Last Week of School

Mollie Jane is done with school and now will be going four days a week. Smith next year will go to the "Baby class" as we affecionately call it. Mollie Jane has loved her teacher and friends. Her best friend is of course still a boy. Caden. Mollie Jane loves those boys. She did however make some really sweet girl friends this year. We went to the zoo with her class and had a blast. We then had the end of school party up in her classroom. Mollie Jane really excelled in her drawing and handwriting this year. She also developed such a fun imagination. Her teachers really adored her and were very nurturing to her.
I cannot believe Jackson has finished first grade! We have loved Mr. Beckman.
Words cannot express the blessings we have recieved this year from Springfield Luthern School. There was a big carnival at school the last day when we picked him up. Jackson was so excited to eat a hamburger outside by his buddies and Mr Beckman. There were tons of bounce houses and little carnival games set up. The highlight was the dunk tank where he got to dunk his soon to be second grade teacher Mrs. Stouder. Jackson literally dunked her on his first throw. She laughingly told him he might not pass second grade now. He is really looking forward to second grade. We will sure miss Mr. Beckman. I love that Mr. Beckman was so full of life and humor for our "super serious" man. He was such an example to Jackson of someone who radiates Christ's love. He had a real gift for music as he daily played the piano in his classroom for the kids with the loveliest hymns and songs. He really hit home responsibility for Jackson. All those things will be very important traits for Jackson to carry on not just to second grade but for life. I wish life could just push the pause button for a while but I don't see that happening. What a lovely year Jackson had and what a lovely year Jason and I had watching Jackson flourish and grow.

Smith's Dedication

We had our sweet Baby boy dedicated on Sunday. It was a little difficult getting everyone up, dressed lovely and there on time. A huge accomplishment for our family of five. Our pastor did a great job. I am reminded again today with this dedication that Smith Allen Brawner is indeed on loan to us from the Lord. I learned that lesson when I was pregnant with Jackson and God spoke to me like he had never spoken to me before. I was driving and literally had to pull over my car as I listened to a Christian radio program that I swear was being aired solely for me. I learned that day that from that moment on as a Christ follower my children do not belong to me. Smith is God's child first and mine second. That is always a struggle for me as a Mom who likes to control her children's lives so they live a safe, stress-free happy life. But I have learned how freeing it is to remember that they are all three God's children. He knows their fates. He knows when they will fall down and he will pick them up in his own way. It is not up for me to control. When I really ponder that I feel freer to love them and much less anxiety for their well being. So once again, I am reminded of the same prayer that I pray every time I leave the hospital with these precious blond children and that is Lord I totally commit them into your care. They are your children not mine. Help me daily remember that. I trust you for their lives and I will in obedience follow your will in raising them. Thank you for the opportunity to have this blessed experience. I love remembering that piece about dedicating your children. It is a little easier to feel that leaving the hospital as I am caught up in the emotions of a newborn and post-par tum. So I definitely needed that reminder today and I am sure I will need it again many more times as I continue down this lovely journey of parenting.

Mollie Jane's Ballet Recital

Mollie Jane has loved ballet this year. My Mom & Dad gave her ballet lessons as a birthday and Christmas present and she adores it. She loves her teacher and her little friends. She is all about her ballet attire. She affectionately calls her leotard her "ballets." She loves her hair in buns and taking her monogrammed ballet bag. She loves performing. For her big recital, my Mom flew down for the event (plus Big Smith's birthday weekend). Jason's parents came up also for the recital. Camp Barnabas started so Jason drove back from Purdy to see Mollie Jane's big ballet debut. She had the biggest smile on her face the whole performance. She did a routine to a song called "Animal Crackers in my Soup." It was really well done. We adore the studio she takes ballet. It is literally blocks away from my home and it is a Christian studio. We all finished off the evening with a yummy Chick Fill A dinner thanks to Big! Mollie Jane seems like such a little girl.

The Hole in One Man!

I think I have been avoiding writing this blog because I can't believe my last baby celebrated his first birthday. It was a crazy fun day. We had rain showers off and on all day and mid day moved the big bash from the putt-putt course to our house. The weather turned out to be lovely but as it turned out the party was a hit at the Brawner house. We had our bounce house out and decided to do an indoor Wii golf tournament. We had pizza & salad. We had a Golf themed "Hole in One" party. Smith was so funny when we sang Happy Birthday to him. He just kind of looked around like "all this for me." He was not at all into his cake. Jason tried to make him touch his cake and it made him mad and he cried. All the kids took turns opening Smith's presents. Smith is crawling and pulling up on everything. He walks all over holding on to cabinets and furniture but doesn't seem to interested in walking right now. We officially stopped nursing about a week ago. He made it almost 11 months. As sad as it is it is lovely to be a bottle fed boy because Daddy and Mollie Jane and Jackson are now really enjoying giving him his "Ba-Ba" (as we call it). Smith is still enjoying being fed and does not seem interested in feeding himself anytime soon. AHHHHH! I think being the third he realize he doesn't get "doted" over so this is his way of saying "baby me." He is such a laid back funny guy. He is still off the charts for weight and height. We call him our linebacker baby. He is really sporting the curly hair with all this recent warm weather. His schedule is: wake up between 8:30-9:00, have breakfast, naps about 11:00 or so, wakes up about 1:00. Eats lunch. Goes back down about 4:00ish until about 6:30, eats dinner with us at about 7:30 ish and then goes to bed about 9 or so. He eats about 10 oz per meal and takes about four 10 oz bottles a day. He is a very flexible guy (living in the Brawner household you have to be.) He loves Mommy but will go to anybody. I can't believe he is almost one. I know he won't remember his party but I always do and Jackson and Mollie Jane were so into his golf party.

Such a fun party night!

I have some of the greatest friends. What a blessing my friends are to me. They are all like a bunch of little cheerleaders that come along side me in my life and just pull me up and encourage me. We have all been pregnant with the third round of babies together and our other kids are all around the same ages. We have all known each other for a while but really got close the last several years doing Bible Study Fellowship together on Wednesday mornings in Springfield. I think really investing in scripture with these ladies has taught me that I then in turn have a much deeper connection to them. What a blessing that has been. They sure make living in Springfield away from any family and life with a traveling husband much easier. They decided since we were relocating for the summer to the thriving metropolis of Purdy that they wanted to do a barbecue get together. We had a great meal and of course they wouldn't let me bring a thing. The boys ran around and played baseball. The girls walked around the house collecting toys, dressing up and taunting the boys. The babies were so precious and just played on a blanket and crawled around. They sat around and stared at each other probably thinking that they are all going to need to stick together and all be good buds if they are going to survive being the youngest children in these crazy families. Then the kids all got a ride on the "golf/hunting cart." My kids are still talking about it. I am still talking about that my husband feel asleep at this lovely party because he was high on pain meds post surgery. Oh dear! All that said, it was such a fun night. We all get so busy with kids and life and what a blessing it was to me to take a night out and be with my precious friends.