I've Been Playing Candy Crush

Yes, I fell into the black hole that is Candy Crush. That is my excuse for being gone for so long! I've finally reached a point in the game that I have to wait too long before another level opens up; so, my addiction has been wavering!

Enough about that. What has the Brew Crew been up to? Well, we had the privilege of sharing our blessings from the end of January until about a week and a half ago. Family friends of ours while waiting for their new home to be built, had temporarily taken up quarters in a small travel trailer. Mark and I suggested that they use our spare bedroom, and we would make room for their kid-o's. They finally took us up on our offer! So, we went from a family of 4 to an family of 9 really quick! When the children (our two, Austin and Abi, and their 3, Cameron, Remington, and Lyla) went to bed, it just seemed like a nice evening hanging out with friends! When all the children were awake, things at times became more complicated. But for the most part it was a blessing. It was a blessing for me, and a blessing for Austin and Abi. I often reminded them of a verse that God put on my heart shortly before they moved in: Hebrews 13:16 Don't forget to do good things for others and to share what you have with them. These are the kinds of sacrifices that please God. Before they moved in, other friends questioned our sanity. They asked if we were scared to lose our friendship with our friends. In the end, our friendship was not only intact, but even stronger than it was before! Some of the highlights from our 3 month slumber party:

 Lyla LOVES Austin. Every morning or any time we would return home, she would make a running leap to hug him!

 

These two, Abi and Remi, had their days when they were BFFs or mortal enemies! Sometimes within 5 minutes!

 

Mark and Javier. These two kept us entertained nonstop!

Lyla helping Mark build a shelf for my laundry room. That didn't work out, but Lyla was so excited to help!!

Lyla, Abi, and Remi having a tea party with a tea set that was my Grandmothers.

 



Our family made sure to clear our calendar for Winter Jam this year! We also helped transport some of the youth from our church, as it was also a youth group event. Some of our favorite bands were there: Lecrae, Tenth Avenue North, and Thousand Foot Krutch to name a few!

 

Austin waiting to enter the concert, rocking his blue Mohawk!

 

One of the youth worshipping!

 



Abi turned 10 on March 11th this year! Her request for a birthday party this year was to have a few friends over for a spaghetti dinner, Paris style, and then to have her friends spend the night. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away on Abi's birthday, and his funeral was the morning after her party. Abi was a good sport, understanding that sometimes things don't work out the way you always plan for them to. She did get her fancy spaghetti dinner, and was happy enough with that!

Even the Eiffel Tower is edible!

Abi and (her very best friend!) Luke!

 

We have really slacked on the field trips this year. We tried to make up for it this spring. We took a field trip to the George Ranch where the kids got to see what life was like in the the 1800's.

 











Here, Austin and Abi did an impression of old people that started with "Back in my day sonny..."

Abi was most curious to see the inside of ever building on the ranch!

 

Field trip number 2 has become kind of an annual trip. We packed a picnic for Memorial Hermann Park, which Mark was able to join us for this year, and then went to the zoo for one of their free admission days! I made sure to pack the camera because I wanted to take spring photos of Austin and Abi. I pulled up some spring pics of the kids from the last 4 years to see how much they've grown!!

Spring 2010

Spring 2011

 

Spring 2012

Spring 2013

 

Spring 2014

I love these two with my whole heart!

She is so beautiful!

And he is one handsome fella!

 

Then we went to the zoo!

His personality makes me laugh!

Silly, silly kids!

 

I love this picture. Abi's face is priceless!!!

 

Of course, I can't forget Easter. This year we didn't give the kids Easter Baskets. I've always dreaded giving them baskets anyways because then the holiday, like Christmas, slips away from the true meaning of what we are celebrating. I don't want them to look forward to Easter because they get more STUFF, but because they can have new life! They have a way to heaven because Jesus died and then rose again three days later! We did give them one item each, and they seemed okay with that!

 



Easter 2014

Around the Clock

 The last couple of weeks have flown by! I can't believe that we have been back to school for 3 weeks now! We have been so busy that our time passes so quickly!

First, Abi started ice skating lessons, her sport of choice for this year. So far, she is really excited each Saturday morning. Though, I won't count my chickens before they hatch because last year when she started gymnastics she was pumped about it for the first couple of months. It was  downhill after that. So, we will see!

