Daniel's Braces

Daniel, unlike Ammon, is just beginning his whole mouth metal experience. His mouth was so sore for a few days. It's always so sad when your babies are hungry and hurt too much to eat. The hunger eventually outweighs the pain and they find ways to eat. Daniel is adjusting. Keeping them clean is going to be the biggest challenge.

No Braces!

Ammon got his braces off last week! He is so excited. He is smiling and showing off his teeth for the first time ever. I would have posted a picture sooner, but we had to wait for the zit to go away:) Anyways, they put a permanent retainer behind the top and bottom front teeth. He wears a full mouth retainer at night.

Gingerbread Houses

As is tradition in the Browning family, we decorated gingerbread houses yesterday. I baked 6 of them the day before and had them cut out and ready to go. We (Nick, Ammon, Daniel and I) went over to Nick's brother's house and introduced some of Nick's family to our tradition. It was a big hit. My mother-in-law (Mary Ann) got in on it too. She had never made a gingerbread house before. She gave it to a good friend of hers. They had never had a gingerbread house before, so lots of happiness was going around. Daniel is giving his to his teacher. Ammon gave his to grandma. It's starting to feel like Christmas!!! Enjoy the holidays...

Snow in Austin!

Hey Family! We had quite the storm the other night with thunder and lightning and wind gust over 30mph. We woke up to find snow on the ground. I know those of you in PA aren't impressed, but we were pretty excited. The boys were scraping the snow and ice off the car. I was glad it didn't affect the roads.

We're doing gingerbread houses this weekend. I'll post pictures. Hope everyone isn't going crazy. Enjoy all the Christmas cheer!

Daniel

Daniel has been busy too. He is going trick-or-treating with some friends. Ammon's going to the varsity football game with some friends, so Nick and I will be passing out candy all alone. I can't believe they are so big. Where has the time gone?


Daniel went on a three day campout with his 5th grade class. They were on one the lakes. It's been 3 weeks and he's still telling stories about all the cool things they did. This is Daniel with Mrs. Jamail, his 5th grade teacher at the camp.



Daniel also officially got his scuba certification this summer. He went through with a class of 6 adults I was teaching. He did great. He was ready for our trip to Cozumel. The scuba diving off the shore of Hawaii helped a little too. Jumping off of a boat in the middle of "big water" is a whole lot different (mentally) than shore diving. He was very brave. He got his fear under control very quickly and was really able to enjoy the beautiful reef life Cozumel has all the way to 70 feet! He is a fish. His nick name with all the divers is "Nemo."

Ammon

Ammon has been playing football with the Freshman Football team at Dripping Springs Highschool. He's played several positions. He is mostly a receiver. To me that means he is a target. He's had a few nasty bruises and sore muscles but all have healed quickly. The season is almost over. He's learned a lot and lost all his baby fat:( They spend the rest of the school year running and working out in the gym.

Hockey season just started! With AP Algebra, AP English, AP Biology, geography, health, Spanish, and football (Yes, it's actually a class) he is really busy! "AP" is "advanced placement." He gets extra credit for these classes. The courses are suppose to better prepare the students for college. Dripping Springs High School ranks really well nationally, which is one of the reasons taxes are higher in this school district.

Ammon just played a preseason hockey game the other day. His team was Central Texas Champion last year of all the high schools that participate. They went to State and competed in Houston. They are big and fast. This is a whole new game compared to the little house league boys he's been playing with up 'till now. They clobbered the other team. Ammon, of course, plays goalie. He only let one goal in. He made some great blocks. I've tried to load a quick video, but it's not letting me. I'll figure it out and post it later.

Keeping You Posted

We are having a great time here in Austin, Texas! We have been so busy! I want to share some of what we've been up to. The boys are in so many activities and doing well in school. I'm so proud. We are enjoying being able to be outdoors. The lakes, rivers, creeks, etc. are incredible. The hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, scuba diving, picnicking, abundant wild-life, clean air and expansive beautiful views of the "hill country" are soul healing and inspiring. I truly love it here and have found an incredible peace. We miss you all so much. Thank you for your support. Please, come visit! I'll try to make regular post to keep you all informed.