find joy in the journey

a story on Anna's birthday

Today is Anna's 9th birthday.  I cannot tell you how much I love, adore, and am constantly amazed by this girl.  She has got a special spark, I tell ya.

About two weeks ago she was quietly playing in her room (which usually means she is building, creating, or planning something.)  Soon she came downstairs and silently left a paper on the table where the boys and I were seated and with a grin on her face she turned and left the room.  "Butterfly Club - come sign-up in Anna's room."  The boys were not interested.  I smiled as I read the note, but I was busy with whatever I was busy with.  Time passed and she came downstairs again, "Is anyone going to join my club?"  

I was still busy with whatever I was busy with and told her "later".  She walked away a little put-off.  Another 10 minutes or so passed and I realized that I needed to stop what I was involved in and go join her club.  I called for her, "Anna! I need you to come with me."  

"What is it?"  I grabbed her hand and we began walking up the stairs.  As we reached the top I told her, "I want to join your Butterfly Club."   She gasped in delight and froze for a split second before running to her bedroom.  On the door a sign read, "Butterfly Club members only. Nock if you want to join."  I entered her room just as she scurried into position behind the cardboard box turned registration desk.  There she presented me with a necklace - a metal chain with one blue star bead on it.

"What do we do in the Butterfly Club?" I asked.  We make crafts and projects.  So we decided that each Wednesday we would hold our Butterfly Club and take turns being in charge of the craft.

It's things like this, or the time she cleaned the whole downstairs & folded all the laundry one afternoon just because she wanted to, or when she's playing goalie and dives for the ball and gets kicked in the thigh and bounces right back up (she has the bruises to prove it) . . . . all these things and I am just amazed by her little spirit.  

I love you sweetie.

* * * * * * * * * * 

These photos were taken when she was 4 years old and that spark was budding.  I came across them recently and just had to share.

spooktacular september

I am over the moon excited to share with you that I am guest posting today over at Eighteen25!  

Check out my Halloween Memories Album

I am thrilled to be a part of their Spooktacular September.  For the entire month of September guest posters have been lined up sharing all their best Halloween ideas and treats.  Considering this is my first guest post EVER, I was just a wee bit intimidated by all the creativity that happens over there.  But also incredibly thankful for this opportunity.

And if you are coming to my blog today because of Eighteen25 . . . welcome!!  I am so excited you are here!

Here's a little "behind the scenes" of getting my guest post ready

Next week I'll share the full Halloween Memories Album tutorial and printables here on my blog.  But for today, go visit Eighteen25 and leave a comment for me!  Thanks!

35 deserves a photo

Please tell me I'm not the only one who sets up the self-timer on the camera and takes pictures of themselves in varied poses and expressions on their birthday because it's also a good hair day and you've decided that you need a decent picture of yourself and sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands.

Just me?

Oh.

Well, that's kind of what I did on my birthday.  And now I'm second guessing sharing these photos -- especially the one below with the super excited/surprised expression -- but as silly or staged as they may be, 35 deserves a photo!

Let me tell you a little about my birthday.  I woke up in the morning to find streamers hanging from my bedroom door (a family tradition), the banisters, and walls downstairs.  Apparently the kids woke up at 4am (4AM!!) on a school day all by themselves and ever so silently hung the streamers.  I didn't hear a single peep.  I seriously have THE best kids!

The day was pretty low-key but I did get to FaceTime with my Oregon girlfriends and Scott and I went out to a great Mexican lunch and I had some delicious fresh guacamole.  Lots of birthday wishes, visits, and deliveries throughout the day made me feel like one lucky girl!  Later there were presents and then we had to scurry off to the church for Scouts and Activity Days.  Back at home we pulled out my Marie Callendar's Coconut Cream Pie and sang Happy Birthday.

I believe in celebrating birthday weeks (or months), not just birthdays.  So, my week included a breakfast date with my fabulous visiting teachers, a visit to the temple with Scott, an amazing facial from my friend Erin, and pedicures with Anna (she has a birthday this month too).

A pretty great birthday!

Even (especially) when your husband tries to photobomb your photoshoot.

