2009 Video

Hope to see you all in 2010!

Benny's Pedal Pull and more...

The much anticpated Great River Thresher's Day Pedal Pull arrived today (Ben has been talking about it for a whole year). Ben was the first puller in the 4 & under division. He managed to get a "full pull" on his first attempt and tied with 5 other kids. In the "pull-off" more weight was added to the sled and each puller gave it their all. Ben ended up with a 20 foot, 1 inch pull and got a ribbon for participating. So much fun for all. Next year Ben and Nora will both be ready to go in the same 4 & under division. Check out the footage in the video above! Lots more pictures below too...

New puppy "Angus". 6 weeks old, Golden Retriever/Black Lab

Butchering day. 18 chickens with uncle Tim

Summer Building Projects: Bean Bag Toss Game & Portable Hoophouse for the calves

Farmer's Market: Eggs, Bread, Flowers, Coffee, and much more for sale!

New toys found free on the side of the road...a radio flyer and a knight helmet.

Fun with cousins and family at Spectacle Lake, Eagle River, WI.

Spring Chickens

The kids have learned a new skill...the art of catching a chicken! (It's harder than it looks)

March, 09

What a month! We had many visitors and had a great time with them all. Grandpa Mack calls them "Bed and Breakfast" visitors when they spend the night. He always asked "how many sleeps?" Cousin Kellan and Aunt Kim, Grandpa Dean and Grandma Mary, The Trumble family, Papa and Sue Sue all took the Bed and Breakfast option. Thanks for visiting. And to the rest of you, we hope you will consider a visit too! You can consider this our promotional video:

With all the snow gone and temperatures slowly climbing, we're all getting anxious for more time outside the house. Here is what I turned around to find the kids doing while I was finishing up the chores yesterday.


Here's Kristin with the FFA preschool rep from Teed's Grove, IA.

January

About the middle of January, the whole family caught the stomach flu. One afternoon while I was at parent-teacher conferences, Kristin bundled up the kids and headed outside for afternoon chores. Nora's turn to get sick happened that afternoon. As Kristin was preparing milk bottles, she heard Nora throwing up outside. After cleaning her up (with some help from Mable), Krisitn set her in a sunny spot outside the barn where there are some straw bales for insulation. She returned to her moments later and found Nora sound asleep!

Go Team! Here are the kids getting the eggs cleaned up, packaged, and ready to sell. Ben is responsible for the spot-free checking and for the drying. Nora is in the packaging department. She makes sure that each carton is filled and shipped off to the refrigerator.

Helping in the kitchen is a standard daily activity as well. Here you can see Ben's solution to his onion cutting dilema.

Nora received a "Loving Family House" from Papa and Sue-Sue as a Christmas gift. Ben has been enjoying her present too. When he is not making the "Daddy" fall from the roof of this 4 story Victorian to break his bones, he can be found strategically placing the family in various poses...mostly precarious (note the baby in the high chair on the third story ledge)

December update

Two months since the last update? Here's whats been happening at the Brown's house.

I'd say the biggest event of the last few weeks happened yesterday as we were preparing to leave for church. I was just about to load the kids in the truck when I looked out the kitchen window to see about 30 calves casually strolling out of a "secured" gate into the great wide open and a 30 below zero windchill blizzard. I quickly threw on some warm clothes and headed out to cut them off and get them back into their yard. At the sight of me their casual stroll turned into a stampede up the county line. I was able to catch up to them in the truck about 1/2 mile up the road and turn them around. As I was driving them back home, Kristin was hustling to the gate to corrale them back into the yard. She arrived just in time to watch them sprint past the gate and go about 1/2 mile in the other direction. Fortunately Kristin called a neighbor to come and help and after about 45 mintutes we had them all back home. The last time we called this neighbor, it was to ask for his help moving a piano. I'm sure he's thrilled to have the Brown's in the neighborhood!