find joy in the journey

lights of Christmas

One bonus of attending a Utah wedding in December . . . getting to see the lights at Temple Square.

Our kids (like all kids) love Christmas lights.  As we drove around our little town the kids would ooo, and ahhh and go nuts over the lights in the neighborhood.  I would just smile, shake my head, and tell them, "you just wait until we get to Utah."  You have no idea.

We rode Trax to Temple Square and when we got close Anna said, "I'm going to close my eyes so it's a surprise."  So cute.  Even as we exited the train and began walking to the crosswalk she kept her eyes closed.  "I want it to be a surprise."

Finally I told her we were there and to open her eyes . . . . oh and what a surprise it was.  Just look at this face.

We enjoyed a great evening walking around to see the lights.  And it wasn't even that cold -- actually kinda pleasant.  The one oops of the evening was having to dispose of Anna's panties in the restroom trash can.  Didn't quite get there in time. She was so bewildered and confused by the situation and feeling -- "but I don't have any panties" she said over and over.  :)

The lights are quite a sight.  And there are several nativities (some from other countries/cultures) scattered around the grounds.  Just the thing to put you in the Christmas spirit.

the pre-wedding party

The night before the wedding we all went swimming in the hotel pool and soaked in the hot tub.

The night before that . . . well that's when the real fun happened.

The culmination of a month or so of planning, measuring, cutting, and sewing.

Build Your Brother's Pants

Each brother was assigned to make a pair of pants for someone else.  Build Your Own Pants is a tradition that runs deep in the Brown household, with Kevin leading the movement.  But this mixes it up a bit -- making pants for someone else.  Going into this we knew that the levels of creativity and quality of craftsmanship would be high, with the possibility of crudeness.

But it wasn't until we gathered in the hotel lobby for a runway style fashion show & reveal that we realized what we were in for.

The Build Your Brother's Pants entries:

from left to right

Scott: Smokin' white and hot pink pleather pants features a impressively constructed button fly (pirate buttons, mind you) and white studded belt to complete the look.  The duck bill was included in the ensemble as a taunt.  (Made by Kevin)

Brian:  A throw-back to the classic "Build Your Own Pants" adventures.  A variety of flannel girly prints  (fabrics hand-selected by Anna) come together with a drawstring waist.  (Made by Scott)

Randy: Nothing says pants like a kilt.  But the addition of leggings makes this one legal.  You have to commend the level of thoughtfulness that went into this garment with the inclusion of an over the shoulder drape of fabric and a furry patch around the waist.  (Made by Brian)

Kevin:  Payne Stewart-esque golfing knickers and coordinating visor.  Out of all the pants, I do believe that this one is most likely be worn in public again.  (Made by Randy)

And now from the back.  Please, shield your children's eyes.

Yes, my husband is the one responsible for the foam buttocks.  Sewn directly into the pants.  Don't know what else to say about that one.

Kevin ended up as the big winner with his masterfully constructed pleather pants.  

Everyone had a good time, we ate assortments of carmel/chocolate popcorn, and I'm sure we got plenty of weird looks from hotel guests visiting the lobby at 8 o'clock at night.

the wedding: part I

Scott's brother, Randy, got married last week (4 days before Christmas) so we flew the whole family out Utah to celebrate the big occasion.

The night before the wedding Randy & Kate held a dinner (in lieu of a reception) for family and close friends.  It was definitely a reason to get dressed up.  The reception hall was beautiful with twinkling lights.  And the 5-course meal was delicious.  A slew of appetizers including stuffed mushrooms and bruschetta, a pasta sampler with gnocchi & canneloni & ravioli, a light salad to "refresh your palate", for the entrée you could choose between salmon, chicken, or pork tenderloin, and finally gelato, biscotti, and hot chocolate for dessert.  See what I mean?  Delicious.

As you can imagine, an event like this lends itself to a lot of this . . . 

