Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone! We hope that take time out of your hectic schedule to reflect on the most awesome gift ever given...the Christ child! What have you done with this gift?!?

We love you all!

Jason, Jaime, Gavin, Cameron, & Nolan

Luke 2 (NASB):

1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

And so it went...

Christmas card pics the other day....FINALLY!

It says it all....

Be on the lookout for yours :)

-Jaime

Wow! I can't believe that it's the 15th of Decemeber...

Things have been busy around here.

To the suprise of many....I have started working this week!!!

Now, now...pull yourself up off the floor and back into the chair and listen...this is really my DREAM job! A few of my friends opened a dream dinners.

Check it out here: http://www.dreamdinners.com/

I am only working a few hours a week. But so far it has been alot of fun! Basically, my job is to make sure that they are having a good time and have what they need....Who wouldn't love to get paid for that!

I have also been very busy creating LOTS of custom photo cards. I have had almost 10 orders in the last few weeks and staying on top of emails and 3 kids has been a little bit of a juggling act. Let's just say that my house cleaning has been thrown by the wayside....as if there was just thing as a need and tidy house before all this :) Maybe I can make enough to pay a maid...hmmm.

The boys are doing well. Gavin is very excited about Christmas. He wrapped all the presents for me one afternoon...think birthday wrapping paper and LOTS of bows! He even "sounded" out everyones names...like evreywun!!! It's very sweet.

Jason and I are looking forward to Christmas too! He gets a lengthy vacation and I so it will be nice to relax and spend sometime catching up on things we put off all year.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. We are getting "snowed" in as I speak...there calling for a foot (a HUGE deal here!)

Talk to you soon
-Jaime

Accomplishments

Nolan got his first tooth on Friday! He also discovered his hands last week. Oh, the joys such little milestones bring! The little chunk weighs at least 16 lbs!!!

"Sometimes it's the smallish things in life that

take up the most room in our hearts"

-Winnie the Pooh

Best Friend Bear Hugs

Playing nice

Smores in the oven...yum!

Baby smiles

Getting everyone together...even if its only once a year :D

Watching "mobies" (with his blanket of course)

Catching bad guys

Getting all 3 to look...at the same time...

Learning to sound out words...all by himself

It says, "No persons in the museum" Which was set up on the table.

Helping self to snacks left on the counter

Hope these make your day a little brighter...Jaime

New Header

Thank you big sis, Angie, for the new header!!! I love it.

November is in bloom?!?

It has been so nice around here the last few days! I can't believe we are having 60 degree days in November...I keep telling everyone that we will pay come April!!! This is what I caught "blooming" outside today!!!

The boys have been spending ALOT of time outside. It was been so great to get out and enjoy the weather.

The boys are all doing really well. Here are a few pictures of them the last few days.

Hope you all have a great week!

Jaime

Halloween follow-up

I didn't really get a chance to write much the other night when I posted the picture of us, and I wanted to share what we did for Halloween. First, we invited our Japanese friends over (they are attending Purdue until this May). Here she (Ayano) is with her little girl Koto.

We love sharing our traditions with them...especially the holidays. Our plan was to leave our house at 6:30...

We finally convinced Cameron that it was time to leave and he MUST put on his "hat and coat" You see, he HATED his costume and is was only by this wise trickery that he even considered wearing the thing. I must add that he really wanted to go outside so it was a battle to get it on! Out of the house FINALLY at almost 7!

Gavin was super excited about going out and had been looking forward to it for days. He was actually dressed and ready to go as soon as we gave him the ok.


We were so thankful for the warm weather (for Indiana on Halloween, at least :) but I still made sure to bundle the wee one up real good. I think he liked it because he was sleeping in no time flat.

Gavin was way up the block before we knew it...of course. But after gathering everyone up, we sent the kids to their first house. Cameron walked right up to the door and was VERY surprised when the man gave him not one, but TWO suckers! That was it, he didn't want to move until I opened them. So here we were, in the yard trying to convince a one year old that it was good for him to put the candy away (in the bucket) so he could get more. No way. So we negotiated and let him hold them...he walked but kept saying..."cande,cande,cande" and tried to get them open every chance he got! By the third house, he got the idea, put his candy away and tried to open the fourth house's door!!! It was quite entertaining to see him catch on. If you think about how bizarre this must seem to a child....or even to our Japanese friends.

It took at least an hour to go around the block. Needless to say, the boys got lots of candy...which is just fine for me :) I think some people slipped them a few extra pieces cause they were so darn cute.

Me, Cameron and Nolan ended up at home passing out candy by 8ish and Gavin went out with daddy to hit up a few more houses. Then, it was off to bed. Mommy and daddy enjoyed the quiet and "checked" the candy (ok, ate some too!) and made sure that it was all safe.

It was a lot of fun getting all dressed up and I have to say that I think we will try to keep the tradition alive.


Here are some pics of the boys getting their pumpkins ready...

Look at Cameron's face...he doesn't know what to do...cry?!? "Daddy...stop...your hurting my pumpkins!"

"Hurry get a burp cloth...the pumpkin just puked!"

