Ugh! We've got a broken arm in the Brown household. Gary is the culprit.... broken ulnar (up near his wrist) with some soft tissue damage.

He was messing around on a skim board when we were on the beach for spring break mid-week & fell on his first try. Chalked it up as being a little too difficult & wanted to quit before he really got hurt... well, I guess the damage was already done. He complained the day we left that he couldn't throw a frisbee & then also had pain on the drive home. Talked about getting it checked out, but I think he thought that in time, it would start to feel better. A little more complaining & eventually we were painting Marin's room and he decided it still shouldn't be hurting. Probably best to get it checked out. Almost 2.5 weeks after returning home from spring break. Which brings us to this...

Definitely not the outcome he was hoping for. Nice to not have a big clunky cast & this option is much better for showering & still being able to run. He did have a smaller splint for a week before getting this big clunker. He's slowly learning how to do simple tasks left handed & using dictation for emails/text at work. 

He'll go back for another x-ray at the end of May to see if it has healed well enough to go to a smaller splint for a bit or they'll schedule surgery. Fingers crossed this big cast & keeping him immobile does the trick! xoxo

Maeve's teacher needed some time off this week for some meetings so I snatched up her days & the opportunity to hang with Maeve and her friends. 

So funny to see her in the school environment. She does so wonderfully, but even her classmates said they saw a different side of Maeve when I was in the room. She was complaining about having to take too many notes at one point. They all agreed that they had never heard Maeve complain. What the heck??? I guess she only whines & complains for mom! Regardless, we had fun together. It was nice to spend the two days with her & her class. Such a great group of kiddos.

Happy Easter! 

We woke up & had Easter breakfast/coffee, watched church on the tv again & just had a chill morning. It was so nice. I didn't even take pics of the girls with their baskets! I am getting bad at taking photos. In the afternoon we went to Katie & Mike's for dinner and had a huge egg hunt for the kids. They had so much fun helping the littles find all the eggs. Even more fun sorting through all the candy! 

Maeve was delighted to be reunited with Eva after a week on separate spring break trips. Their little friendship is just so cute. The big girls had their friends on the beach all week, Maeve had friends but was missing her bestie. Eva even brought home a necklace for her... matching of course.

Margaux also got some time in with Marin & Karis when she got home. Helped Gary empty the hot tub & returned the stroller to Katies. They are so goofy.

 Not a normal Easter just yet, but nice to get some things done & the girls had off school today. An extra day off has been nice for us all. xoxo

As amazing as vacation is, it always feels equally amazing to be home. Spring Break 2021 has ended & we had a great week. Thankful we were able to make the trip & enjoy a week on the beach. 

After years of visiting Orang Beach, our girls are beach regulars now. They all had so much fun with their friends & had some really great beach volleyball games going each day. Nice for them to have a big group of kids & a great mix of boys/girls.

I didn't take as many photos as I typically do. We really just tried to unplug & enjoy the time together. 

Most of the beach town was open & functioning pretty normal. Typically we take a day to explore the town & go out to dinner a few nights. None of that this year & it was okay. We did take a morning to get the girls their souvenir beach wear. Other than that, we spent all of our days on the beach & enjoyed every minute of it. The weather was perfect mid-to-high 70's all week. 

The last day was the coolest day. High 60's & it still felt amazing. The big girls were a little dramatic & needed sweatshirts on. Still so nice & we were able to be on the beach and still feel comfortable. I think this is the only photo we took of the 5 of us! Too busy having fun!

Love how happy they are on the beach... maybe we need to move closer! I'd also love to compare our photos of the three of them from our 1st year on Orange Beach to now. They sure have grown into these pretty ladies.

Broaghen kiddos all posed & looking for a picture. They've all become pro travelers. We've got this down! Can't wait for our adventures to come.

Another drive through the night to get home... Gary rocked it again! Both ways I had to tell him to take a break & let me drive. The girls slept most of the night, waking up a bit when we stopped for gas but that was about it. 

As tired as we are, it is so nice to be home. Thankful the drive was successful. We are all looking forward to our own beds tonight & some Easter celebrations tomorrow. xoxo

 We made it to the beach! 