. . . boredom, for a 10, 7, and 5 year old. But the kids did really good.  I have to say that they were quite perfectly behaved during the meal - I was very impressed.  They tolerated the food (Conner ate some noodles, Anna ate the mozzarella cheese sprinkled around the plate, Payton filled up on bread), sat still, and kept any complaints to themselves.

Our group came well prepared with multiple electronic devices to hand out if things started to get dicey.  But really, the games ended up being a reward because they were doing so well.

I love this scene of all the cousins gathered around Derek and the iTouch.

My handsome boys . . . 

The girls . . . 

Anna took this picture of Randy & Kate

Oh, and there's a funny story behind this photo . . . 

During dessert the mother & father of both bride and groom shared a few thoughts/words at the microphone.  As well as Kate's sister.  Afterwards Scott wanted Randy to understand that his wedding gift to Randy was the fact that he did not stand up to the microphone to speak.  Who knows what would have come out of his mouth.

the wedding: part II

I always love the first few moments when a bride and groom exits the temple.  Beaming with happiness.  Glowing with love.  Excited to announce to the world that they are now husband and wife.  Eternally.

The temple sealer (the man who performed the sealing ceremony) said some great things and gave them 3 pieces of advice.  Good advice for all of us.

One . . . Be kind to one another.  He said there is no substitute for kindness.  (Joseph Wirthlin's quote: "There is no substitute for kindness in the home" is one of my favorites)

Two . . . (edited, with help from Valerie)  Be forgiving.  He said that they would probably need to forgive each other a thousand times, and that would be in just the first year.

Three . . . Return to the temple together often.

Ahhh, what a happy day.  Finally, all four Brown boys in attendance at a brothers' wedding.  (At the previous three, someone has always been missing -- missions, military service, etc.)  And happy day, all four Brown boys married in the right place.

Randy & Kate have known each other for 7 years.  So this day was a much anticipated day.  We wish them every happiness.  Hope you guys are having a great time on your honeymoon!  (Yes, 9 days later they are still honeymooning.)

Here are a few family pictures captured that day:

 (above photo via Lisa)

the wedding: part III

{still moving in reverse order}

After the wedding ceremony & a few group pictures we walked across Temple Square to the Lion House for a luncheon.

Brrr, it is cold outside.  And boy am I happy that I stowed an extra pair of comfy and warm shoes in my purse for times like this.  Heels, no thank you.

We were tickled to come upon this scene:

These men, wearing waders, were cleaning the reflection pool and fishing out leaves and debris.  Not something you see everyday there.  

The big fountain by the Church Office Building was turned on, and my was it a sight.  It had been snowing all morning and finally stopped when we came out of the temple around 1pm.  The temple grounds were covered in a lovely blanket of white.

{the blown out white background behind Dennis & Valerie is the fountain}

The luncheon was at the Lion House which serves the most delicious comfort food.  And their rolls have a reputation all their own.  The meal was deeee-licious.  If I had any more belly space I would have taken an extra raspberry + some-kind-of-delicious-pudding pie for the road.

Once again our bags were packed with a few "distractions" for the kids.  Number one being these Nativity playing cards from Grammer Valerie.  With Grammer's help we divided up into 3 pairs for a few games of Go Fish until the meal was served.

Here's the happy couple . . . 

Following the meal the kids gave an impromptu piano recital.  Because, hey, there was a piano in the room.  So all those days practicing and memorizing Jingle Bells and the Ukranian Carol came to good use.

We said our good-byes and headed to the airport where we reconvened the wedding party.  Our family, Brian & Rachel, and Randy & Kate all had flights departing at 8pm from the Salt Lake Airport, going in 3 different directions.  What a happy coincidence.

We made it back safe & sound, minus one snowglobe, and with no shortage of energy.

{Conner rocking out in the airport at 10pm}

 

 

how to bowl: 6 simple steps

Step 1:  Arrive with your game face.  Everyone thinks that bowling is a friendly game and the score doesn't really matter.  Well, it's that kind of attitude that is going to land you with a score sheet full of gutter balls.