 

 

 

 

polaroid museum and sprinkles

This week I had the chance to go to the Polaroid Museum at the Linq.  A while back ago  I had mentioned to Scott that this would make a great date.  His enthusiasm didn't really match mine so I was excited when I learned that this would be the spot for our second Art Group outing.  While I don't always "get" the who/what/why behind art, photography is right up my alley!

We showed up and had a docent take us down a Polaroid memory lane. 

I loved this instagram color collage.  I guess you could call instagram the new era of instant photography.  And did you know that the instagram logo is patterned after the 1977 Polaroid camera?

 After the tour we went downstairs to the store and took a seat at the Fotobar to print our own instagram images.  It was really easy to get connected with your instagram account.  The hard part was scrolling through all my images and trying to pick just a few!

They print your photos right there in the store with a Polaroid style frame and I love the material - it is a super thick chipboard/cardstock.  What I also loved was this shadowbox below.  I can totally see this in my home -- an ever rotating display of favorite seasonal instagram pictures.  (The photos attach to the shadowbox with magnets.)

These art outings have been a great opportunity to see some new & different & interesting parts of town.  And in addition to that I've been able to meet some new & interesting people.  The organizer of the group has a wide net of friends and connections that she invites each month.  And even though I show up only knowing 2 people, it has always been so nice to chat with people about their lives, what they do, their interests, etc.  A budding photographer, a pro graphic designer, a high school English teacher, and so many moms with littles at home including the mom with a 10 week old baby who decided she needed to pump and get out for a couple hours!

I'm grateful for things like this -- a chance to get out, experience new things, break out of a comfort zone, feel enriched, and of course, end with a cupcake.

Win.

34 favorite moments

Sharing 34 favorite moments that helped make the past year great!

* * * * * * * * * *

hiking Zions

hiking Red Rock canyon

hiking Big Trees

hiking Park City

hiking through the bamboo forest in Maui

watching a live broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word in the Salt Lake Tabernacle

that day when Conner jumped in the car after school saying he was about to faint - a girl he likes complimented his school project

when I gave a talking Darth Vader doll to Scott for his birthday, and watching him revert to a 10 year old boy (cracks me up everytime I think about it)

when Payton photo-bombed our New Years Eve photo and the photo with blog friend Camille

gathering a group for Christmas Eve bowling - so excited that people wanted to join us

watching Payton at his instrument ensemble performances (and play) & loving that he was loving/thriving as he learned new things.  Another notch of confidence

having my Favorite Things Party featured in a magazine

watching Conner sing with the District Honors Choir

pulling up to our resort in Maui

walking to school with Payton for the last time at the end of his 5th grade year -- bittersweet

enjoying the sunset each evening of our family reunion

getting asked by a popular craft blog to share a guest post - eek!  coming later this month!

walking on la jolla beach with my family - perma-grin on my face, I tell ya

attending religion class all year and sitting with my senior friends

grammar avengers

the epic egg drop party

finding notes under our pillow from Anna, begging for a dog

lunch date in PDX with dear friends -- the best possible way to spend 6 hour layover

all 5 of us Oregon girls lined up in chairs getting Christmas pedicures together - red toes for everyone

Conner's surprise solo at his spring choir concert

watching Payton at his 5th grade promotion - growing up!

Anna's baptism day and getting to watch Scott baptize his daughter.  And seeing her in my baptism dress.

watching Anna play her first game as goalie and rocking it!

driving Alyna to Dixie

visiting 92 year old Myrtle Brown and discovering my own family history

Conner's fish stick challenge

getting to attend the first General Women's broadcast with Anna for women & girls 8 and up

when Payton finally tried boogie-boarding after working up the courage all summer, and loved it

* * * * * * * * * * 

last year's list of 33 favorite moments

family home evening // our town is awesome

As I scrolled through my instagram feed yesterday I came across Becky Higgins' latest Cultivate a Good Life message.  I love love these short thoughts.  So often they re-remind of things that are essential for good/happy/healthy living that either get forgotten or lost in my busy brain.

The message (found HERE) reads:  Part of cultivating a good life is appreciating where you live.  Sure, there are other places you could be happy, but be happy where you are.

