And Another One Bites the Dust

Congratulations to my brother, Spencer, and his wife, Janelle, who were married this past weekend. It's odd to think that my youngest brother is old enough to be married. The occasion provided a much needed vacation for Jen and I, and we had a great time with our families. The bride and groom were glowing, of course. Not surprisingly, they were chomping at the bit to get on their way and leave the festivities behind. We, on the other hand, were disappointed when the weekend came to an end. Eric even shed a few tears when the time came to say goodbye to his grandmas and grandpas. Luckily Thanksgiving is just around the bend.

We are pretty sure that Lily is convinced that Janelle is Cinderella, because she looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. She spent most of the reception trying to stay close to Janelle.

Jake looked suave in his wedding vest.

Uncle Steve was a lifesaver, helping to keep the kids occupied.

The Big Three Zero!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife! We celebrated her 30th birthday this week. It was a simple party--just Jen, the kids, and myself--but I think that Jen enjoyed herself. As I sat across the table from her, gazing at her beautiful, weathered skin and her flowing, peppered hair, it struck me that she has hardly aged a day. It's difficult to imagine that we've only been married for 9 long years. And I have to admit that I don't know another women that can make support hoses look so good. We were all so proud of her, when she managed to blow out all 30 candles with one, wheezing blow. Just take a look at this picture of the glowing birthday girl:



In all seriousness, Happy Birthday Jen! Thanks for being a great Mom and a wonderful wife (and for the record, she really does look as good as the day we were married)! Here are some real birthday pictures:

Spelling Test

Eric was taking a bath before church this morning and when I went to get him out of the tub, this is what I found:

It's a proud day in the Brown household, my friends, a proud, proud day.

Fresh and Oh So Easy

Jen has a new obsession, Fresh & Easy: Neighborhood Market. Maybe you've heard of it. Maybe it's coming to an area near you soon. Low prices, friendly service, and ridiculously copious coupons--what's not to love about it? We're both ready for any reasonably-priced grocery store that doesn't have 20 minute checkout lines and a sign that reads, "Walmart."

Eric is nearly as big a fan as Jen is. He loves the self-checkout conveyor belt. He loves the free samples. And, apparently, he loves the tattoo-covered cashier. Today while Jen was scanning groceries, the cashier was helping Eric apply his very own Fresh and Easy tattoo. Although the cashier was very friendly, Jen admitted that she had mixed feelings when the cashier asked if he wanted a tattoo like hers--which, I should add, was a real-deal, multi-colored, snake skin tattoo, not a rub-on Fresh and Easy symbol.

Thankfully those mixed feelings were washed away by a gratuitous shower of $5 off coupons. And Eric? He's as happy as a clam (apparently they are a very happy species) . . . then again, that doesn't look quite like a happy face. That looks more like a, "Don't mess with me, I've just been initiated into the Fresh n' Easy gang!" face. Hmm . . .



P.S. The tattoo is on his belly, because he was going to school in an hour and Jen wanted it somewhere that was easily concealed.

P.P.S. Yes, that is a rainbow-covered bandaid on our "bad-boy's" chest.

P.P.P.S. Yes, Alec might have coached Eric to make his best "tough" face.

P.P.P.P.S. How many post scripts does it take to really annoy everyone?

The Girl Knows How to Accessorize

The teen years are gonna be fun.