(and in this case, a slightly spooky game face thanks to my camera tripping out)

Step 2:  Enter your bowling name.  It's very important that you have a standing bowling name.  No respectable bowler would enter their first name.  That simply tells your opponents that you do not take this game seriously.

(bowling name:  Monkey)

Step 3:  Time your approach and whatever you do, don't cross the foul line.  Aside from that it doesn't really matter how the ball gets down the lane.  Through your legs, a sideways roll, or a good old toss.

Then wait and watch . . . don't turn your back on the ball.

Step 4:  Revel in sweet success!  Victory is yours . . . celebrate it!

Step 5: Return to your bench for a round of high-fives.  Yes!

Step 6:  Gather with family & friends to capture the smiles and friendship of a Christmas Eve tradition that is now 7 years strong.

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personal note:  I tied my all-time high score of 150!  Woo-hoo!  The last time I scored 150 was in Cancun, Mexico (April 2000) without bumpers.  :)

meet kitty puss

oh my, I can't help but laugh when I see this picture.

Meet "Kitty Puss", Anna's feline alter-ego.  When the mood strikes she will also come out dressed in black, and announce herself as "Cat Black Girl."  The funny thing about Cat Black Girl is that she hates everything that Anna likes.  I think Kitty Puss is more of the cat super-hero variety.

Now, meet Crafty Girl . . . .

Anna constructed this crown completely on her own.  I have to say that it is pretty darn creative.  We definitely go through a lot of Scotch tape in this house.  

I need to make a correction to an earlier post . . . . after checking my sources I discovered that the toilet paper roll ornament was not made by Anna, but by Payton.  Just wanted to give him proper credit.

Anna also dabbles a bit in interior decorating . . . 

Throughout the month of December she was constantly adding to and tweaking this window display along with a holiday table she set up in her bedroom.

And, the Journalist . . . 

Beware blank sheets of paper and notebooks alike.  If you are within Anna's grasp she will color, scribble, write, and draw on you.  And then fold you up and deliver you to family, friends, and teachers with much love.

Finally, the Collector . . . 

I think this photo says it all.

the best christmas ever

around 10am on Christmas morning Conner came up to me with a hug and said, "this is the best christmas ever."  That made me happy.  I feel, though, like he tells me that every year.  Which means we must be doing an alright job at this holiday and parenting thing.

I didn't think that it would last another year, but we still have 3 believers in our house and they were so excited to see what Santa had left for them.  Even though they had slept in until 7:30 or 8am the previous 3 days, they bounded into our room at 6am on Christmas morning ready to go.

I give you, Christmas morning round the tree . . . . 

The first present of the morning.  Can you tell that he is excited?

 At the Ward Christmas party, Anna asked Santa for one thing.  Silly Bandz.  And she got them.  About 100 of them.

Santa came through this year and brought a Nintendo DS for each of the boys.  He decided to have some fun with the kids and wrapped their "big" gift inside 3 additional boxes.  Just to add to the anticipation.  ;)

 Payton's wish came true and he got a snow globe for Christmas.  From Anna.  But it wasn't without some effort.  Anna picked out a small snow globe for him in Utah.  Packing for the airport it ended up in one of the carry-on bags, and threw up red flags for TSA, which led to a bag search, and it was eventually confiscated.  All because of a some liquid.  :(  Luckily we were able to find a replacement in town and were only out $2.

 Oh, there's some LEGO building in our future!  Ron Weasley is not a part of the set, but in their book the two dementors more than makes up for that.

Other highlights for the kids: Paper Jamz, remote control car, Fur Real kitty and puppy, silver heart locket, a Chemistry set, Bejeweled 3, and a karaoke machine.

Here's my parents with their stockings

The rest of the day we . . . 

• stayed in our pajamas as long as possible.  For Conner and Payton, they never changed out of their pj's.
• watched tv and movies.  Star Wars, One Magic Christmas . . .
• sang karaoke.  Conner is down with Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.
• ate christmas morning rolls
• enjoyed a dinner of ham, baked potatoes, and breadsticks and coconut cream pie for dessert.
• ignored the clutter of christmas morning and just let it be.
• listened to Anna sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart", "Don't Stop Believin'", and various Phineas & Ferb songs
• enjoyed a quiet day of being together.

