june youtube

oh the fun we've had

Here are some pics to catch you up on what's been happening in the Brown family.

Kara and I were invited to go on a wine tasting trip
to 2 wineries west of Salem.
Very informative. Very filling.

Kara is posing with Christie and Molly
in the wine tasting room at Chateau Blanc.
We're still not sure if anybody actually buys these hats,
but they make great photo opportunities.


Some friends/co-workers at Salem Alliance Church
wanted to get rid of this play structure
and we decided that our home was perfect for it.

As soon as Caleb saw it, he giggled
and ran to it shouting "Whee!".
Translation: Push me on the Swing Now.

Tutu & Papi came for a visit
and we celebrate an early 2nd birthday for Caleb.

Among the presents from Tutu & Papi
were charms for Caleb's Crocs.

Before we headed down to Redding,
we stopped by Logan & Erica Martin's house
to check out our their newest addition - Elias Reid Martin.

Photo time with Papa & Gama.

Cousin time.

Sam got her first taste of solid baby food.
She soon became more preoccupied with the orange spoon.

Sam & Tate.

We got to hang out with family - and catch a flick.
"Up" in 3D. Check out our sweet shades.

No trip to Redding is complete unless we stop by the Millers.

Even Caleb got in on some pool time.

Our good friends, the Wildauers, had us over for dinner
on our last night in Redding.
Any guesses what we had for dinner?

a busy weekend

It was busy. But it was fun.

Kara's mom and sister (Lani & Jean) came up for the weekend. While we usually try to take it easy when company comes to visit us, we found ourselves going and going and going.

"I love to swiiiiiing"

"Tutu" and me.

Caleb helped Daddy build planter boxes for Mommy.
Hence the dirt...the strawberry juice on his face was an added treat.

Yep, he helped alright.

Working in the backyard = photo shoot for Samaria.

Tutu took the whole family to the Oregon Zoo. Caleb was in heaven.
So was the bird that is eating out of his juice cup.

I like to call this one "Free Willy".

some thoughts from six years of marriage

On May 24th, our relationship took a new turn. Five years have turned into six. We're on the downward slope to ten years (that came out wrong...by downward I mean we're over the other side of the hill, not downward like it's going to suck from here on out). So I thought that in my infinitely dwindling wisdom, I would ramble on about a couple of points of advice. And if any of you want to have as successful a marriage, as I've had, you will read this with while watching the NBA playoffs.

NUMBER ONE:
Never stop dating your wife. Of course you leave that stage behind and say "I do" to a whole new level of relationship, but mark my words. You will have a "come to Jesus" meeting called by your wife if you never buy her flowers or write songs or stroke her hair...all the things that you used to do. Keep doing them.

NUMBER TWO:
Stay close to family when you have kids. Never, ever, ever leave them. I don't care if your hometown has been moved to #1 on the terrorist hit list, you stay in the same town as your parents. Five WORDS..."free babysitting".

NUMBER THREE:
Never leave in the morning for work before the MRS. gets a good look at your outfit. You may think you are the hottest thing in the office, but it's her opinion that counts. You are a reflection of her, and apparently wearing plaids w/ stripes doesn't paint your wife in a good light.

NUMBER FOUR:
Fight Naked. No commentary needed. If you start a fight, just start undressing too. Soon the fight becomes secondary.

NUMBER FIVE:
Pray at night together. I don't care if you're fighting, PRAY together. Kara and I started this early on, and it has revolutionized our relationship. Don't get me wrong, there have been nights where we were so tired that we didn't get past "Lord, thank you for to-". But we have benefited so much from this time together at night. Even better after you've experienced NUMBER FOUR (see above).

NUMBER SIX:
Don't ever start a game of Monopoly. This is probably good advice for any relationship. It never ends well.

NUMBER SEVEN:
Show your kids you love each other. Let them see you kiss or hug or snuggle. It'll make 'em giggle at first, but they'll eventually understand.

NUMBER EIGHT:
Laugh a lot. Laugh at life. Laugh at each other. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at the little things.

NUMBER NINE:
Don't say you're in the checkout line at Target and are almost home when you've actually just parked the car. For some reason, this has come back to bite me. So word to the wise.

NUMBER TEN:
Get rid of the TV. We've done this twice since we've been married, and it's awesome (except for sports and HGTV). Maybe you do it for a couple months. See what happens. I dare you to try it. Double dog dare. Triple dog dare. You know what that means? You have to do it now. Let me know how it turns out.

too funny

I wish I was joking about this.
It's called a "goateesaver".
Perfect for my youth pastor friends - and Matt Miller.