Feels so darn amazing! The sunshine is so great for the soul, we are all smiling from ear to ear. I am especially happy to have the drive down behind us. We drove straight through the night this year, first time ever. It went better than expected, but it was still so long. We are tired today. I have already napped on the beach while we waited to get access to our condo. Gary is a rockstar & can function on far less sleep than me. Thankful for his long stretch of driving, we all know I HATE the drive. For now we'll soak up all the sunshine & beach we can before it's time to head home. xoxoxo

 Weather is warming up a bit, giving us a little taste of spring. It feels so good!

Yesterday we all ventured out for the second time to help Travis campaign for his potential election onto the school board. Last weekend we did the same... canvased neighborhoods passing out flyers to encourage people to get out & vote. The kids had so much fun. Last weekend they were all on rollerblades & this weekend they decided to just go on foot. All was well until we got a call saying Margaux had been bit by a dog. Such a bummer, she had a sizable bit on her upper thigh & it was really painful. Luckily both Margaux & the dog are up to date on their vaccinations so we need to just keep it clean & monitor for the next 10 days. The owner was very cooperative, thankfully. Learned that they do not stitch dog bites because of all the bacteria in their mouths, so lots of antibacterial soap it is! Per the doctors request we'll also keep it completely covered for a few days as well in an effort to keep it clean. Not the best of timing with us leaving for vacation in a few days, but we are just thankful she is okay. It could have been so much worse. 

A little antibiotic ointment & pain reliever, then she was in better spirits... requesting to go play tennis. So Gary & I headed to the courts with her for a bit to hit some balls and help lift her spirits a bit. Also kept her mind off it.

Loving the warmer weather & looking forward to many more tennis court trips. Marin is playing middle school tennis this spring, so we'll be on the courts much more often in the next few weeks! 

 March Madness bracket time! This year we extended the invite for our bracket challenge beyond the Broaghens & included the Johnsons. The girls were so excited to help Sloane & Fitz fill out their bracket. They are all excited to see how they'll do once the games start knowing that they have no knowledge of what is even going on. Makes us all laugh.

Acre did not get to do a bracket. Maybe next year... Margaux kept him entertained. 

Yesterday was St. Patricks Day. Maeve's class looked so cute in this picture her teacher posted. All wearing green & looking festive.

We're counting down our days until spring break, looking forward to the sunshine on our faces & the sound of beach waves. Cannot wait!! xoxo

 Sap is all collected, Grandpa is home & now it is time to boil it into syrup. 

The girls were eager to get to the garage to see it boiling & of course give it a taste. Ironically, they still prefer the store bought syrup on their pancakes. We can't believe it. 

Like it on the pancakes or not, I am thankful they got to be a part of the process with grandpa. The rest of us will just enjoy the syrup for ourselves. xoxo

 Another awesome winter weekend. We decided to take the day & drive up north to do some sap collection with my dad... hoping that with the warm temps & sunshine it will be running so we can make maple syrup. Last spring with covid just hitting we missed our opportunity. Today, the weather was perfect... or so we thought. When we got there the trees were barely dripping so we decided to head to the lake for some ice fishing, hoping that when we got back it would be flowing a little faster. 

Love this crew.... just missing my mom. 

The girls had fun riding around on the 4-wheeler & running to the tip-ups when the flag popped up. Only caught 2 little fish, but the kids didn't care. They had enough fun just playing on the ice together.

Margaux with the littles...

Maeve got to bring a friend. She was excited to show Eva the syrup making process...

Marin also enjoyed the fresh air. It was much needed for everyone & my dad was so happy to have us all up there for the day. Next time we need to plan better & spend the night.

Even the parents enjoyed the togetherness. Gary & Mike enjoyed themselves a little more than Katie/myself. The two of us drove home! haha

Love this picture of my dad in his happy place. 

We all had such a fun day. When we got back to the red cabin the syrup was still not really moving as much as we had hoped. The kids did not care at all, they busted out the game of Clue & played two rounds while eating everything in sight. Apparently always starving. I'm sure tomorrow will be the better day for sap, just our luck. But we can't complain, it was an enjoyable day. xoxo

 Gary was so excited to head to Upper Michigan this weekend for his first race in a long while. This weekend was the last of the Marquette events for him, he's now completed the whole series. (Same as the 100 mile run he did 1.5 years ago & the 50 mile he did this past summer.) This one is called the Polar Roll, a 36 mile snowshoe race through the trails of Marquette.  They really lucked out with weather, the temps were perfect. Gary even contemplated wearing shorts with temps in the high 30's. 