"Oh fun! Let's see who can get the pumpkin seeds the farthest from the bowl!"

Oh...scary!

After.....these were Gavin's ideas. The one on the right is a cat and the other one was going to be a tree!?! but we convinced him otherwise!

As promised...

Nolan had a doctor's appointment on Friday. Got shots :) He isn't feeling well since and has had a temp and been spitting up. He definitely hasn't been himself. Poor guy.

He weighs 13 lbs 9 oz

23 inches long

Weight is in the 90% percentile. Went from 20-90 in 5 weeks...wow!

Height is only in the 20% percentile. Short and fat :)

Resemblence?? I think so!

We had some much fun dressing up! We got tons of compliments too! Gavin's tin man costume was the biggest hit...but Cameron looked so darn cute in that hat.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Random pictures too cute to be ignored...

SEPTEMBER PICTURES

OCTOBER PICTURES

Happy Monday!

Things are moving along smoothly here. We just got back from South Bend this past Saturday. I helped plan Jason's sister, Leah's, baby shower. We got to see my papa too. If you remember, he broke his hip coming to see us last month. He is now in a rehab nursing home but seems to be doing well. His treatments for his cancer have stopped so we are praying that is does not spread. Without them, the doctors only give 3-4 months to live. So please continue to pray for him...for the cancer NOT to spread and for his spirits. I know he really wants to go home!

The family is preparing for Halloween these last few weeks. We picked pumpkins with our Japanese friends the other week. They are so much fun to hang out with...I think they really enjoy our "American" holidays! We love sharing our traditions with them too. Everyone in the family is dressing up this year...we are going as the characters from the Wizard of Oz. This is a first and should be alot of fun.

Hope everyone has a great week. I plan to post pictures of Halloween for you all.

Notice how fat Nolan is getting?! Look at those cheeks. He is almost smiling here. I have some good smiling pics, but they are still on my camera!

Cameron is so weird...He instisted on wearing all this one day! You should have seen the look on daddy's face when he got home...and he wonders what we do all day...gees!

It's with a heavy heart that I sit and write this tonight. This past Monday, we traveled to Plymouth to lay to rest Jason's uncle Craig. Craig was just 48 years old. He leaves behind a wife and three kids.

As we sat in the funeral home, I felt overwhelmed by the thought of losing someone that I love. I have yet to experience a death of someone close and can't imagine the hurt and pain that one experiences. I did not know Craig very well, but yet I mourned his death because of the sorrow and hurt that his family was feeling. What shock and pain it must be to loss someone with whom you loved so much.

At the funeral many songs were played. The first being "Amazing Grace." How many of you know that song, yet have never really stopped and really listened to it??

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That sav’d a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears reliev’d;

How precious did that grace appear,

The hour I first believ’d!

-

The song was one of Craig's favorite. Why? Because he was a believer. He believed that Jesus died on the cross for us and rose again. He called on him and was saved. His wife is also a christian and although she mourns his death, so rejoices because he is now in heaven with God.

-

Craig knew where he was going when he dies...I know where I'm going when I die, do you? The bible makes it clear. "Who ever calls on His name will be saved" Saved??? Do you know what that really means??

-

Stay with me here...

-

We all sin. I know that I am a terrible sinner. But that's the thing, we ALL sin so if it weren't for Jesus dying on the cross and taking the brunt of our sin, we would never be allowed into heaven.

-

Think of it this way....I am on one side of the river and God is on the other. I can't get to him because he is well...God and I'm well...me with my horrible attitude and righteous behavior. So what can I do to get to him. NOTHING really, because there is no way to EARN holiness or erase what I think and do. My punishment for my sin is death..forever separated from Him.

-

So now what? Basically I have to have someone else EARN my way to God. Into the picture....Jesus. You see, he lived a perfect life (yes, he lead a perfect life!) and died in our place on the cross. He took the punishment for me so that I can go to heaven with God instead of hell (which I deserve). He is the bridge linking me and God! He SAVED me!!!

-

Still have you here? Good.

-

Now, what I choose to do with the "gift" is up to me. I can ignore it, deny it, or accept it. I chose to accept it and so did Craig. All you have to do to accept Christ gift is to admit your sin (if you understand that you are a sinner...) and for him to be the leader of your life (instead of you). A simple prayer that will change your life forever!

-

Sound easy....it is!!! If you truly believe it, it seals your destiny forever. Pretty awesome isn't it?? No more living in fear of death. They say heaven is better than we can ever imagine and I want to be there with you. A friend said to me the other day, "I bet people would give more thought to this Jesus thing if they really understood what hell was like." I agree because if you choose to deny or ignore this gift, I really believe that you will end up there....for eternity. -

-

So where do you stand? Are you ready to make a decision? I hope that you will and if you are still confused, I hope that you will seek out answers. I know that the bible has an ugly reputation for being hard to understand, so if you can't start there...start somewhere. Attend church, go to a christian website....ask me!!!
-

The decision to ask God into my life was very personal. I had very misguided ideas about God and death and it took me sometime to understand all this. Heck, I don't understand it all completely now! All I know is, once you make that decision, you are deciding to change. You are no longer living for your own desires and wants, but are living for God. I am still FAR from perfect, but I am leaning on what God wants for me rather than what I want for myself. That is what being a christian is.