 On her way to her first lesson

 Crystara, an awesome skater and friend, helped Abi find her way around.

My cutie pie

On the ice

Last Friday, September 16, the kids and I started Friday school. Friday school is what we call our co-op through First Class Ministries. We're off to a great start! 

First day of school pics

Austin's 1st day of Destruction! class- taking apart a dishwasher

Sorry this pic is blurry, but the kid's were moving while leading worship

Austin had his first official baseball game with his new team this week. His colors this season are navy blue, silver, and white. That's a big change from red, black, and silver! Kid pitch is also a LOT different from coach pitch...the games move a LOT slower! 

We lost. It was a polar opposite type of game than we are used to...we'll chalk it up to the new team trying to mesh. 

What a daddy's girl

My little ball player

Brazos, here with Austin, played on the Vipers with Austin and is now on his new team

Number 23 like his name sake (Austin Jordan after Michael Jordan)

 We got to hang out with a cutie-patootie, Miss Pacey, a couple of times this week. While we were with her, we took a trip to visit her big brother, Luke. Luke is also Abi's best buddy, so it was really a treat for her!

Luke and Abi



 Abi had a birthday party to attend today for Becca, one of her sweet friends. She was on top of the world!!! The party was at 'Sweet and Sassy'.

After her haid and makeup

Singing on stage

Austin sent a very special, thoughtful gift for Becca.

He gave her a rock 

When you lifted the rock up, he had a special little treat

The card read: "You never know what you'll find when you look under a rock!" SO SWEET!

Becca recently got an American Girl doll. It only seemed fitting to give her a bed for her new pal. Mark and I made her this farmhouse bed (plans from http://www.annawhite.com/) and I made the bedding from my fabric stash. I was quite excited when it all came together...I like pretty things!



Keepsake and Why Marbles Matter

This week I have a keepsake that I want to record. Hopefully, one day, the kids will look back over this blog and laugh at the incredibly silly stuff they did and said!!

On Wednesday, both Austin and Abi finished their work in record speed! But the rule we have in place is that the TV does not come on until 2:30pm. Even then they are only allowed an hour of TV. It's okay though, because Austin and Abi are pros at breaking out the imagination! On this day, they were using Bakugans to rule over their own lands. As I cleaned, I noticed that they had gone to the garage and borrowed the painters tape to mark off each of their own territories on the living room floor (which I didn't think to snap a picture of!) They each had some of the Bakugan and were making them interact. Austin, being 100% boy, wanted tot battle Abi's Bakugan and insisted that they go to war. Austin repetitively threatened to invade her territory and take it over. Abi, being Abi, refused Austin at each offer. Eventually, in frustration she blurted out, "Austin, why do we have to battle? Why can't we just live in peace? If you plan to come over her to my territory, you're gonna have to sign a  peace treaty first!" I laughed out loud that she knew and used the term 'peace treaty' in the correct context!!! That was a keepsake moment!

If you're reading this than you probably know my Abi is a firecracker! Last year's homeschooling brought many challenges, as our personalities constantly collided! This year has been refreshing (so far)! I can tell that as she gets older she is easier to work with. Or maybe it's that she has learned that throwing a fit gets her nothing but further behind in her work. Or maybe it's that we've found curriculum that keeps her interest at a peak. Whatever it is...I am thankful! This week in science, Abi learned about mammals and the 5 characteristics that qualify an being as a mammal. Her lesson included:

A fact finding scavenger hunt!

 Abi had a list of questions that paired with the 18 cards that I hid around the house.

and a picture poster (I though I had more magazines for her to find pictures, but I guess I recycled them!! oops!)

I'm still waiting for Austin's supplement for his science book to come in the mail. Luckily, his book has a few activities to do in the meantime! This week he learned about conservation of momentum in moving masses. His activity gave him the opportunity to observe momentum in different ways. Here, he lined marbles up in the crease of a hardcover book. He then rolled one of the marbles into the other and was able to see that the energy of the marble just transferred through the line of marbles and knocked the ending one away. He was very excited to see how it worked. It didn't hurt that the explanation in his book of how momentum works was about hitting a baseball!!

 He also used dominoes to observe

After Austin's project, the kids kept the marbles out and played old fashioned marbles just like on Charlie Brown!!! Well, almost old fashioned...this is the indoor-because-it's-way-to-hot-outside version!