y=f6zss6&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_album

Dole Pineapple Plantation

2009-01-21T14:53:00.003-10:00

Today we took Mamaw Nan & Granny to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. The kids really liked riding the train through the farm. Here are a few pictures from today, and a few from Mamaw and Mom's arrival on Monday. They're staying for 2 weeks, so we're really excited! We're going snorkeling at Hanauma Bay on Friday, so I'll post those pictures over the weekend.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T15:43:00.003-10:00

We hope everyone had a great Christmas! Here are some before & after pictures of Christmas day at our house.

And here's a link to more of our pictures on our Kodak Gallery:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=14moigfq.7n2hplfq&x=0&y=o54pgs&localeid=en_US

December Happenings

2008-12-22T17:46:00.008-10:00

Wow! This month has really flown by! I can't believe it's been so long since I updated our blog. We've definitely been busy getting ready for Christmas. We're so excited to spend it together this year! Here's a pic of the kids seeing Santa on Sunday. Ella was very serious and told him she wanted a pink Cinderella puzzle (of course, the first I've heard of it. mustfindcinderellapuzzlethisweek!). And Benson hated him. Obviously.

Crystal & my Dad came out for a visit over Thanksgiving. It was lots of fun showing them around the island and doing some 'touristy' things together. Ella started preschool the first week of December, and she loves it! She goes to a school very close to our house 2 days a week. They had a Christmas program on Friday, and it was so cute to see the little kids dressed as the nativity scene & singing Christmas songs. One of Ella's songs was "Mele Kalikimaka" which she pronounces "wiki wiki maka." LOL She is VERY excited about Christmas this year, prancing around the house singing "Happy Birthday, Jesus." It's really cute.

James is officially home on leave for the next 2 weeks, and he's very relieved to be done with his combatives training that he's been teaching for the last 3 weeks. We're happy to spend some family time together before he travels to Minnesota in January to brief their National Guard unit. I'm sure the winter weather will be an awakening for him. We aren't missing the cold at all!

Tomorrow James and I celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. We can't believe how quickly these 5 years have gone. James joked this morning and said it felt more like a reunion. He's got an evening out planned for us, and apparently I don't need to know any more than that. It was my job to find the babysitter. We never get to go out, so we're looking forward to it!

Here's a link to our December pics on the Kodak Gallery:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=14moigfq.484m8dra&x=0&y=ppi72f&localeid=en_US

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Our 1st Family Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T09:15:00.005-10:00

Crystal flew in on Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with us. The kids were so excited to meet her at the airport! Ella had to color her a picture, and they were excited to help pick out a lei.

I spent all day cooking yesterday and made my first turkey. I'm so glad that it turned out okay! We had our friend, Sherry, and her daughter, Rachel, over to eat with us. Her husband left for Iraq a few weeks ago. She lives two houses down from us, and they're from NC! We're quickly becoming great friends.

Crystal, James, and the kids spent the day at the beach while I was home cooking. Here are a few photos of them in the sand. I have more pics from Thanksgiving on our Kodak gallery:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=14moigfq.8k6t3zim&x=0&y=-3o0igl&localeid=en_US

The Lagoons

2008-11-25T14:56:00.006-10:00

Today I took the kids to the Lagoons at KoOlina resort. KoOlina is a vacation resort that's a 10 minute drive from our house. All beaches on the island are available to the public, so everyone likes to go to these lagoons for swimming. I like to take the kids there when I'm by myself because the water is very calm and safe for little ones. They had a blast! I only got a few pictures of them having their snack because I was busy with them in the ocean the rest of the time.
Pic of Lagoon
Benson telling me he's ready to go swimming again.

Snack time

And here's a pic of Benson playing with his dinosaurs (he decided to flush one down the toilet recently) and of Bastet relaxing.