Overall a great run. They trained in snowshoes a lot the past month or two. He said the only hard part about having mild winter temps was some of the trail heads didn't have snow cover so they had to transition in & out of snowshoes. Not hard, just time consuming switching back & forth.

It is so beautiful all times of the year up in that area. The girls & I opted to stay home (their rental was not that big or nice enough for me to justify packing us all up!!!) but after seeing all the photos he sent, I regretted it a bit. They definitely had a beautiful weekend. 

Gary signed up to do the 100 mile run again in September. Something tells me we'll have our share of opportunities to visit again in the future. Glad they had such a great weekend & were able to finish the race without issues! xoxo

 We have had weeks of freezing cold temps. Windchills into the negative 30's, not idea temps to be enjoying the winter. Through it all, my friend Jenny & her family worked to create this amazing igloo in their yard. It took an entire week of freezing ice in plastic shoe boxes overnight, building during the day & then repeating the process until it was complete. Basically a full time job for them! The big girls went north with Veraghens for the night so Gary & I had Maeve to ourselves today & decided to pay the igloo a visit. So much fun! It was so cool to feel how warm it actually was inside... almost 30 degrees warmer than outside. We even stopped for igloo treats that Maeve shared with the Longlais kiddos.

After our fun visit there we made a trip to Barnes & Noble for Maeve to pick out a few new books. She was so darn excited & was reading as soon as we got home. She decided on Chipolte for dinner & of course requested to sleep in our room.... again. She's lucky she's so cute!!!

She's had a fun few days. Yesterday I dropped off a special lunch for her & Mrs. W to celebrate Mrs. W's birthday (Which is Monday but I have to work). They had Noodles & Co. for lunch & some chocolate for dessert. Maeve was pretty excited for her lunch date. Something different & probably much tastier than the peanut butter & chocolate chip sandwich she eats every day!

Tomorrow the big girls come home & Maeve's weekend as an only child will be done. She actually told me tonight that she misses the girls & the house is too quiet! haha She'll be happy when they are home. Unlike her, I actually don't mind a little peace & quiet!! xoxo

 Happy Valentines Day! Tonight we had our traditional candle lit family dinner... minus Marin. She opted for a dinner with her "galentines." This years dinner was creamy poblano soup & a big selection of desserts. More than anyone needed as usual. Always a treat getting this crew to all look at the camera... smiles are an added bonus! Maeve celebrated in her favorite outfit, her pajamas!

Marin & her friends had dinner together as well. No night is complete with out a photo when it comes to these girls. They are all looking so grown up.

Fun evening for all. I am ready for bed after all the eating & sugar! Happy Valentines Day! xoxo

We've had a long winter with no snow... until now. This was our first big snowfall & we were all anxious to get outside. Unfortunately, there is a cold front coming through & the girls were only able to enjoy the snow for a day/night. The littles headed outside after dinner & stayed outside until almost 10:30pm. They had so much fun. Gary was eager to get outside for a run this morning & the temps definitely fell overnight. -30 windchills this morning. He was frozen (literally) when he got home. It took a bit for his eyelashes to thaw out, not sure how he thinks that is fun?!?

Marin was also outside last night with her friends. They had so much fun together. Nice to see them outside vs on a device!!! Looks like she's about to get a snowball to the face in this photo...

Now we're stuck back inside because it is so darn cold!!! The snow was fun for the short period of time, hopefully this cold weather doesn't stay too long. The fresh air felt so good. xoxo

 Big girls have been asking for a second piercing for months. With covid & many stores being shut down for quite some time it was hard to make it happen. Now that the stores are back open via appointment we decided to go get the piercings... finally!! (per Marin) Margaux was brave & opted to go first. She handled it like a champ, not a peep out of her.

Marin was next & she was way more of a baby. Still did well, but she whined a little more about it hurting. Made us laugh. The videos were so funny.

Glad it is done. They'll be anxious to change those studs in 6 weeks. Let's hope they'll keep them clean & we can steer clear of infection. Marin already asked for a 3rd piercing up higher on her ear on the way home. One at a time Marin... xoxo

 When I arrived at school today Wendy walked by the classroom I am subbing in & we just looked at each other & laughed. We may spend a little time together, haha. Not the first time we've dressed the same unintentionally. Always funny. 

