SEQUEL WIN!

I think we love movies a little too much at our house.  We spend a lot of time watching them, talking about them, quoting them, thinking about them, etc.  One might think that we may even spend TOO much time or money or both in pursuit of them, NEVERTHELESS we love them, and it works for us, so don't hate or judge...K?!?  Each one of us has our individual tastes and favorites, for sure, but to some extent we have OUR FAMILY favorites too.  It's been fun to see new releases as a family over the past couple years and all be equally delighted and entertained. 

To mention a few big ones from this past year:

Monsters University/Monsters, Incorporated

Parker wasn't around when the original came out, but the older girls were and this was one of our family faves.  We were all excited when this sequel came out, but unfortunately it paled in comparison to the first. Super weak plot line, no new characters, and nothing emotionally vulnerable to suck you in.  Sequel FAIL!!

Despicable Me/Despicable Me 2

Parker was around for this one, and LOVED it!  We all did, in fact.  The sequel to this movie was equally great and in a lot of ways BETTER than the first.  More minions, Gru dresses up as a fairy for Agnes' birthday party for pete's sake, and proceeds to fall in love with Agent Lucy (LIPSTICK TAZER!!) and there is a "happily ever after" ending that we all loved.  Plus the soundtrack is awesome.  Sequel WIN!!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs/Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (or as I like to refer to it: CWACOM 2)

We all saw #1 in the theater and had the best time.  This movie is so entertaining and moves quickly.  I think we all love everything about it.  The sequel was awesome!  New characters, progression of the original plot line, and that food-land is just so darn creative and a spectacle for the senses!  Who can't love "shrimp-anzees", "cheese-spiders", and of course the "Taco-dile SUPREME"!!  (Parker can actually say that with the accent and everything!  Haha!)  SEQUEL WIN!!

{SIDE NOTE:  You may remember that Parker got to see this movie as a reward for her good behavior at Chipp-u-wah.  Read here.  You probably are not aware that she kept telling everyone (teachers, friends, strangers on the street) that she was going to see CWACOM 2 in "Theater 7" at the Midland Movie Theater (pronounced fee-o-ter).  We just laughed it off, and tried to distract people from our sometimes very odd child.  But wouldn't you know it, the day came to see the movie, and we bought our tickets, and the friendly ticket taker directed us to THEATER-FREAKING-SEVEN!!!!!!!  We peed our pants a little, and basically tried not to be scared of our 4 year old throughout the rest of the movie experience.  Haha!  But seriously, we considered hitting up the convenience store for some lottery tickets on the way home.} 

When the DVD for CWACOM 2 came out, we were so excited!  We made a Friday night date out of it for the whole family!!  We had a special dinner with wacky foods, went to Target to buy the DVD, got some popcorn and drinks while we were there, and then the girls set up their sleeping bags on the floor to watch it.  It was really fun!!

 I asked him to make me a salad, and this is what he came up with!!  CWACOM 2 MADNESS!!

Getting excited for family movie night!  (I know P's eyes are closed...do you know how hard it is to get them all looking, smiling, and not being gigantic pains in the butt for every. stinkin. picture?!?)

The sleepover party.  (Yep, sure enough...P's eyes closed.  Again.  Awesome.  In her defense, I think she was pretending to sleep.)

See what I mean?!?  I think we like this movie stuff a little TOO much.

Holiday of Love 2014

I think we all enjoyed our Valentine's Day this year.  I was able to co-op in Parker's preschool the day of her Valentine's party which was fun.  She loved getting cards and treats from her friends.

I've started a bit of a tradition with making homemade valentines for everyone, along with a little treat.

Mark's started a tradition of little treats for everyone too.  This year he got the girls chocolate too, we must have been on the same wavelength...it was a chocolate holiday!!

There was also a Father Daughter Dance hosted by the other Midland Ward held later in the month that was a fun new tradition.  I kind of had to force them out the door, but I think they are all glad they went by the end of the night.

The last couple pictures were from a shaving game they had with the girls using popsicle sticks to shave their dads.  Luckily, Mark got Maryn's accuracy instead of some other dads who had their toddlers and young daughters just going to town with the shaving cream.  Pretty cute game though, I must say!!

Here are some of Parker's masterpieces from the month of February, too.

I love the fun of Valentine's Day, but I sure am glad February is over...onto March, and the promise of Spring!!

January Milestones

This month has had many milestones.  One of which is the fact that it has been the the most EXTREME winter EVER!  I am feeling like Michigan is trying to initiate us into an club or something.  A club where you have to show your strength and fortitude by enduring weeks of snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures.  A club where your kids have snow days multiple times a month, and you are trapped at home with your bored and anxious children with nowhere to go and nothing to do.  It's kicking my butt, people!  I have no memory of winters sucking this profoundly when I was growing up here.  This is above and beyond, for sure!  Am I the only one who feels this way?!?

Anyway, for this reason I am glad that January is officially on it's way out.  Phew!  Although, February is just around the corner...you know what that means, right?!?  February is the loooooongest, shortest month of the year!  If you can get through February, you can get through anything.  But I digress...oh wait, did I mention this is what our house looks like most of the time?!?  Anyhoo...just sayin'.