Preschool, Park, & Pics of House

2008-11-20T14:43:00.005-10:00

I finally found a preschool for Ella! We've had her on the wait list for the on post preschool, but it's an 8 month wait. Plus that would be a 30 minute drive from our house. This preschool is just a 10 minute walk from our house, and they have an opening in her class. We have an appointment on Monday to meet the teachers and take a tour. Ella is super excited! She's been asking me when she'll get to go to school and meet her friends since we got here. If we like it, she'll go on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

We took the kids to the playground last night before dinner, and here's a couple of pics:

We're almost finished with our house, so I finally got around to taking some pictures. We plan on painting our bedroom this weekend, so I'll add pics of the bedrooms once we finish that. You can see the pics on our kodak gallery:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=14moigfq.3iaoy6ce&x=0&y=o1adpw&localeid=en_US

A few interesting facts about Hawaii:

1. There are no snakes or seagulls in Hawaii. (but there are tons of little lizards, all in my backyard!)
2. Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee.
3. More than 1/3 of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii.
4. It takes 2-3 years for a pineapple to fully grow.
5. Hawaii has it's own time zone and doesn't observe Daylight Savings.
6. There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet.
7. Honolulu is the largest city in the world (in reference to it's borders).
8. More than 100 world-renowned beaches ring Honolulu.
9. Average daytime temperatures range from 72'F (January) to 82'F (July).
10. The island of Oahu is made of 2 volcanoes; Waianae (close to where we live) and KoOlau.

New Hope

2008-11-02T13:55:00.004-10:00

We tried out a new church today, and we really like it. It's called New Hope, and it's similar to the church we used to attend in Charleston. It's a huge church with lots of satellite campuses throughout the island. I think there are 10 locations, mabye more than that. There are three in our neighborhood, and the one we chose is only 10 minutes from our house. The kids really enjoyed the kid's program today, and I think Ella was excited to meet some new friends. They have a preschool program on Sunday nights, so we might start taking Ella to that next weekend. We're excited to have found a church that we like. That was one of my biggest concerns with the move because we loved being at Cascade Hills so much. It's definitely not a replacement for Cascade, but it's good.

Here's the church website if you want to check it out. http://www.newhopeleeward.org/html/Welcome.php
They're really active in the community, so I'm excited to get involved and meet people in the community.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T07:36:00.004-10:00

So, Halloween is a big "to do" in our neighborhood. I bought 4 huge bags of candy and 4 medium sized bags, and we ran out at 8pm. I had to be the grouchy neighbor that turned the lights off and put a sign on the door that said, "We ran out of candy." Oh well. I thought we had big halloweens on post at Fort Benning, but this was crazy. The kids had a great time, including Benson. He kept his costume on the entire time, and he wanted to eat each piece of candy that he received. He also tried to knock on the doors, say 'trick or treat,' and told people bye bye. Ella was super excited and knew exactly what to do this year. And I think she had more fun handing out the candy and guessing the other kids' costumes. She made sure to tell everyone "happy halloween" as she handed them the candy.

Just before the craziness started, I got a chance to meet our neighbors two houses down from us. They have a three year old little girl, and they're from North Carolina and Tenessee! She was so nice, and I'm really excited to have finally met a friend/neighbor. Her husband deploys from Iraq next week, so we moved in just in time to meet him and help her out when she needs it.

Here's a link to our October pictures: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=14moigfq.bis09nie&x=0&y=-8jaa41&localeid=en_U

HOME SWEET HOME!

2008-10-29T17:24:00.003-10:00

After 46 days of hotel life, we finally have a house! No more hotels for this family for a long, long time. We moved in last Thursday and our household goods arrived on Friday and Monday. It's been a crazy week, but I finally unpacked the last box today! Moving is totally different with two kids in the picture. I've found myself rushing to get things done during nap time and after they go to bed. We still have lots of painting to do. But everything is organized, and that's a huge relief (especially for the OCD, perfectionist types like myself). I'll take some pics soon. It's still a work in progress...

An Early Peek at Halloween

2008-10-12T21:54:00.005-10:00

We were at the mall the other day, and Ella picked out her and Benson's halloween costumes. James thinks that I'm a very mean mom for making Benson wear this, but it was just too hilarious not to buy it. Aren't you supposed to do this to them when they're this age?
Here are some more pics in our Kodak album: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=14moigfq.8u8cl2au&x=0&y=wibuzs&localeid=en_US

So we're finally picking up our cats from the quarantine facility tomorrow. I can't believe they've been in there since September 7th! Ella is so excited to see her kitties again. It's all she's been talking about today. I'm sure we'll have more pictures to post soon. We're still hanging out in the hotel, counting down the days until we move into the house (10!).

We found a house!