Snapshots from around the house . . . 

 Oh my.  I came around the corner to find Anna just like this, sitting at the top of the stairs.  I laughed and ran to get my camera and you know what she said?  "I've been waiting for you to see me."  She had this photo-op all planned out.  What a little poser!  Anna literally spent all day Christmas day with these headphones on her ears, enjoying the music on her new little MP3 player, walking around the house, singing, feeling like a big girl.  In fact, when she opened this gift from Santa she immediately squealed in delight while Payton, dumbfounded, said, "But Anna's not old enough for that.  What does Santa think?  That she's, like . . . 17?!"  He had us alllll laughing.  And Santa made sure not to spend very much on this player because he realizes that Anna is 5 and not 17.  

  the lego building begins

  the boys have spent nearly every waking second on their DS's the past few days.  Playing them non-stop until the battery gives out, and only stopping long enough for it to charge up.  We knew this would happen, and that's why we didn't gift these in earlier years.  Santa was mighty generous.  For now, we're letting them just play because it is Christmas vacation.  But pretty soon some limits are going to come into effect.

  This has been an animal Christmas for Anna.  Which is only fitting because she loves kitties, puppies, and horsies of every kind.  She received a few Breyer horses and a wooden horse corral from Santa (I love all of it), two Fur Real walking /purring /barking pets, a small Snuggimal puppy in her stocking, and she loves them all.  

 Some of my Christmas loot.  hehe!

dad catching a nap.

And lest you worry that Scott and I did not make it into any Christmas photos, here we are . . . 

It was simply a wonderful day.  I felt spoiled.  We ate good food.  We were surrounded by the people we love and care about.  It doesn't get any better.

i heart: dec 2010

i heart . . . Amazon.com and Amazon Prime 2-day shipping.  It made Christmas shopping a very merry and stress-free experience.

i heart . . . Stephen's hot chocolate.  I've tried it all -- Nestle, Swiss Miss, Land O Lakes, Starbucks.  Stephen's is hands down the best.

i heart . . . these two.  For their example of love and friendship in a marriage and the importance of nurturing it on a daily basis.  This post from last month says it all.  They just left our home today after spending the Christmas holiday with us.  As soon as they walked out the door Conner said, "{happy sigh} that was a great visit."

i heart . . . a little girl with headphones, singing her heart out.

i heart . . . my new toy camera.  A Fuji Instax mini 7.  It takes the most perfectly imperfect photos.  Picture taking is an adventure because you just never know what you're going to get.  Here are some from Christmas Day.

 

i heart . . . Payton.  I could squish and love on this boy all day. I've recently dubbed him, "The Commentator", because he shares his thoughts, opinions, and animated commentary on anything and everything whether or not people are listening.

i heart . . . lazy days at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

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I just uploaded over 300 pictures to iphoto and I hope to share stories from Christmas and a trip to Utah for my brother-in-law's wedding.  I'll probably begin with Christmas and work my way back until I run out of steam.

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

random december

We've made it through the first week of december.

The tree and Christmas decorations are up.

The shopping is mostly done.  The UPS man visits us everyday.  We love our free Amazon prime membership.

Christmas cards are being assembled and addressed.

Tomorrow I'm going to the dentist - prep work for yet another crown. (Merry Christmas to me!)  I'm embarrassed to say how many I have in my mouth.  Pregnancy ravaged my teeth.  Ugh.  Since then, it's just been all about maintenance & upgrades.  My dentist is so great & positive and at each cleaning (every 3-4 months) she commends me on my "excellent home care."  If only that was enough to turn this around!  Oh well, I've done all that I can do.

And now some random bits to share.

