Kristen really does speak

This is for the majority of you out there who don't believe that Kristen speaks :)
She's so painfully shy most of the time bu around me just lets it all out. She was just jabbering away talking about a dream she had this morning so I grabbed the camera and made her repeat it. She's a little more shy in this video than she was prior to me taping her.

Chatty Kristen from Jodi Brown on Vimeo.

Big Fat Slacker!

Obviously I haven't posted for a long time! We are moved and mostly settled in in Miami. I haven't wanted to take the time to blog and it just seems overwhelming to think of with all of the events from the last few months! I have been posting a lot of pictures on my Facebook page and that will just have to suffice till I can make myself sit down and type a few new chapters in our "book" :)

Lauren’s Pictures

Lauren has had a great first soccer season. She has enjoyed herself but is still pretty timid when it comes to actually kicking the ball. She is such a silly girl and usually does a skip/hop combo when shes out on the field, but she will run really fast when its intense until she gets to the ball, then she gets shy. She did manage to make her first goal this last week. We were very proud! She been able to be on the same team as her best friend Hailey and Hailey’s dad is the coach so It's been great! Lauren is such a shy girl especially when it comes to men (thank goodness!) and Hailey’s dad was no exception, even after spending a ton of time playing over at their house. He would always say hi to her and ask her to give him a high 5 and she would completely ignore him!  Now that he has been her coach he’ll walk in the room and she shouts “Hey coach!!”.  So cute!

  

BEST BUDS!

 

Here is her individual shot

followed by the group shot…Notice that I failed to take the gum out of her mouth!! Lovely…  

And here is her first class picture! I just Love how the little boy in the front right is totally looking off to the side and so is the Principal!  So funny!

Return to Phoenix

In the end of February Cory and I had a chance to go on a little vacation down to Phoenix for a couple of days without the kiddos. He had a test to take and I saw this as our chance to have one last Hoorah before we move and don’t have built in babysitters anymore :) We had a wonderful time visiting our old town, favorite dining spots, new dining spots, and wonderful old friends. While Cory was taking his Boards I went to hang out with some of the old gang on the lawn at Midwestern’s housing complex. Ohhh how I’ve missed that place and wished I had my girls with me to run around on the grass in the beautiful sunshine! Unfortunately I forgot my camera and didn’t get any pictures of my old friends and their adorable kids. Luckily I will have the chance again in June when we go back down for GRADUATION!!!

While we were there we had a chance to go to a neat little place called Pizzeria Bianco. We had heard raves about this place for years from various people and even Oprah! It was apparently voted best pizza in America at one point. The only thing stopping us from trying it while we lived in Phoenix before was the 2-3 hour wait to even get in the door! They can only seat 40 people in the little old brick building. We lined up at least an hour before they opened and already there was a line waiting in front. They opened the doors and we were numbers 41 and 42 in line..so we got to wait for another hour.  Cory went next door to Bar Bianco and got us some sodas. All they had was regular coke in bottles…and I don’t think they serve them very often since we popped of the tops and they were a little rusty! Luckily it was a gorgeous evening. Just perfect for sitting outside and sipping a nice cold coke from a bottle :) The pizza was great and Cory is so happy we finally went. Good times!

We stayed at an awesome resort called the Hilton Tapatio Cliffs. It was set on the side of a hill and was really cool and old world feeling. Our room was beyond our expectations and we got it for a smokin’ deal! We paid Super 8 prices for a resort. It doesn’t  get much better than that!    

 

The time went by way to fast but I was very happy to get home and kiss my girls.

Then Cory went to Denver for his last month away in March. Now he is back with us and working with a local Podiatrist and then it’s graduation in June and then we’re off  to Miami! What a crazy rollercoaster of a year we’ve had! In a nutshell, we’ve lived in Phoenix, Denver, and Lewiston. All in the last 12 months! Cory has lived in all of those places and also Tacoma, WA and Grand Blanc, MI. But alas, we have survived and have had a great time!

We matched!!!

We are moving in June to...

Ok, Ok…I’m posting!

I’ve been so lame lately and haven’t wanted to blog! There hasn’t been much going on to be “blogworthy” I guess. Either that or I’ve just been plain lazy!

Cory is in Michigan for the month. He will come home next weekend (he’s driving…oh joy!) and then he and I will head to Phoenix for a few days while he takes his Boards. I can’t wait for a few days in the valley of the sun just the two of us! I got a great deal on Priceline. I put in my bid for a 3 star hotel and they accepted my offer and upgraded us to a resort! I can’t wait to lay out by the pool! I know we’ll probably just be in a normal room but at least it won’t be in the ghetto!

Then when we get back Cory will head to Denver for his last month away from us! I’m thankful we have friends there who are willing to put up with him for the month :) Thanks Val and Maria!!

On March 8th it is “Match Day” when we find out where we will be moving in June for the next 2-3 years! Michigan, Florida, California, Washington…or pretty much anywhere if he doesn’t “match” with one of the programs he’s chosen. Cross your fingers for us that we will get one of his top picks!

Lauren is still doing great in school. She really is eager to read these days. I need to get her some beginning reader books so she can actually read a whole book by herself. She gets so frustrated when she can’t get a word right! She is really my little helper these days. She has a sticker chart now for when she does good deeds and does what I say without complaining (which was a big problem for a while!) It has really worked for her. If she’s being a little butt-head I threaten to take away stickers and that usually does the trick!

Kristen is quite a pill these days. She has a lot of attitude and doesn’t want to do anything unless it’s on her terms (including potty training…ugg!!). One quirky thing right now is she LOVES tomatoes. Seriously, we walk through the store and the only thing she requests is “little tomatoes”. She especially loves the little grape tomatoes. The other night Lauren was walking around with a sucker….the LAST sucker..I thought there was going to be a meltdown for sure. Instead she looks at Lauren with the sucker and turns to me and says “I want 2 little tomatoes”. Wow…I wish both girls thought they were candy!

Lauren’s Christmas program

Lauren had her first Christmas program last month and it was in the same school where I had mine. It was so fun to be there and reminisce. The school was smart and had the 3 Kindergarten classes have their own program. It was short and sweet. Lauren was feeling special and had no signs of stage fright. She was actually bouncing around to the music and singing loud and getting into it more than most of the other kids. We were so proud :)

If Lauren looks a little different, it’s because she wanted her hair straightened for the occasion. I think it makes her look more grown up and she feels extra pretty!