2008-10-07T08:20:00.005-10:00

So, we've made it to Hawaii, and we've been here for a month now. There was a 2 year wait for housing on post, so we've made our way to 3 different hotels while we've been searching for a house to buy. We've found a 4 bedroom/3 bath in a nice neighborhood called Ocean Pointe near the beach. There's lots of parks and playgrounds in the neighborhood for the kids, and it looks like there's also a lot of military families living there. We're supposed to close on the house on October 23rd, and our stuff will be delivered on the 24th. I haven't had a chance to take any pictures of the house yet because Ella was sick the last time that we were there. I'll post some as soon as I can.

Here are some pictures from the Children's Museum on Sunday. James' mustang broke down, so he spent the day working on it while the kids and I hung out here. They had a blast!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=14moigfq.77vtxbw6&x=0&y=k8bado&localeid=en_US

Moving to Hawaii

2008-08-16T02:00:00.003-10:00

So, I know I've been absolutely terrible about updating our blog. There isn't much excuse except that you stay fairly busy with two toddlers and no husband :). You all know that James redeployed in May, and we are extremely happy to have him home with us. The summer has been great with all of the traveling that we were able to do. We've visited all of our family in NC a couple of times, and James and I were able to get away to Charleston for a couple of days. We're now busy getting ready for our big move to Hawaii! The movers come to pack most of our goods on August 27th & 28th, we ship the car soon after, ship the cats soon after that, send the rest of our things on September 3rd, James has his Change of Command ceremony on the 5th, and we fly to Honolulu on the 8th. It is going to be a whirlwind for the next 3 weeks! I'm scrambling to clear out any excess that we've accumulated over the 3 1/2 years that we've been at Benning. And I'm desperately trying to make this move as organized as possible. It's becoming quite the challenge :). We're very excited to see what island life is like, and anxious to see what kind of house we'll get. I promise that I will keep you all updated through our blog with lots of pictures and stories about life overseas. Our internet will be shut off on the 3rd, and I don't know how long it will be until we have a home and internet connection over there, so it may be a while until you hear from us again. Please stay in touch and keep us in your thoughts!
Love,
Brandi

Christmas for A Co. Soldiers

2007-11-17T17:52:00.001-10:00

I organized an FRG picnic today, and we made Christmas goody bags for the soldiers in our company. We had a very small response, but we managed to make 160 bags! We're mailing them out first thing next week, so they should get them in Iraq before Christmas. It's just a few snacks and some candy, but I think they'll enjoy it. Sadly, that might be the only thing a few of the guys will get for Christmas this year, so I felt it was the least we could do. Ella and Benson aren't in the pictures because they weren't there! Fort Benning childcare hosts a Spouse's Day Out each month for spouses of deployed soldiers, and I decided to try it out for the first time today. I was nervous all day, and it was strange to be without children! It was the first time I've ever been away from them for that long. I have to admit that it was nice to get a break, and the kids did really well! Ella kept talking about "school" all afternoon once I picked her up. I'm thinking we might try this again.

Shelli, myself, Erik, Sgt. Higgs, & Ayla

the goodies!

Making the bags

The bags fell out of the bottom of the trash bag because they were so heavy. Oops!

I'm asking James to take some pictures of the guys receiving their bags in Iraq, so I'll share a few of those whenever I get them.

Thankful to be Home!

2007-11-13T18:11:00.000-10:00

We got back to GA yesterday afternoon. It was quite a trip with a fussy, teething baby, a 2 year old that wanted to stop and potty every other exit, and the traffic jam that parked us on the highway for an hour. It was great to see family while we were in NC, but I'm glad to be back home!

Here are a few pictures from our trip. The first is of Ella breastfeeding her bear tonight. We're obviously a pro-breastfeeding family! :) The next two are of sweet baby Olivia. She is too precious for words, and I'm so glad I was able to meet her at just a week old! Benson's having fun eating and playing "pat-a-cake" with Granny. And the last picture is of Ella the Pilgrim. She made a hat at church today and wore it all afternoon. It's now just a ripped piece of construction paper with a string, as you can imagine.

It's been two weeks since I last heard from James, and I finally got a phone call today. He's doing well! He's moved into a new office and the phone hasn't been working, so it's been hard for him to call home. It was great to hear his voice today! He really appreciates all of the thoughts, prayers, and packages from everyone!

