Brasil 2011

We got the opportunity to fly down to Brasil again this year. So we packed our bags and traded two weeks of Minnesota fall for some tropical heaven. We took the overnight flight down to Brasilia and then drove the 7 hour bumpy ride to the family farm. It's a long trip but once you arrive it can be very relaxing! Almost two weeks of laying in the hammock, reading a book, picking fresh backyard coconuts, mango, and bananas, conquering 'Angry Birds', 4-wheeler rides, watching movies, wrestling with the family puppy, searching for new recipes, swimming in the river, and let's not forget to mention eating LOTS of Brasilian food. Obrigata Kent & Sandy Bowers!! More pictures to come. Ciao!

Happy 3rd Birthday Willow!

It was three years ago that our gift from God came; all 8 lbs 14 oz of her.  That week was the summer 2008 Olympic games.  We watched a lot of it mostly to distract us from the fact that our baby was overdue and wasn't wanting to arrive yet.  Finally after being over a week late, I was induced and many hours later, Willow Katherine Bowers entered the world.  The nurse handed the crying bundle over to us and immediately she stopped crying when she heard our voices.  That night, I remember us needing to cuddle close to her because she didn't like that she had so much room in her bassinet.  She still likes cuddling at night.

Willow is so many wonderful things in one little package.  She's expressive and spirited, yet has a very shy, sweetness about her too.  She continually surprises me with how imaginative she is during play time.  Willow can roar like the best of them as we're on a safari for a dinosaur lurking in her room or creating a full conversation from the sticker on her arm.  She loves her stuffed animals, taking extra care to give them kisses and cuddles.  Making up stories from "reading" the Census Bureau pamphlet has to be my favorite this week.  And when the tickle monster(Daddy) comes, her squeaky, contagious giggle will about send your heart bubbling over.

Love you Willow with all my heart.  Thank you for making me stop and enjoy the little things of life.  Wish I could freeze frame you in this point of time, but I know it's best for you to just keep growing.  Even though you like to throw flour and sprinkles all over the kitchen while we're baking, or plead with me to go to McDonalds every other day, or lay all over the folded laundry, or your fiery side shows itself; it doesn't matter, because I love you for all of you.  You bring us SO much joy!

Happy 3rd Birthday Willow!!!!

Busy, busy, busy....

Whew, this has been a very busy couple weeks.  Willow and I have been desperately soaking up the last few rays of summer before it's gone.  Somedays we have even gone to the park twice!  Willow is now a "terrific 2 year old" and she has been keeping me very busy.  Her new favorite thing to do is RUN....everywhere.  And yes, she still walks/runs on her tiptoes!

You will have to forgive me for the many photos.  Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to:

Helping mama in the kitchen.....We were making strawberry muffins for when my friend Angela and her hubby Michael came to stay for a couple nights.  Willow wanted to practice measuring flour :)  She was completely covered by the time we were done.

Finding a new love for her Little People toys.  For her birthday she got the Little People Twirl and Dance pink castle!  It came with a princess, prince, and horse.  She loves to listen to the music and make-believe play with all the figurines.  Very cute!  She was a little tired after her birthday party with Grandma & Grandpa Brown.

Grilling out!!  This is jerk chicken and fruit/veggie kabobs.

This was her homemade birthday cake......i know, a mess right?  :)Actually, I believe it's supposed to be that way.  Banana Split Cake is layers of yellow cake, vanilla pudding from scratch, bananas, and whipped topping all drizzled with chocolate sauce.  It was pretty yummy!

Went downtown to Old Spaghetti Factory(where kids eat free on their birthday week)!  Some of her favorite "food groups" are meatballs and bread, so this was the place to be!

Being brave on the jungle gym while climbing in her favorite pair of shoes!  I guess who wouldn't like to wear rain boots to the park?

Wading in the pool with her Toy Story sand bucket.

And spending some much needed boating time with some friends from our last church, Bud & Dianne.  Will have to post more about our boat trip later as this post is getting quite long.

I think I have met my quota of pictures in one blog posting!  To quote GREASE, the musical: "Summer's driftin' away...."  Well it is, but I am sure looking forward to a Minnesota autumn.  It's always so beautiful and somehow magical here.

Old toys....new treasures!

My parents have been slowly transitioning to there new home in St Paul.  This weekend they took their second trip back to South Dakota for another Uhaul load.  So Sunday evening was a beautiful, cool day to move the last few boxes in.  We tried to organize as much as we could down in the basement, but I think I know what we'll be doing next spring....YARD SALE!

I also discovered that I was a very spoiled child.  I couldn't believe how many stuffed animals/toys I had.  We did save a few memorable pieces, including Baby All Gone and this guy:

TEDDY RUXPIN, the animatronic talking bear!!  It of course uses cassette tapes, and still works.  I remember having so much fun watching him talk and sing.  Willow giggled when she pulled him out of an old dusty box.  It definitely brought me back a couple decades.

She has held a special place in her heart lately for old toys.  Here's a picture of how much she loves her daddy's old bear that she found this week:

Let's just say that her special bunny doesn't ever hug any of the other stuffed animals!

Birthday pictures to come later.  Willow's 2nd birthday is tomorrow!!

The Case of the Neglected Blog....

So as quickly as the beloved blog was created, it was soon forgotten.  I don't even think anyone knew of it's existence!  Notice that there was only one posting.  I just have to laugh as I'm remembering how excited I was about the 1st posting and what is now 2 years later.  So I'd like to try harder this time.  It is a bit more difficult to type on an iPhone though!

A lot has happened in 2 years.  Willow has grown up, and so have we.  But we really are still children at heart.  Many life changes have occurred.  Life is always changing!  But we have a few constants in our family:  God, family, and food!  So that is what I believe is most important.  Those are probably the key subjects this blog will contain.

On another note:  Willow is going to be two years old this coming week!

The discovery of the BLOG...

This blogging thing seems fairly addictive. But it seems like a great way to communicate your inner thoughts and share life's little joys. And let's admit it, written journals are yesterday's news. I think it's fun reading other people's life stories....SO i think this will be fun!