The kids had their winter music program tonight.  It was sooooo great!  SUCH an improvement over past years (thanks to the lovely new teacher, Paige).  Leaps and bounds.  Afterwards, instead of fighting for a cookie in the cafeteria we opted for plain ice cream sundaes at McDonald's.  And a hot chocolate for me

The Christmas tree was finally, officially decorated as of yesterday.  But it sat in our living room undecorated for about a week until I could get to it.  I think it started to bother Anna.  So she created a few ornaments of her own.  I love this one fashioned from an empty toilet paper roll, yarn, and a gold heart paper doily.

Anna and I made chocolate cupcakes with peppermint frosting this week.  Scott came home just in time to take our picture.  Maaayyybe some camera operating lessons are in order.  But at least the moment was recorded.  :)

As soon as Anna & Payton spotted Scott putting up the tree they bolted into the kitchen, grabbed paper & markers and began writing their Santa letters.  Anna decided to leave hers under the tree.  I love the "I heart U" sentiment.  There was only one item on her list, but I'm gonna need to write a follow-up letter to Santa to inform him that a princess magic rise oven is not welcome in our house.  No more junk.

Conner got glasses last week.  He has eyes just like me.  20/20 in the right eye.  And 20/200 in the left eye.  (Although, I think my left eye is worse.)  He was not happy about the idea of glasses at first.  But once he found the right pair and put them on his face, he warmed up to it pretty quickly.  He's looking pretty sharp these days.

presenting my lunch.  Just cuz I like to share.  Spinach salad with mushrooms, turkey, mandarin oranges, & raspberry vinaigrette, a protein shake, and . . . a cupcake.  Oh, and don't forget the multi-vitamin.

  

radvent: 5 years ago

What were you doing five years ago today?  As the holiday season began?  Where were you?  Who were you with?  What did you want?  What did you have?

5 years ago . . . Christmas time 2005.  

Let's see . . .

Anna was just over 2 months old.  And we were in love.  Having a girl, a daughter, after 2 boys was something totally different for us.  Surreal at first.  But I was totally in love with all the pink.

We had a Star Wars Halloween so it was only fitting that we send out a Star Wars Christmas card picture.  Plus, I had my rule that post-baby I didn't have to be in the Christmas card photo.  I quickly adopted that rule in 2000 after sending out a family photo featuring me 2 weeks postpartum.  Puffy to say the least.

We did fun things like make sugar cookies, go on the Polar Express when my parents visited early in the month, and of course our traditional bowling activity with friends.  When I asked Scott to pick up a new Christmas ornament at Hallmark he came home with Darth Vader, who still holds a prominent spot on our tree every year.

Our Christmas Eve tradition of new pajamas was alive and well.  I got these cute matching pj's at the Children's Place.

(I love love love this picture.  I think it will be a Brown family classic.)

Christmas fell on a Sunday this year and I absolutely loved it.  We got up early, the kids got to look at the stash of presents under the tree.  Santa always leaves one gift unwrapped so they were able to oogle over that.  Then we let them dive into their stockings and check out the candy and presents Santa had left for them.  After a breakfast of Christmas morning rolls we got dressed for 9am church.  It felt sort of magical walking into church, seeing everyone with their smiling faces, all on a Christmas spirit high.  We listened to and sang along with the beautiful Christmas music, and really, genuinely got an opportunity to focus on and remember Christ on this special day.  It was such an amazing spirit.

Once home we quickly changed back into our pajamas and opened all the rest of the gifts.  :)

Looking back at these pictures I see a lot of super-happy faces and crazy-silly faces.  Life with a 5 year old, 2 1/2 year old, and 2 month old.  We were at home all day, we played, I cleaned, there were time-outs, that hour of dinner prep time nearly made me pull my hair out each day, we snuggled on the couch and watched Nick Jr. in the morning, there was naptime, sippy cups, and lots of time spent feeding mouths & changing diapers.

But . . . Life was pretty uncomplicated then.  This was before the days of soccer, and basketball, and ballet, and piano lessons, and cub scouts.  I was in the Relief Society presidency and Scott was in the Young Men's presidency.  Other than our callings in church, we didn't have a whole lot pulling us away from home.  Life was pretty simple.  