Going Home

2007-11-06T17:26:00.000-10:00

I found out yesterday that a childhood friend of mine has passed away. It's been difficult to swallow, and I haven't posted because I don't know what to say. We're leaving early in the morning to get up to NC in time for the viewing. The funeral is on Thursday. We'll be driving back to GA on Monday. Please keep the Jones family in your prayers, and think of us as we travel.

Our battalion commander is home for mid-tour leave right now, and I went to a meeting he held tonight. He showed us a slideshow of the guys over in Iraq, and I saw a couple of pictures of James. "Pride" does not even begin to describe what I feel for him. My husband is absolutely amazing and selfless, and I am so honored to be his wife. Our troops are sacrificing so much, and it's a shame that we don't see the majority of what they're accomplishing on the news. Keep praying for them and keep loving them. They are doing great things for the Iraqi people, whether you agree with the war or not.

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids from yesterday. Ella found a gift bag laying around, and she decided that it would make a nice purse. She filled it with her Little People zoo animals and toted it around the living room. Benson enjoyed spending some time in his jumperoo, as you can see. Apparently I'm a very funny mom because he kept laughing hysterically everytime I looked over at him. Silly boy.

I'm excited about meeting little Olivia while we're in NC, and I hope to see lots of family! I'm sure there will be many pictures and stories to share when we get back. Traveling with these two is usually an adventure, especially now that Ella is potty training. I'm really looking forward to the 7 hour car drive...

Surprise!!!!

2007-11-03T16:16:00.000-10:00

It has been such a great day! First, the kids and I were able to sleep in together. I just love lazy Saturday mornings where we stay in PJ's, I sip coffee, and cook bacon and eggs for Ella while she watches a couple of cartoons. Then I put the kids in the jogging stroller, and we went for a run on the trail near our house. Benson took his morning nap in the stroller, and Ella talked about everything she saw (she is such a chatterbox these days!). She's starting to notice that the leaves are falling, and she loves seeing the squirrels racing around.

We threw a surprise baby shower for Tamara (the same Tamara from yesterday) this afternoon. She thought that we were having an FRG meeting, so she was totally surprised. Tamara found out she was pregnant the week after our husbands deployed, so this is one special baby!! Her husband is coming home soon, just in time to be here for the birth. I'm so excited for them! James and I have always talked about what wonderful parents they're going to be.

I also received a very special phone call tonight while I was feeding Benson his dinner. My Meredith's little one has arrived! Olivia Anne was born this evening, and she and Meredith are doing great! I am so thrilled for Meredith and Neil, and I'm overly anxious to meet Olivia. I don't have any siblings, but I now know what it feels like to have a little niece.

It's been such a great day, full of so many blessings!

Little Scooter

2007-11-02T14:48:00.000-10:00

Benson was rolling around the living room as usual today, until he got up on his hands and knees and started scooting! It seems that our little man is anxious to start crawling soon! Life is about to get very interesting around here...
We went to the playground this afternoon with our friend, Tamara. Baby William is expected to arrive in a few weeks, and Benson is excited about having another guy to hang out with :).
Ella has recently become fearless on the playground. She kept climbing up to the top to go down the big spiral slide. Once she reached the bottom, she would hold up her finger and say, "One more time!" She should sleep well tonight.

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T08:53:00.001-10:00

Well, this was the best photo I could get of the kids together. Benson is still mastering his ability to sit up, so I had to hurry and take the picture before he came crashing down. As you can see, he was a clown for his first Halloween, and Ella was a peacock. Ella really enjoyed going trick or treating this year! I have to hide the candy because the first thing she said this morning after she woke up was, "Mommy, I want candy!". Not a good thing!

My friend, Shelli, and her children, Samantha and Erik, came over to trick or treat with us. Here they are handing out candy on the front porch.

Oktoberfest

2007-10-31T10:00:00.001-10:00

We went with the FRG (family readiness group) out to the annual Fort Benning Oktoberfest last weekend. The kids played in the hay, went on hayrides, jumped on inflatables, and picked out pumpkins. Here is Ella showing off her pumpkin. She proudly points at it and says, "my pumpkin" whenever she sees it on the porch.

Here is a picture of Benson after enjoying some time at the "hay play" area. He also brought home a little pumpkin, small enough for him to hold.