If you followed my blog in 2012 you'll know that Vegas was hard for me.  I struggled for a while, but I feel like I am moving closer to loving the place I live.  For the most part I have kept frustrations & annoyances out of earshot of the kids.  Lately, though, I began to notice that they have been missing Oregon a little more frequently, and vocally.  Which is okay - to an extent.  They can keep and cherish all the fond memories we have of that place - it was great!  I just don't want it to get in the way of appreciating where we live now.

So, I thought this message would be great as part of a Family Home Evening lesson.

First we talked about gratitude.  I was reminded of Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk, Grateful in Any Circumstances.

BEING GRATEFUL FOR THINGS

"It is easy to be grateful for things when life seems to be going our way.  But what then of those times when what we wish for seems to be far out of reach?

Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation?  In other words, I'm suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances -- whatever they may be."

We talked a little about being grateful for the things and blessings we have.  Actually, last week's FHE lesson was all about prayer and getting better at expressing the things we are thankful for, so this built upon that.

The next step is to be grateful even when life isn't going perfectly.  Have a bad day at school, tough assignments, and teachers you don't get along with?  -- you can still be grateful that you have the opportunity to go to school and learn, that you have friends there, that we only have to drive or walk a few minutes to get to school, etc. the list goes on.

BEING GRATEFUL IN OUR CIRCUMSTANCES

"We can choose to be grateful, no matter what.

We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is.  How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?"

We listed examples from the scriptures and church history - Job, Nephi, the Pioneers, Joseph Smith - all people who showed gratitude in the middle of incredibly hard conditions.

And we pointed out examples from our own life -- right now -- where we are working through some hard things but we have chosen to be grateful for the opportunities it has given us.

GRATITUDE AS AN ACT OF FAITH

"Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God.  It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true.

True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony.  It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will."

Finally, I stressed the importance of developing gratitude because it is the foundation that leads to all other Christlike attributes.  

Then I transitioned to the Cultivate a Good Life message I found above.  I told them that we were going to sit down and write a list of things that makes our town awesome.

 Download OurTownIsAwesome -- add a little washi tape and make your own list

We worked on the list last night, and I left it on the kitchen table to add to when things pop into our minds.  The kids had a little bit of a hard time coming up with things on the spot.  But I hope that it gets them thinking about and noticing the really great parts of what we get to experience here.

FHE success ::  A little lesson in gratitude and finding the awesome in where we live right now.

savior of the world

 

When we visited the Mesa temple visitor's center we made our way through the displays and presentations to find the Christus.  We sat down on the benches and one of the senior missionaries played the audio track for us -- a short compilation of scriptures from the New Testament, all Christ's words as if he was speaking to you.  When it finished she asked Scott where he had served his mission.  Melbourne Australia, Vietnamese speaking.  So then, we had the rare opportunity of listening to the audio track again, but this time in Vietnamese.  

As we listened it struck me with the rush of warmth in my heart and pinpricks on my skin that Jesus Christ, is the Savior for the entire world.  He came and offered the Atonement and his life for the salvation of all men on the earth.  Not just those of us in our comfortable homes, going about life in our little bubbles.  But everyone across the entire earth.  No one is forgotten.

I'm so thankful for Him.

34 favorite things

A list of things that made 34 great!  In no particular order . . . . 

Waffle Love // Making the list for the 2nd year in a row.  Seriously, if one of these trucks were located in my town I would be in trouble!  

mason jar mug // I've got a pink one with a lid & straw and I refill it all day long

Heaven Is Here by Stephanie Nielson // Talk about a tear-jerker!  But overall it left me with such a feeling of gratitude and appreciation for this wonderful job of motherhood that I get to be a part of.

Naked 3 eyeshadow by Urban Decay // Use it everyday

family pictures // So happy that I found a great photographer and a great location.  We only do professional family photos every 3 years and I love how they turned out!

standout prints // I really wanted a large frame-less family photo (but not on canvas) so I went with a couple standout prints from WHCC.  I adore them!

pilates class // For the past year I have attended a weekly pilates class taught by a lady in my ward.  It kicks my butt (and abs), but I love it!

bulk granola bins at Sprouts // so many delicious choices!