What was that quote yesterday about simplicity?  "There is beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity . . . "  I don't know if I had much clarity in the midst of those night-time feedings and the 2 little tornadoes that ran around me all day.  But there was definitely beauty.

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in case you're wondering . . . . daily december prompts at radvent.

reverb10: wonder

Wonder:  How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

I look at the skies . . . the sunrises and sunsets and mountain views around here always fill me with a sense of wonder.   The views I catch after dropping the kids off at school is one of the favorite parts of my morning.

I look at this little girl . . . who constantly amazes me with her imagination, creativity, and interest in the world around her (especially if it has anything to do with horsies, puppies, or kitties).  Here she is strumming away on the ukulele, singing a song that she made up for me.  A 4 minute song, might I add.

Sometimes I just turn to her, or Payton, or Conner and study their faces, watch their reactions to things we are doing, seeing, hearing, reading . . . and for just a while try to glean a bit of wonder from their experiences.  Last night we watched Elf as a family.  And then laid out our blankets and pillows under the Christmas tree for a sparkly magical night of sleep.  And I found myself doing this exact thing -- looking for the wonder & joy in their faces.

I try to cultivate gratitude . . .  The prophet of our church, Thomas S. Monson, reminded us of the importance of gratitude.  I've tried to notice & acknowledge more often the things & people that I am grateful for.  In November we created a Thankful Jar that sat on the kitchen counter.  All month we wrote down things that we were grateful for and added it to the jar.  From the kids we got a lot of things like:  hamburgers, flowers, candy, roller coasters.  One of my gratitudes: a thoughtful husband (for making me some hot chocolate on an evening I was busy with projects). 

To cultivate that sense of wonder, I think it takes some slowing down and focusing on things that matter.  I like this quote:

"There is beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity . . . " (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

I think that beauty and clarity equals wonder.

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in case you're wondering . . . 

Reverb 10 is a series of prompts with the tagline “reflect on this year & manifest what’s next.” You can sign up to receive a free daily prompt via email. I thought that some of these might be great jumpstarts for storytelling & documenting this past year.

 

reverb10: moment

Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year.  Describe it in vivid detail.

Driving south on I-5 there is a Mt. Shasta viewpoint, near Yreka, that can only be accessed from the southbound lanes.  I've always wanted to stop and take a picture there.  One time as we drove past, I noticed a group of middle-aged women (with matching t-shirts), all lined up, smiling, and posed for their group picture.  

This year, it was finally my turn.  With my own little group of not-quite middle-aged women.  And minus the matching t-shirts.

It felt fun, exciting, and silly to jump out of the van, precariously place the camera atop two pieces of luggage, set the timer, and run into position.  All while freeway traffic is zooming by directly behind us.

We got a few honks from the semi drivers.  ;)

 

Definitely a fun, happy, act-like-a-kid-again kind of moment.  A moment that I love because I felt perfectly safe & comfortable to be myself.  A moment that was full of life.

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in case you're wondering . . . 

Reverb 10 is a series of prompts with the tagline “reflect on this year & manifest what’s next.” You can sign up to receive a free daily prompt via email. I thought that some of these might be great jumpstarts for storytelling & documenting this past year.

in lieu of a christmas letter

I give you . . .  My Year in Status

it is december 1st

and I'm running around like crazy today . . . buying stuff for Christmas, hiding those Christmas gifts, grocery shopping, dropping off emergency lunches at school (it wasn't really Dominoes pizza day like we thought and one boy melted into tears upon hearing the news from his teacher), coordinating a preschool Christmas party, doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, trying to get a grasp on my December Daily album (don't want to blow it from the start), and later walking around the neighborhood with the Cub Scouts (it's Scouting for Food week).

and I'd love to blog about Conner's 10th birthday last week . . . . 

that magic thing called "time" is eluding me today, but . . . . 

I wanted to share a picture

Me - Christmas 1982

Go here to read the story behind it.