This pic of Gary is from a few days ago when we ran errands together. This was the highlight of the shopping trip. He wanted to bring this home so badly. Too bad his birthday is just past. I think this piñata would have made his day if I had it filled with Reeses peanut butter cups!!

Anything Fortnite/Playstation related makes him happy. Child trapped in a 41 year old body. Next year, maybe he'll be lucky enough to get a Playstation piñata! xoxo

 This afternoon while I was teaching I received an unsettling phone call from Gary. "Hey, Maeve cut herself at school, they've been trying to get a hold of you. She most likely needs stitches. I am on my way but it is going to take me 20 minutes to get there." Ugh!!! Being that my school is right next door, I left immediately to go grab her. Surprisingly, she was in much better spirits than I expected. The secretary said she was in shock. Her hand was all wrapped up so we just left it & went right to urgent care.  She had been cutting cardboard in her classroom for a winter village project. The tool slipped & cut right across her knuckle, pretty deep & all the way across.

She was happy to see one of our neighbors was going to be her nurse. I think that put her at ease a bit. Upon being checked in, they unwrapped her finger & it had to soak in a bath to wash out any germs, etc. before they stitched it up. They knew right away once they unwrapped it that it was going to need to be stitched. We spent our time watching Barbie movies while she waited & tried to keep her mid off the bath of bloody water that her hand was soaking in. Gross.

Felt like we were there forever! But once the block/numbing shot was done she was good to go & back to smiling. Poor peanut didn't like that big shot, but it was necessary because they were not able to numb around the area because it was bleeding so badly. A little ibuprofen & a fancy wrap/band-aid & we were good to go. 

Once we got home she rested a bit & her very first concern was if she would be able to sleep in our room (of course!!!). She was happy to nestle into her nest on the floor with her hand elevated. The doctor suggested that to help with the nighttime throbbing. Overall, she was far more calm than we would have imagined her to be given the circumstance. This is her second time with stitches. First time was years ago behind her ear after spinning & hitting her head on the table at grandmas. Hopefully this is the last. No PE class & has to take it easy for her for 10 days until the stitches come out. It's in a spot that would rip a stitch easily. Glad it wasn't worse! xoxo

 The Packer win while we were in Florida brought the team within one game of the Super Bowl & also a lot of excitement. Gary decided to really class it up by dressing for the occasion. Shorts, tank top & mustache. Seems fitting, except we planned on tailgating at Katie & Mikes outside and it's the middle of winter. He's crazy! We watched the majority of the game outside, until they were not playing well & we decided we needed to switch it up and watch in the garage in hopes of a better game.

No such luck. Packers lost, but we sure did have a cute cheering squad.

The kids didn't really watch the game. Maybe it is their fault the Packers lost! They spent the majority of their day either snacking or sledding. Fun afternoon for them regardless of the loss. Not the outcome we were hoping for... a Super Bowl would have been so fun. Next year! xoxo

 HBD to me! Just as I thought we'd had enough cake... I was surprised with another one. And it was an awesome one... Peloton!!! Gary sure knows the way to my heart. These kiddos were happy to have more cake too. Fortunately it was a different flavor at least. 

My day was spent doing a whole lot of nothing. Lazy day & it felt great. We had dinner at Johnsons & then cake to follow. The girls all made cards for me & Marin hit the nail on the head with how I feel some days. Someone who cleans the house...pretty much sums up most of my days!

Crazy to think that one year ago we were on the beach in St. John. Life really took a turn shortly after that trip. I am still so thankful we got that amazing trip in before the world shut down due to covid. Now we just dream about the day we can go back. Our plan was Jan/Feb of this year, however that is not happening at this point. Hopefully someday again soon... xoxo

 HBD Gary! Our birthday week continues now that we are home. Today we celebrated Gary.. and Margaux again. I surprised them with a Star Wars/baby Yoda cake this evening. It turned out awesome, even glittery. 

We've gotten a little used to sharing cakes during our crazy birthday week. Margaux usually steals the show the majority of the week because it's not about Gary/myself anymore. To be honest, not a whole lot of excitement in turning 41!!! haha

Margaux got a few small gifts for her birthday {we do her big gifts on her 1/2 birthday} and Gary was like a kid in a candy store when he received a Playstation gift card from the Veraghens. He's excited to spend his money on Fortnite crap. His love for video games has not dulled in his old age! haha

Fun little celebration for Margaux. You'd think she would be celebrated out... not so much. Still soaking it all in. xoxo