Healthy Choice frozen meals // I usually keep a stash of these in my freezer for lunch here and there.  Quick, delicious, and around 300 calories.

almond milk // Mmmm.  Love it with a bowl of granola & sliced bananas or blueberries for breakfast.  Or I mix it in the blender with a scoop of chocolate protein powder & a frozen banana.

PicTapGo // still my favorite photo editing app

Once Upon A Time // I know, I know.  This show has become really cheesy.  But I love watching it with the kids. We all get into it and you should have heard the gasps and uproar in our family room at the end of last season!  Myself included.  Anna has added the season premiere of Once Upon a Time to her school agenda calendar.  September 28th.

a freshly painted house // I shared the before picture, and trust me when I say that the house looks 1000% better.  New paint.  New lights.  New doors.  It makes me so much happier when I pull up to the house knowing that we aren't the ghetto house in the neighborhood anymore.

french doors // these doors have changed our lives.  They took the place of our ginormous sliders that were such a pain to open.  Now, being able to walk to and from the backyard with ease has been the greatest.  Plus, they look beeeautiful!

ali edwards' new website // Ali has been my scrapbooking guru for the past 10ish years and seeing her new website re-design last month and emphasis on "stories matter" sent shivers right through me.  Go Ali!  #craftthestory

Motherhood Realized // So many great pick-me-up, inspiring mothering articles.  And it was such a fun opportunity to be a part of the book launch team.

silk bathrobe // a short silk robe from Chinatown was my souvenir in San Francisco.  It has saved me all summer on those mornings when I need to do stuff around the house but I am just too hot to get dressed in real clothes.

master bedroom fireplace // my dad did such a great job with this re-do!  It classed up our bedroom in a big way.

letterpress family proclamation // love adding beautiful, meaningful things to my walls.

Power of Moms podcasts // I had forgotten how much I love listening to these until the kids went back to school a few weeks ago.  It's what I listen to when I walk/run by myself.

Frozen // we cannot forget that this was the year of Frozen!  Such a fun movie for the whole family

homemade vanilla // this was so much fun to make and giveaway last Christmas.  I still have about 2 cups of it left in my cupboard and it smells great.

green smoothies // somehow I even got the kids hooked.

The Voice // Can't wait for this show to start again later this month!

Studio C // this show has brought so much laughter and excitement into our home.  And don't forget that time we dressed up as the grammar avengers. 

Settebello // favorite pizza place.  Yum!

italian sodas // I have a few syrup bottles - with pumps - lined up on the kitchen counter.  Add some club soda and whipping cream and we are in business.

that massage in hawaii // oh heavenly.  That massage worked out all the kinks in my shoulder muscles.  Only now, 8 months later, the kinks are just beginning to return.  Time to make another appointment.

Roku // we said goodbye to satellite tv (and the bill) and hello to Netflix & Hulu.  We absolutely love it and don't look back.

Jimmy Fallon // love the new Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.  We watch the previous night's episode every evening before we go to bed.

the outdoor theater at spring mountain ranch // I'm so glad we discovered this place and got to go to 2 plays this summer.

instant crowns // as much as I have hated all the dental work I needed to have this year (4 crowns, thank you very much), I love that my dentist has a new-fangled machine in his office that makes the crowns right there.  Everything is done is one visit.

Heroes // we missed it the first time around, so this year we blazed through all 5 seasons.  The last season was a little weird, but aside from that I loved it!

Family Search // as I've chosen "story" as my one little word this year, I have also spent some time exploring Family Search.  It is so neat to look at my family tree, see photos, and read stories about my ancestors.

see last year's list of 33 favorite things here

10 things right now // Payton

 

It is Payton's turn, and I've been meaning to write this post all summer but it just never happened.  Luckily, Payton just wrote a paper for English this week titled "Who Am I?"  So from his own words, here's a glimpse into who Payton is right now.  Along with a few pictures of him from the summer.

