Signs of Life : The Brownie Chronicles

I wanted to comment on Dr. White's TedxTalk video " Establishing a Sound Foundation for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard Of Hearing" .  With my permission, he used video of our boys signing in the car with their dad.   I will comment in order of the lecture, so you may want to watch the first several minutes to get a context: First, Karl White says, "If not identified early, the deaf child fails to develop language, has a difficult time in school, is socially isolated, and will have a menial or no job later in life."  The entire opening is a typical scare tactic used on hearing parents.  The opening line of this TedTalk begins with a negative view of being deaf. Let me enthusiastically state that I support early identification! It WILL increase the child’s chances for success IF the parents begin pouring language into their child right away. But, even if it is not discovered that the child is deaf until later, the child CAN succeed and doesn’t have to be beh...

If you follow this blog, but haven't yet seen Tian's newest video, be sure to check it out! We are all in our bed, just visiting before sleep time, as usually happens in our house.  Ken had just returned from being gone several days, so Tian was catching him up on some stories. Last week, I posted a blog about the boys discussing China more and more.  Tian began telling his dad that both Tian and Travis were born in China.  That we waited a long time and they waited a long time, then finally, we flew to China.  It took me this long to get my phone out and start recording!  The video quality isn't great due to lack of light, but you can still see.  His language is excellent here and the story itself was enough to melt this momma's heart.  (For my Deaf friends, at the end, you can hear Ken and TJ laughing.) Right now, the video only has annotations, which don't show up on mobile devices.  I will caption it soon, but until then, enjoy!  (...

For the first time in our 16 years of marriage and 13 years of parenting, Ken and I have hired house cleaners. Ironically, right about the same time we first used the house cleaners, I was beginning the book, Desperate . In a quote from the book's introduction, Sarah Mae says, "Moms don't need instruction manuals, we need physical help." How true!  I've always felt like I should be able to manage it all.  Cooking varied, beautiful meals 6 nights a week, keeping a clean and tidy home, having clean laundry hung and put away neatly, working part-time, playing with the kids, homeschooling, managing their education, having my "quiet time," keeping up with my professional continuing education requirements, staying involved with homeschool and church groups, maintaining my own health, weight, and appearance, all with time to spare so I can give my husband the time and attention HE deserves.  Just typing that forces me to see how silly it is to expect so m...

Spending a thoughtful moment in the sunshine. He's a Power Ranger Ninja! A sign of the times. These brothers melt my heart. Bouldering! No yard is complete without a tree swing. Aaaahhhhhh! The hygienist polished off all the stains!

We have several children's books about China adoption and have been reading one of them lately.  Last night, the boys really talked back to us about the subject for the first time. The particular book we were reading last night was a gift from a friend. Made In China is a story told from a little Chinese-American girl's perspective as her blonde sister teases her for being "Made in China" just like the toys and clothes they have in their room.  The Chinese girl runs to her adoptive dad and asks him to explain.  (I feel like he should scold his other daughter for teasing, but he doesn't, so I add in that she gets in trouble for being mean.)   The dad explains that she is "from China," but not made like a toy or article of clothing.  The story tells about the birth mom who was unable to keep her, but cared for her enough to ensure she was safe and then about the family who waited for the girl.  The book is beautiful, although I do change up a few things...

In honor of the beginning of the Chinese New Year celebration, we Browns want to share some photos of our recent visit to the Chinese Lantern Festival display in Dallas, Texas.  It was quite gorgeous! Scroll all the way down to link to even more photos. 新年快樂 除舊佈新 It was a COLD evening, but worth the chill. Nana and Pappy with the boys (all 3, see?) Entrance Kenzie, at the pandas and with her panda she bought in Shanghai Trav was mesmerized by the dragon. This super-long dragon was made of plates and dishes! More beautiful lanterns. Some whimsical designs. Would you like to see more? Enjoy this album of all our photos from the first half of the first month of American 2013!