Five Brown Kids

I challenged Taye to an end of summer triathlon.  He was certain he could beat me.  And he did! On Saturday we competed in the Lake Norman YMCA triathlon.  750 yard lake swim, 17.8 mile bike ride and 3 mile run.  Taye finished in 1:52 and I finished in 2:08.  It was challenging but seriously fun!  I did trip and fall about a mile into the run and finished with blood/sweat dripping down my arm.  Lovely! Getting marked up with race number 5:30 am Setting up our transitions.  Sneakers, socks, shirt and helmet out and ready to go. I stole this photo from online - women 24-44 heat.  My head is there somewhere near the back waiting for the horn to blow.  I was not the fastest, but I wasn't the slowest either.  My summer practice paid off.  Neighborhood run All finished! We headed back to the hotel for a shower!  And then lunch at Zoe's.  They make greek salads I love! ...

I survived.  The boys go back to school on Monday.  Hallelujah!  They need to work and I need to be left alone in my tidy house for a few hours each day (with my trusty side kick of course). Biking with friends, prettiest greenway in the world. Peaches and blackberries from the farmers market Flower pot vistor Picking tomatoes from the garden Dad helped us build and plant. Our best garden ever. Farmers Market Neighbourhood cat, next best thing to a real pet Treats with a neighbor friend. Back yard pool. Playing in the street.

A This American Life favorite on school integration - the 21st century edition.  Absolutely worth listening to.

She's working on swimming like a brown! Blythe 19 mo swimming from jessica brown on Vimeo .

Courtney makes this easy broccoli version but the original recipe comes from Emily who makes this dish with marinated artichokes. You'll have to hit her up for that version because she's the expert - it is my favorite dish that she cooks!  1. Sauté one package of kilbasa sausage in a generous amount of olive oil and crushed garlic.  2. Boil a box of noodles, adding one head of broccoli florets to the pot for the last minute to cook.  3. Combine sausage, noodles and broccoli in a big bowl and mix with a generous amount of fresh Parmesan.  Easy, tasty and everyone loves! 

Jaxon had two weeks of basketball camp this summer. I loved that it gave some structure to the day and kept him a little busy. Saw this quote on a blog and totally agree. Camps made this summer totally manageable. 

We had plans for a new house this summer  - it was going to take some focus.  I have a personal loan and a 401K loan that helped us get through school that I needed to finish paying off and it was doable.  And then we hit a massive bump in the road with lost wages, spent emergency funds and new medical bills for Tyrone's hurt back.  (Just another of many bumps in the road , right? I should just factor a biennial financial/medical disaster into all of my plans) So no new house - and back to making this one work in the best possible way. Blythe got a new regular sized crib.  It's a little tight in the girls room but I need the double bed for guests. I finally replaced the old dresser  (I bought it second hand 15 years ago when my little sister came to live with us. All four Brown babies had a changing pad on that dresser.)  The new dresser is second hand too but a lot sturdier. I love the coat of bright green paint. Dad added the new chalkboard which...

High Adventure from jessica brown on Vimeo . This video is about High Adventure

The kids play some sort of wrestling pillow fighting game in the living room after supper and Blythe loves it. She also loves jumping on the springy bottom of the couch once the cushions are removed - and climbing - lots of climbing. 

Taye is home from high adventure week! Happy and sore.