 Hi my name is Positive Payton, and I like to laugh. My dad is from Idaho, and my mom is from California. So my entire family loves potatoes and the beach. Except for me. I have an older brother named Conner who is thirteen, and a younger sister named Anna who is eight and almost nine. Conner likes potatoes, and Anna likes the beach. I am the middle child, and I like doing things that my siblings don’t. I was born in Oregon and lived in St. Helens for 9 years before we moved to Henderson in 2012. I like it in Oregon because sometimes it snows! When it snows, we like to crawl through the tracks made by cars in the street.

(Payton was the snow cone king at the Andersen family reunion.  My dad set up a snowcone station and the kids had free access to it 24/7.  I think Payton's snowcone total came to somewhere around 15.)

My hobbies are swimming, video games, Dungeons and Dragons, and bike riding. I like doing all kinds of other things, but these are my favorites: Skiing, playing in the snow, jumping on our trampoline, and playing archery. My least favorite thing to do is play basketball. I don’t like it, because I have to run while not looking at the ball and I hate multitasking. One of my favorite classes in school is science. I like that subject because I really like doing experiments. My favorite movie is The Lego Movie because it is very funny. We are amazed at how good the animation is. I like listening to music which uses really cool instruments like the electric keyboard. An example is the song, EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!! In my free time, I like to sleep in my bed because sleep is a beautiful thing. My goals are to become an archery professional, and Computer software engineer.

(As part of the assignment, he was asked to bring in an item that represents him.  He chose his Perplexus Epic.)

The object that I brought is my Perplexus Epic. It represents me because I like big challenges. I got it a couple weeks ago, and since then almost all of my free time has been devoted to finishing it. I even brought it on a road trip to Arizona, and my sister’s soccer game. The thing that makes me special is I always like to joke around. One time, Conner, Anna, our friends Seth, Violet, Jonah, and I were playing Dungeons and Dragons. We were faced with a Bugbear. Violet didn’t know what to do since she was only seven, so I gave her some advice. “Take ten gold pieces and throw them at the Bugbear’s head. That ought to knock some cents into him.” After that, everybody laughed.

labor day in Scottsdale // poolside

We've had a few people ask us why in the world we would leave Las Vegas to visit some place even hotter.  Good question!  

Well, once you're in the hundreds what's two more degrees, right?  But in truth, it's all about a change of scenery and the opportunity to visit some place new.  And the 4 1/2 hour drive makes it totally doable.

One observation we made about Phoenix and the Arizona desert . . . . it is so much greener!  Our desert is just brown - lots of dirt.  But across the Arizona desert there are so many more plants (kinda jealous of all the Saguaro cactus), and there was even a pretty green grass ground-cover or tiny yellow flowers across many areas.  Again and again, Scott and I were stunned at how much greener it is there.  And we're really not sure how that happens because they are hotter than us.  Hmm.

Anyways, we are glad we got to experience a bit of Arizona.  It looked like there were lots of cool and interesting things to do there, but not on a 106 degree day.  So we stayed close to the resort pool.

We swam.  Scott found golf to watch on the outdoor tv.  I started reading a new book.  The boys played water volleyball with a few other boys.  And we participated in a few activities around the pool.  There was the frozen t-shirt challenge, brain freeze challenge (first person to finish drinking a cup of slushy ice water wins - see photo below), and a watermelon eating contest.

I loved that all the activities were planned for us and free!

We did venture out for dinner.  I was in the mood for some good mexican food and I got several recommendations from family and friends.  We settled on Gallo Blanco and it was great.  Oh, the guacamole!  The guacamole included orange chunks -- I've never heard of such a thing, but it was so good!  And kids under 10 eat free - woot!

For dessert we went to Sweet Republic, an ice cream shop that has been featured on the Food Network.  It was pretty amazing.  The homemade ice cream, the homemade waffle cones.  Dee-lish.

Alright Arizona, you are on the good list.  Thanks for the getaway!

labor day in Scottsdale // arizona temple tour

Yet again, the Browns escaped on a very short, last-minute getaway.  I wonder what it looks like from the outside -- jetting away to San Diego one weekend, and then Arizona 2 weeks later.  Just because we want to.

