Question of the Day

This question came to me this morning, I'll let you guess why. Here you go:

When is it appropriate (if ever) to answer your cell phone in a public restroom where others are taking care of business alongside you?

I'm looking for opinions on this one so don't be bashful with the comments.

And no, it was not me that answered said phone.

My Rusty Thumb

Many moons ago I had a knack for growing things, or at least that is how I remember it. I decided this year that Noah needed to dig in the dirt for more than just worms so off we went to buy some seeds for our garden. I'm still learning how the seasons work this far north so we started off in a small greenhouse to avoid the frost and then transplanted. Noah didn't care too much about the seed planting, but he's taken an interest in helping to water everyday. The strawberries are all but given over to the bunnies that inhabit our backyard, but I have high hopes for the rest.



This is how it's looking now.







Noah has an exciting new evening activity. Take a look...

And then after we get inside it is time for his favorite computer activity.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Two young-uns in the tub.









They're growing up fast!

Daddy Day Care

What better Mother's Day present than to spend three days relaxing, shopping, eating out, watching movies and SLEEPING IN with no children. I decided that this was far superior to any other gift I was eyeing (the new toaster ran a distant second), so this morning Kimberly started her well deserved and overdue weekend away.

That means that I'm in charge of keeping the kids (alive) and being reminded of how hard Kimberly works every day, all day, with a clock that I swear is moving slower than it should. How she keeps her sanity with the slobber, eating, cleaning, bottles, naps, constant requests, grumpiness, and all the Caillou episodes I'll never know. I'm so thankful for my wonderful wife and for her daily sacrifices.

The house is a mess and I have some clothes to wash, but I made it through day 1. Here a few shots of our outside time.

The Traveling Toddler

For any fellow travelers out there that think they (like I) have mastered the art of business travel, I invite you to spice things up and take a toddler along with you the next trip you go on. It gives you a whole new level of compassion and empathy for the screaming kids on the plane or the runaway toddler in terminal B.

After parking at the airport, Noah was so excited waiting and watching for the bus to take us to the terminal. Waiting for the plane was a hoot after we found these...

I mentioned to the ticket agent about Noah's peanut allergy and it got us to the front of the line to board. If you ever fly Southwest you know how big a perk that is. Here's the happy boy pre-takeoff.

After the scenic tour of Tampa thanks to Papa's GPS, we made it to Ft. Green where we viewed all the changes that have taken place since our last visit. One of Noah's favorites...

We went out on Papa's boat in Tampa Bay. 72 degrees and not a cloud in the sky while it was snowing back home. Ahh sunny Florida...

We spent one whole day with Noah's birth family where they celebrated the big 3 for him a little early. I think he likes being the star of the show.

Cows, cats, horses, bees, barns, boats, trucks, cars, presents, cake, balloons, Sonny's BBQ, home cooking, playing with cousins, riding the Kubota, and playing in the spa. What more could a boy ask for in life?

Noah had such a great time and so did I. I think we bonded during our travels. It must have something to do with smelling his stinky breath and pushing him back over to his side of the bed all night long.

Dragging a little from the return trip we finally made it home and we were so happy to see Mommy and Anna. Thanks again so much, Memaw and Papa!

Used Cows For Sale

If you happen to be driving in Kentucky northbound on I-65, make a mental note around mile marker 78 to look to your right. There is a giant sign advertising just what you might need. That's right, used cows. I wrote down the number to call if you want to ask about new ones. This is almost as good as the sign in someone's yard near Paducah, KY advertising kids for sale.

This past week I made consecutive day runs to Louisville and Memphis . 26hrs on the road, 800+ miles, and a lot of bad radio. Besides the 8 or so inches of snow on the roadside heading to Memphis, one of my favorite sights was due to an awful traffic jam getting out of the city. My trusty GPS routed me through some tiny back roads where I passed a teenage girl riding a horse - while on a cell phone.

I'll be heading out of town this week for a little r & r in sunny Florida. Noah and I are looking forward to 85 degrees and visiting with my family. I can't wait to share the stories and pics when I return.

The Latest in Building & Traveling

I'm sorry I let February slip away without a post. I started the month off with a trip to Salt Lake City for business. My goal was to entertain a couple of customers while helping them to learn all about one of our products. For dinner one night we made our way to Park City which is apparently a well known ski town. If you're like me and don't ski, it is pretty much a tourist trap. We did, however, eat at a restaurant owned by Robert Redford if that matters to anyone. Checking out the people there and the stuff they sale in the boutiques (for the two guys that read this, that's a small shop with a very small selection of over-priced merchandise) helped me realize there is a whole culture to the ski town that is far, far from life in middle Tennessee. Here are a couple of pictures to prove I actually went there and am not making this stuff up.

From there I spent some oh-so-precious free time finishing out a room in the back portion of my workshop. Noah calls it "Daddy's House". Electrical outlets, insulation, siding, ceiling, lights, insulated sub-floor, carpet, and trim. Yeah, that pretty much took up February. I still have shelving to go and a little bit of trim and I'll be ready to move in. The picture is old, but you get the idea of where I'm working.