This month Parker reached an important milestone...she draws for the first time!!  At least she drew something that wasn't just scribbles on a page, and something that was recognizable!  I was so happy to see this.  I was actually getting concerned because Maryn and Avery both drew earlier than her, and more than she does.  She's just not as into the drawing and the arts and crafts and M and A were.  She may not be, and that's ok.  She is definitely her own little person.  Nevertheless I was glad when she busted this out one night.  It made me happy.  She is also getting much better with her ABC's.  She is recognizing letters, sounds, and order.  She can even write a few of them.  She is growing up!

Another important milestone of this month is the birthday of our own Mark Sheffield Brown!!  He turned the big 4-0!!  I wanted to make it a little extra special for him, so I asked a few close family and friends to write some reasons they love and appreciate Mark.  I compiled them into a book called "40 Reasons We All Love Mark".  He loved it!!  Thanks everyone for taking some time to write down your thoughts.  It meant a lot to me, as well as Mark!  We love you back!

Avery made a cute robot named the "Mark-Bot 40", and took pics of it staged around the house.  One of which she took next to Mark without him even knowing about it!  It was cute, so here are a few fun shots of the Mark-Bot 40.

The Mark-Bot 40

The Mark-Bot 40 loves to jam to classic hits of the 80's, 90's, and even some contemporary tunes.

The Mark-Bot 40 loves to spend time whipping up a little something something in the kitchen.

Avery thinks the Mark-Bot 40 is fun to take a selfie with.

Suzy thinks the Mark-Bot 40 is where it's at.

The Mark-Bot 40 manages the chaos that is the shoe rack by the back door.

The Mark-Bot 40 is on stand-by in the bathroom with mousse for any hair disaster that may come up.

The Mark-Bot 40 bows to his sensei.

The Mark-Bot 40 thinks this winter blows chunks.

Parker thinks the Mark-Bot 40 is fun to snuggle with.

Maryn likes taking the Mark-Bot 40 to the mall to hang out, and go to Claire's with.

We are all grateful for our Mark-Bot 40!!  Here's to a great fortieth year!!

New Year and New Looks

Maryn recently started PHASE 2 of her Orthodontia, which means sparkly braces on the top and bottom for 2 years!!!!  Whoa, Nelly! 

To go with her new braces, we decided she needed a new 'do.  She immediately begged for the "Jennifer Lawrence". 

(On a sidenote, do you remember when the "Jennifer Aniston" was popular?  You could walk into a salon anywhere in the US, and say "I want the 'Jennifer Aniston'," and they'd know exactly what you were talking about.  The reason I say "anywhere in the US is that this time period just so happened to coincide with my time as a missionary outside of the US, in the Czech Republic of all places!  In the best broken Czech I could muster at only the 5 month mark of my service, I asked for something that could loosely be translated as "bangs, with floppy layers all over".  Ummm, yeah...not the best decision I have made in my life.  Needless to say it didn't turn out as much like "Jennifer Aniston" as I was hoping.  On another sidenote, it took me the rest of my mission and even after I got home to correct that decision, but I digress.

Nobody would've known what hairstyle I had, as each day I hid it under my raspberry wool beret anyway shielding my poor, delicate head from the harsh, winter elements of the great white north.  LOL!  Seriously, the old Babichkas of the CZ were CONVINCED that if you didn't cover your head in the winter, you would automatically shrivel up and DIE!  They would cluck and point, and fuss until you covered your head if you were out in public.  Makes me laugh remembering that!!  Wow, long SIDENOTE!!)

Anyhoo, I shot down Maryn's request to get the "Jennifer Lawrence".  I think the hairstyle is darling, but not for a growing (and somewhat awkward) 13 year old.  It's just not the right time.  All I could imagine was super short hair, big black glasses, 2 rows of silver braces, etc....you get the picture.  I love her too much to let her do that to herself, or have her ask me 10 years from now, "WHY did you let me do THAT!?!" while sifting through pictures of THAT period of her life.  Haha!

So anyway, she got her hair did, and it turned out great!  I think it's enough of a change for her to feel sassy and fresh.  (Not like she needs a whole lot of help in the sassy department...she IS 13 years old after all!!)

Watching her locks fall to the floor inspired me to look inward and do some soul searching...haha!!  I was ready for a change as well.  I needed some highlights, but I also figured I'd trim up the ends a bit.  I seriously did not go into the salon asking for her to make it short.  It just happened.  I was a trooper about it, but when I got home I panicked.  It's fine now.  I've had this style before, so I can adapt.  It's sure refreshing though!  I can barely squeak out a ponytail now, which is forcing me to actually make an effort in the morning.  I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

Anyway, here's to a NEW YEAR, A NEW PLACE, and a NEW 'DO!!!!

Happy New Year!!

Some new friends invited us over for a New Year's Eve party, and it was super fun.  Their home was decorated so cute, and even had a photo booth for party-goers.  Unfortunately Mark missed out on the fun, because he was drafted to go help another party-goer out of a snow bank they had accidentally backed out into.  No, there was no alcohol at this party!  Haha!

