A Griswold Experience

Do you remember when Clark Griswold finally arrived at Wally World only to find it closed? Well, here's how the Brown version goes...

For weeks now, all of Lee's family has been planning on going to Barren River State Park as part of our time together. We decided that it would be so much fun to enjoy a day of picnicking, hiking and swimming at the "beach!"

On Friday morning, our clan - complete with 5 cars and 18 people - settled in at picnic spot at Barren River. The kiddos played in the smoldering heat and we enjoyed a fried chicken lunch. The carrot dangling in front of us as we endured the heat was the excitement of swimming at the beach and cooling off when we were done eating. The adults kept promising the kids that as soon as we were done eating, we'd head to the beach. When the kids could no longer wait to play in the sand and water, we loaded up our clan - still complete with 5 cars and 18 people - and left our picnic spot with our eyes set on the prize!

My girls were so eager to swim and the excitement escalated when we saw the sign...



Aaaaahhhhh, finally...a chance to have some relief from the 95 degrees that threatened our joy! Then we saw the next sign...



YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! CLOSED?!?!?

Somehow, in all of our planning, we failed to include the flood damage from a few months ago that left our beach closed!

After consoling the heartbroken children, the adults quickly scrambled around to create a "Plan B." I think we managed to construct a pretty fun alternative!!





Well it's true - there's no place like home! I'm happy to report that my sweet little family has arrived safely back home in Kentucky after being gone for weeks. I've got several fun ideas floating around in my head, so I hope to post some creative things soon. After all, our fun summer days are coming to an end!

on the road again...

Is it a bad sign when your family's theme song is an old Willie Nelson tune? And I guess it's even worse that my girls can sing along...

Although we're not "making music with our friends," it's so true that we are definitely "on the road again!"

I've not had much of a chance to post anything lately because we have been all over the place. I've been in my home for all of 15 hours since July 5th!

When I went to Georgia to finally be reunited with my baby girls after youth camp, I stayed a little while and enjoyed some time with my family. My brother, his wife and my adorable nephew Charles were all there!



We enjoyed a day at the beach...




And we celebrated Charles'3rd birthday!




Now we are on the road in Tennessee enjoying a little time at the Brown farm with all of the family! Stayed tuned for a true "Griswold" experience! There's never a dull moment...

youth camp!!

Last week, my hubby and I loaded a bus with 50 middle school and high school kiddos and headed east for youth camp! Summer youth camp has always been one of my favorite events of youth ministry, and this year was no exception. Although I admit that the lack of sleep and excessive amount of yelling wears a person down, it's all worth it for the opportunity to get to know the students the way you do sharing a room with them for 5 nights! Here are a few pictures that capture some of the fun the week brought us...









Even though we were having a blast with our students, by the end of the week, I admit that we were tired and ready to see our girls!

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If you thought for a moment that our girls were sad and missing their mommy and daddy, think again!! I keep telling myself that they really did miss us, but it's hard to believe this since they were having their own fun-filled week with Grandpa and Mimi in Georgia. The girls had days filled with swimming, painting, exploring and new adventures! I must confess that I'm a wee bit jealous that I missed out on some of the thrills, but I cannot explain the joy I have knowing the girls were so happy - even away from home.

They spent a lot of time swimming...




They had their fingernails and toenails done by a "professional" - something they had never done before...




The girls painted birdhouses with Grandpa...



Mimi took the girls to paint pottery...



She also took them to Savannah for an adventure at an aquarium and the mall. Aunt Joyce and cousin Eason joined in the fun...






It's safe to say the girls had a super fabulous time while we were away!


If a picture paints a thousand words, then I'd say this portrait testifies to a week full of fun, laughter and adventure!

feeling icky

Doesn't that face break your heart?!? Yesterday morning my Ellee woke up feeling very icky. By the time I got her to the doctor, her temp was 104.9! Although she's been through her share of ear infections and bellyaches, I've only seen her this pitiful one other time. During our visit to my parent's house for Christmas in 2007, she got so sick that she had to stay in the hospital for a short time while they gave her fluids and antibiotics through an IV.


The culprit then and now? Strep throat. Yuck!

As you can imagine, our fun activities for the remainder of the week have been cancelled. The trade off for my girl isn't so bad though - movies, popsicles and more movies! She's on the mend and will be her contagious ball of energy and smiles soon!



So what's a mom and big sister to do while the patient sleeps? Sew, of course!

Addie got this cute headband from Gymboree a few months ago.

I just love how precious it looks on her!


I decided it couldn't be too hard to duplicate the headband, so big sis and I got to work. Making these were super easy - I just "free handed" it - and they took very little time.



When it comes to my Ellee's yuckiness, I'm hoping she breaks one of our house rules:
PLEASE DON'T SHARE!!