Well, two things have been making these spontaneous trips possible -- hotel points & some freedom in Scott's schedule.  And the fact that the kids were out of school.  So we're going to take advantage of it as much as possible!  Because once school sets in, we aren't going anywhere.  :)

This trip to Scottsdale was great because our rooms included a full kitchen.  We brought a bunch of food with us -- breakfast foods, PB&J for lunch, and hot dogs for dinner -- and we only went out for one meal.  With the hotel covered by points, food mostly taken care of, and all free activities it made for a very low-impact vacation. 

Because we rolled into town on a Sunday afternoon we decided that temple hopping would be a great family activity on the Sabbath.  There are 3 temples in the Phoenix valley now and two of them are very new.  How great that we could drive around in one afternoon and see 3 temples!

First we checked out the Gilbert temple which I have seen so much in pictures from bloggers & instagram friends who live the area.  It is beautiful!

(the poor temple was missing the "R" in Lord - that made us sad.  I'm sure they will fix it very soon.)

Next up . . . the Mesa temple.  My brother was married here 10 years ago and we came to his wedding with a 3 year old Conner and 1 year old Payton.  What a fun day.  Compared to other LDS temples, the Mesa temple is very unique in it's design.  The box structure reminds me of what ancient temples may have looked like.  I think it is very cool.

It was a crazy hot afternoon, so after walking around the temple we found refuge and air conditioning inside the Visitors' Center.  Ahhh.  I love it when they have all the translations of the Book of Mormon on display -- so many different languages!  It's always fun to find the Vietnamese translation -- Scott served his mission in Melbourne Australia among the Vietnamese people.

And lastly we made our way north to the brand new Phoenix temple.  It isn't even open yet - the open house is scheduled for October - so we couldn't get super close.  I took all of these photos through a gate.  But boy, oh boy, it is beautiful!  I especially loved the brilliant blue & gold stained glass.  And the sharp spires on every corner.

Absolutely gorgeous!

The temple hop has become a family tradition.  We've done it a couple times in Utah -- managing to visit 5 temples in one day.  Which is pretty awesome.  After we left the Mesa temple visitor's center Scott asked the kids, "why do you think we always do this? . . . .Trying to visit temples whenever we go some place new?"

Our answer:  We want them to know how important temples are and that we hope they always make good choices in their lives so they are worthy to go to the temple when the time comes.  Also, the work that we do inside the temple (sealings & ordinances) is what enables us to be a forever family.  We kinda like each other so keeping our family together forever is on the good list.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

There are 143 operating temples around the world.  
Anyone can visit the temple grounds and they are always so so beautiful!
Find a temple HERE.

a few FAQ's about temples HERE

everyday browns // vol. 5

Currently:  digging out of the first two weeks of school, lots of stuff happening with my calling at church, a special blog feature coming up later this month, giving my Silhouette a workout with bulletin board projects, and an impromptu family trip to Scottsdale, Arizona over the holiday weekend.

And I nearly forgot that it is September!  My blog & personal birthday month.  Hello?!  In years past I have written a few special posts here to celebrate all month long.  I still want to do that, it will just be coming a little bit late.  

Soccer is in full swing and Anna is L O V I N G it.  I never would have guessed that my daughter would be the athletic one in the family!  Ha!  She has been practicing the goalie position pretty aggressively and has the scrapes on her knees to prove it.  Her first game is tomorrow.

Payton is a happy little 6th grader right now.  He comes home from school every day just happy!  I love that.  One day on the drive home from school he said thoughtfully, "I always imagine myself with a bow and arrow."  So random.  But that's what we love about Payton.

Transitioning each year up to 7th and now 8th grade, I have been so pleased with Conner's increased level of responsibility and time management.  He gets home and takes care of business. I love that.  He is planning to join the Krypto Club -- keeping those math wheels spinning after school hours.

Scott has a little jingle that he tells the boys on the drive to school.  It started when Conner was in 6th grade.  Scott felt he needed to give some much needed reminders (in a fun way) as he heads off to school.  And it has continued, much to Conner's feigned annoyance.  

turn in your homework.
in every class.
show your work in math.
don't freak out.
ever.