-

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE think about what I've written. The most comforting thing about Craig's death was that he continues to live with God in heaven. What an amazing comfort to his family. I want to know that about you. Know that one day we will all be together in heaven, forever!!!!

-Jaime

P.S. I just want to clarify...God doesn't speak directly to me through revelations or anything....he doesn't do that! He tells me what he wants for my life in the bible....just want to make sure it was clear that I haven't heard God's actual voice :)

Update

It's been a while since I've given a family update so this is what's new around here....

Nolan: he's becoming a strong little man. Already holding his head up really well. He's smiling now, which makes my day! He really is a good baby minus the occasional crying for no apparent reason. He is sleeping about 5 hours at night which is WONDERFUL! He is also accepting a bottle (with mamma's milk, of course) which allowed me much needed time out with girlfriends tonight.

Cameron: he is becoming quite the big boy. He FINALLY says, "Momma" which is soooooo cute :) Now when he wants my attention, that's all I hear...He is saying quite a few words actually but I think our family is the only ones that could understand 1/2 of them.

Gavin: knows all of Psalm 100! He was been memorizing the 5 verses for about a month and was the 1st in his class to get it. He is also learning to read and is doing quite well. He LOVES school and seems to be adjusting well.

Jason: hard at work as always! We are so thankful that we have such a wonderful, loving daddy and husband. He helps out so much that I know that I would go crazy without him. Oh, and he is especially happy these days....the cubbies are in the playoffs!!!

Me: I contemplate whether you want to hear more about me or not?! Things are great and having 3 is not so hard after all, although it has it's days. I have begun writing a monthly column for our local MOPS newsletter...basically about shopping and how to save money! Wow, I know that's surprising, isn't it?? I also am starting to volunteer at the community center's clothing closet next month.

Well, I think that sums it up. Hope all is well with each of you. I will post pics of the little cuties soon!

Jaime

p.s. Please remember to keep my papa in your prayers...he had surgery on his hip a few days ago and prayer for healing and patience would be appreciated. He has a long road ahead of him.

Most of you received this in the mail (if you didn't, I really want your address!). I did them myself and have gotten so much positive feedback that I have done 2 other baby's announcement and am working on a 4th for a friend. I really enjoy the process!

I have created a few more and am interested in more business! Send people my way brownfamilyfive@verizon.net if they are having a baby, a birthday or even for their christmas cards. I can do them way cheaper than other sites who charge around $1.50-$3 per card!

I will post more of my designs later...

Jaime

New photos!

Just a few of the many, many pictures that I've taken. These didn't make the cut for his announcements. Speaking of announcements, they are done! Be on the look-out for yours!

Settling in...

So this is what it's like to have 3 kids?!? No really, as of now, going from 2 to 3 was ALOT easier than 1 to 2. I would have to say that it seems like Nolan has just slipped right in. Things have gone really well over the last week and it hasn't been to hard adjusting to having a newborn in the house again. Of course, this time I am not planning on going back to school and have projects and papers hanging over my head either.

I really love having a little baby around that lets me cuddle whenever I want! I wish they could stay little forever. Nolan is doing really well. He is eating great and even sleeping well at night (by well...I mean sleeping 3-4 hours at a time). Cameron and Gavin seem to be adjusting well and I am surprised at how little jealousy Cameron shows towards Nolan. ALTHOUGH...He does like to touch him and he is not gentle about it. I really have to watch him to make sure Nolan stays safe. The other day, he decided to take Nolan's blanket away while Nolan was in his swing. The problem was that Nolan was wrapped up in it and he almost pulled him out with it! Luckily, I moved fast enough.

Here are some pics of the little ones.

To all you out of towners...See what your missing??

My little monkeys

Maybe I'm partial, but I think we make beautiful children...

Blessings

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. -Psalm 9:1-2

As I sit here, with a beautiful baby in my arms, I can't help but think about all the ways that he has brought joy into our family in just a few days. God has truly provided for us in this time and we are so thankful for his wonderful gift.

Labor was fairly easy (6:30ish am to 3:30 pm). My shortest!! In fact, when the doctor said that it wouldn't be much longer, I didn't really even believe him. Recovery has been good and it seems like getting back to real life may not be so hard! I can't believe that this 9 month journey is over and am encouraged by what the future holds for this new life.

Here are his stats:

Born @ 3:30 pm

Weight: 7 lbs 3 oz

Height: 20 inches

Full Name: drum roll please...........

NOLAN WILLIAM BROWN

Just a few minutes old...

Day 2

Normal grumpy face...like, "hello, its so bright in here!"All ready to go meet the world

Couldn't help but share this one...the hospital gives the siblings a little party to celebrate...they are not excited to see cake at all :)

Thanks for all the phone calls and visits. We feel so lucky to have so many friends and family who love us! -Jaime(& Nolan)