Homecoming 2016

I suppose this is our life now...dances, dresses, lots of hair and makeup...Parker watching from the sidelines as the big girls get ready...Mark keeping close check of the checking account, and Mom keeping equally close check of hemlines and necklines.  That's what we get for being blessed with beautiful Brown girls, I guess. 

Avery went with a great group of girls and took pics at Dow Gardens.

Maryn went with a great group of girls too and took pics at a friends house.  

It's fun...who am I kidding?!?

Avery Turns Fourteen!

It's not everyday you turn 14 years old.  I look at her and sometimes I can't believe she is already 14 and then other times I kind of cringe at the fact that she's only 14...haha!  This girl is as strong-willed as she is tall, and holds a special place in my heart.

She requested a special day in Detroit, so we all packed up and headed out! 

We hit Johnny Noodle King for a lunch of gourmet Ramen noodles and then hit up the Detroit Institute of Arts for an afternoon looking at beautiful art!  It was so fun!!

We also had presents and cake at home after we got home...a long day, but so worth the time!  Avery is our favorite 14 year old!!

The First Day of School

The girls started the 2016-2017 school year after Labor Day. They are sharing a locker this year, so this is them before school started setting up their stuff. 

This is them bright and early on the first day.  It's always such an exciting day. 

Maryn is starting as a sophomore at Dow High School.  She is involved in marching band and drama.

Avery is starting as a freshman at Dow High School.  She is involved in student leadership, basketball, and drama.

Parker is starting as a 1st grader at Siebert Elementary. She isn't really involved in anything extra-curricular yet, although she loves dance and theater. 

I am starting my second year as a graduate student, and first year as a teaching assistant at Central Michigan University.  I'm a little nervous about the added stress of taking more classes and teaching classes now, too.  Wish me luck!!

Parker Turns Seven!

This little monkey's birthday is always going to compete with either Labor Day or the beginning of school from here on out, I think.

She requested breakfast in bed, so of course we obliged.  You may think she requested pancakes or bacon, but no!  Not our girl!  She wanted a tuna fish sandwich with dill pickles on a toothpick.  We also decorated her bedroom while she slept. She was so happy when she woke up!

This year, we still celebrated her big #7 with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's.  She loves this so much and it's just so easy, so we indulge her.  This year, Maryn's friend (and Parker's favorite) Katherine came along and we all pooled our tickets so that Parker could get something special from the prize booth.  It was a fun day!!

We also had a fun party at home with presents and cake.

This is some of her artwork from the past year--this girl is growing up so fast. She is a joy to all of us and we couldn't imagine life without her quirky personality and way of looking at the world.