Business has been slowing this month so I found myself making cold calls for the first time. Think of me in a tie like a door-to-door salesman except that I'm going to schools instead of houses. Yeah, yuck is right. I found that low expectations are the key in this game. If my goal is to say hello and drop off some information I'm much less likely to be disappointed than if I expect to actually sell something. My favorite bit of info came from a poor little rural school where they informed me they get their computers from donations in the community and that the teachers just started using email this school year and would not welcome additional technology just yet. I refrained from volunteering to show myself the door.

And just because you actually read to the end of the post, here are a couple of bonus pics for you.

Table for Two

Life has been quite full since my last post. Just thought I'd hit some of the highlights for you.

After an awesome December with lots of dedicated family time, I greeted 2009 with a trip to D.C. Obama mania was consuming the city, but I was there strictly for business.

Ok, maybe 99% business. I had the opportunity to give a speech in front of 800 of my closest work pals which was nerve racking but a nice honor.

We had a great trip to Otto, NC with my sis and bro-in-law. I smiled watching Noah walk, sled, and play in the snow and talk all the way home about frosty. (I have a feeling I'll be hearing and singing about "totchy" well into the summer months) It made my heart smile watching how quickly Noah warmed up to his newly adopted grands and great-grands and how much they loved on him. (Thanks to Mas, Pas, GGma, and GGpa for your hospitality)

One of the most memorable events over the past month is a special meal I shared with my son. One chilly morning after a brief visit to Home Depot, I took Noah to Cracker Barrel for a hearty breakfast. After warming our hands by the fire and watching the workers in the kitchen, we sat down to order our pancakes and use our three colors on the kids menu. Twelve rounds of the abc's and 5 high fives with the waiter later, we enjoyed our peach pancakes and oj. All the old folks around smiled at us and thought Noah was so cute. I agree.

Good times. (just for you, Amy)

Our Other Children

I've been thinking a lot this week about our other children. Not Noah or Anna, but the ones that haven't made it into our home yet. I imagine them at this time of the year and wonder what their Christmas will be like. If they are still with their biological parents I know it is a bad situation as only the toughest cases have parental rights taken away. If they are already in a foster home, I wonder if they are like so many that I hear about that are in home number five, six, or seven while waiting for their forever family to come and get them. I hope they are learning about what Christmas means and I hope they have at least one present under the tree with their name on it come Christmas morning.

Today as I finished the coat of primer on the swing set in the back yard, I thought about our other children and hoped that they get to come home soon enough to play on it before we move again. The other day I looked around our guest room and thought about the furniture we would buy for them before they come home. I look at the bedroom count on houses for sale around town and think about the number of children that we could adopt before running out of space if we lived there.

That is how I know that adoption is a calling for us, because it intertwines with so many of my thoughts and decisions on a daily basis. Please pray for our other children if it comes to your mind, specifically for their hearts and minds to be protected and for a spiritual sensitivity and propensity towards Christ. So many others in foster care tonight are waiting on their forever family to show up. Please pray that God meets the needs of the children, watches over the foster families, and that He will call out and prepare the waiting parents.

Santa-monium

Noah I and decided to brave the cold air yesterday morning for another in a series of Brown boys adventures. After an early wake up, quick coffee, and some sporty new adventuring pants for the boy, we headed out the door for Nashville to ride the North Pole Express (choo choo if you ask Noah). Upon arriving we were ushered into the old train station where they had model trains set up with about 22 old men behind the train table each with a remote control for their respective locomotive (hint hint for my Christmas list). Noah loved seeing the trains and would have probably been happy to come back home at this point.

Hundreds of children and parents (some in pajamas for some reason, crazy nuts) poured into the stuffy building until the time came for us to board the train. Noah handed the man his ticket and we soon found our seat on the big train we had come for. We got as settled as one could get with a toddler on a train with thirty other kids, and off we went. Noah stood on the seat looking out the window at all that we passed, watched over the back of the seat at all the other kids, and occasionally recognized my presence with his signature head bonk. Children were singing, parents were happy, and all was going quite smoothly until one little boy behind us spotted the big man coming into our train car. Yes, that's right, Santa. All the kids were screaming and excited which made my little adventurer a little apprehensive. He watched and we waited for our turn with St. Nick. Finally it was Noah's turn and after a little hesitation he let Santa pick him up and hold him. Noah just stared at him in wonder until I reminded him to ask Santa for what he wanted for Christmas. "ah da de big car!" Santa understood perfectly and with a wink he was off to the next child (who by the way had a two page list).

Noah thought the rest of the train ride was dull in comparison to that big event. He just kept holding out his hands talking about Santa picking him up. After two hours on the train, one cup of hot chocolate, two sippy cups, and 228 goldfish crackers, we were back on our way home to tell Mommy all about our big morning.

Here are some pics of our big day.