We spent the evening eating yummy snacks, and playing games.  In years past, we've always gone to the Ottawa Ward party at the church, and we usually leave around 9 or 10.  This year we actually stayed until the ball dropped!!  I couldn't believe Parker was still functioning.  By the time we got her in the car, it was probably around 12:30, and she finally hit the wall.  She dissolved into a ball of tears, but at the party she did great!  We were all asleep by 1 am.  Shwew-ee!!

Luckily everyone slept in, so the next day wasn't a drama fest.  We actually stayed home and did nothing.  We played some wii, watched some movies, wrote some resolutions, and reflected on 2013.  It was kinda awesome.  I made a new twist on our traditional Hoppin' John dish.  This year instead of the half pound of bacon, I added yummy baked meatballs in bbq sauce to go over the rice and black-eye peas.  It was a hit!

Here's some of our highlights of 2013:

Mark's greatest lesson learned:  It is important to enjoy the moment I am in and be present in it.
Mark wants to get better at teaching in 2014.

Parker's favorites from 2013:  Chippa-wuh, Despicable Me 2, the Midland library, Tag books, and vegetables (she said her favorite food was vegetables and salad).
Parker wants to get better at sitting still and listening in 2014.

Maryn's favorite memory from 2013 was her first year at girl's camp!  She is amazed at all the changes and new things that took place this year.
Maryn wants to get an A in science in 2014.

Suzy's greatest lesson learned:  When it's meant to be, it will be.  I can't believe that a year later, we are in another state with a whole new life!  I still can't believe we sold our house in 48 hours!
Suzy wants to get better at making bread and friends in 2014.

Avery's hardest challenge from 2013 was moving, but one of her favorite things was also meeting new people!
Avery wants to make the Northeast 7th grade girl's basketball team in the Fall, and meet even more people!

Hope you have all had a wonderful start to 2014!!

Christmas Day in the Morning

We were so busy enjoying our morning, that we don't have a lot of photographic evidence of the proceedings.  That's probably a good thing though.  It means we were all happy and busy with giving and receiving.  It was a nice Christmas this year.  Santa found all three girls names on the "nice" list, and brought them what they asked for.  (Except maybe Avery, who is still holding out hope for a new phone...at least she can understands Santa's reasoning for waiting a little longer...)

This year, Parker has understood so much more about Christmas.  She has been so observant and interested in the stories and traditions.  In particular, she was so obsessed with the concept of all the children being on Santa's "Nice" or "Naughty" list.  It definitely doesn't help that she has older sisters who are constantly holding this guilt trip over her head when she misbehaves.  "Do you want to be on the Nice list, Parker?"  "Santa's going to put you on the Naughty list, is that what you really want, huh, huh?!?"  It caused her a bit of fear and panic, I'm afraid.  But that's the role of youngest in the family in many ways, I think. 

We have a stuffed reindeer that was actually given to us by an elf when Maryn was a baby (I'm not even kidding) at a store in Boise where we went to talk to Santa one year.  Ever since, we've used the same idea as the "Elf on a Shelf" with our little stuffed reindeer.  He was given to us by one of Santa's elves to watch the girls as Christmas approaches and will occasionally move around the house in order to get a good view, and report his findings.  So, needless to say, Parker has definitely been aware of Mr. Reindeer this year.  It was cute.

She asked Santa for a Belle doll, and some new Tag books. 

Maryn asked Santa for a Harry Potter Snuggy.  She is finally officially in the House of GRIFFINDOR!  Haha!  Also, if you know Maryn, you know she is always cold, so this is pretty much her dream come true!

As you can see, Avery is too busy reading one of her new books to even smile for the camera.

We are grateful that everyone was happy, and that we can enjoy another Christmas as a family.  We have plenty of blessings and gifts to be thankful for this year.  Many of which include my sweet family and friends.  I miss you all and love you, and hope your holidays were filled with lots of warmth and cheer!! 

Christmas Traditions

Christmas Eve was spent at home this year. We set a fancy Christmas table using the "Sheffield" china this year.  We made our annual Christmas Ham dinner with cheesy potato casserole, green beans, rolls, and a jello salad.  We had chocolate cream pie for dessert.

After dinner, we usually have our program.  This year we watched a Christmas DVD about Christ's birth, set to music sung by MoTab.  After that, we read the story from Luke while the girls put pieces of the Nativity on a flannel board.  After the "spiritual" part, we always read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and put reindeer food out on the front lawn (equal parts oatmeal, sprinkles, and sparkles).  We lay out a plate of cookies and a mug of milk for Santa, and then the girls open their jammies from Grandma and Grandpa, and we get ready for bed!!  It's nothing fancy, but it's become something that we all enjoy each year.

I loved Parker's reaction to her Princess jammies this year...she was absolutely "in love" with them. 

We wish you a very Merry Christmas, and an even Happier New Year!!

Peace out Christmas Peeps!!  I don't think these girls are falling asleep anytime soon!!