find joy in the journey

everyday browns // vol. 9

A little look at what we've been up to this week.  It's been a full one!

Payton went in for an ortho consultation and he has an appointment to get braces on this week!  He is very excited about braces.  Well, not really about getting braces, but knowing he will have the opportunity to play arcade games & get free frozen yogurt & slushies when he visits the orthodontist every 6 weeks!

Purple Penguin opened for the season and all is right in the world again!  I ordered my favorite - Tiger's Blood.  We stood in line for our Family Home Evening treat and it really made it feel like summer is just around the corner.

We are beginning  BIG landscaping project at our house.  We are completely redoing the front & back landscaping and I am SO EXCITED!!!  We've been working on the plans since January, talking to landscapers, picking out plants at the nursery, getting HOA approval . . . and now it is finally here!  Each time I think about what this yard is going to become I am just overjoyed.  I have sooooooooo missed having a pretty yard.  So much.  And while rock isn't my 1st choice for landscaping material, we make the best of what we can work with in the desert.  I'm just so happy knowing that I am going to have plants, and trees, and it is going to be neat, clean, and new!

Here are just a few of the before pics.  Oy.

Anna received Student of the Month!  I volunteer at the Student of the Month Lunch every month (serving pizza & taking pics of the kids) so it was fun to have her there to participate in it.

The yard demo began on Wednesday which brought trucks, trailers, noisy equipment, workers, wheelbarrows, and a giant dumpster container that wouldn't fit in front of our house (we're in the circle of our culdesac) so it had to live in front of a neighbor's yard for 3 days.  I thought that a plate of cookies to our neighbors might be a nice peace offering during the commotion!

Here's a peek at what they were able to accomplish in 2 days.  Our landscape proposal estimated that they would haul out 3 tons of soil and 13 tons of rock. 

Friday morning I escaped to an early session at the temple while Scott got Anna to school.  So nice to start my day & the weekend like that.

After the temple I went in for a haircut.  It was a pretty big deal for me because it had been 7 months since my last cut and this was my first color in over 2 years!  

I'm also so so so happy because I was able to purchase a new camera!  I got my first full frame camera (Canon 6D) and my first L lens (35mm f/1.4).  I'm so excited to bust out these beauties and have fun taking pictures again!

On Friday night the school held a Father/Daughter 50's sock hop!  It sounds like they had a GREAT time!  First, dinner at Lucille's BBQ and then on to the school where they danced all night.  I think they ate too much at dinner because Scott was going to dip Anna but she refused because she was too full and couldn't bend that way.  Haha!  Anna thinks that her dad was pretty crazy -- dancing funny, making funny faces, and singing loud along with the songs.  I think he was pretty awesome for getting in there and making her night!

(Anna is wearing one of my LuLaRoe Girls Azure skirts - her favorite!)

While they were away I took the boys to dinner at Blaze Pizza and then made our way to Downtown Summerlin.  I had a errand to do there but we mostly just spent time walking around and checking out shops (Apple & LoveSac were definite highlights).  I just loved spending the evening with my boys and hanging out with them! They truly are SUCH good boys - easy going, fun, helpful, and kind.  I'm so happy that they don't ever play the part of annoyed-teenager or too-cool-for-my-family-teenager.

Or too-cool-for-mom's-photo-ops.  They happily jumped into the one above and created the two below.

Saturday morning I was back at Downtown Summerlin for a fun photoshoot!  My longtime scrapbooking/blog friend Katie was in town from Minnesota so I hired her to take pics for my LuLaRoe business.  I also invited 2 of my local team members to come get their pictures as they are just starting out their businesses.  How often do you get to have great headshots as an adult? Never!  So this was a real treat.  Afterwards Katie and I went to lunch at Cafe Rio.  Always so good to catch up with her - she is so easy to talk to and I love that faith in life, trials, & blessings is woven through all that she shares.

I also made sure that she went home with her first pair of LuLaRoe leggings, because everyone needs to partake of the buttery softness!  It was a great photoshoot -- so incredibly thankful that the rain held off for us! -- and I can't wait to see the results!

 Saturday evening we cleaned the church and grabbed dinner at Carl's Junior.  Not my favorite, but it was close.  I fell asleep last night watching Fixer Upper in bed (love that show) and was up bright & early for a 7am meeting at church.  Luckily, the church is less than 10 minutes away.  :)

We made baked potatoes, sausage gravy, and steak for dinner today.  The meal of champions!  Anna has plans for us to celebrate her fish's 1 month birthday.  Last night she made brownies, she has purchased & wrapped gifts for her fish, and I believe she has planned some fish themed games.  Oh my, she cracks me up!  But I love her flair for themed parties!  A girl after mine own heart!

around here

around here I'm getting back into the meal planning and cooking groove.  That kind of goes out the window during summer when it's just too hot to think and life is irregular with our travels.  This was potato salad for Labor Day.

around here carpool is going great! And I'm loving these early mornings when the sun is golden and it feels good to be outside.

around here we walk to elementary school and Anna holds my hand the whole way.  This past week we saw lots of lizards and bunnies.

around here I'm trying to eat well.  Let's just say that I ended summer with a bang!  And now it's time to pay the piper.  I love having  a piece of toast (Dave's Killer Bread) with mashed up avocado, a bunch of veggies, peppers with cream cheese, and some deli meat.  My newest trick is to cut up and wash a variety of veggies and keep them in a plastic lidded container in the fridge.  It's all ready to go for lunch and snacks.

around here I'm reading about tidying up.  My house needs some serious attention in the area of clutter and stuff.  We have been here for almost 3 years and at that point where we need a big clean-out.  I think that if we haven't used it since moving in 3 years ago it should probably be thrown away or donated.  But first, I'll stop to tell the item "thank you" for serving it's purpose.  (You gotta read this book)

around here Anna is reading Nancy Drew, Conner is reading To Kill A Mockingbird, and Payton is reading Wonder.

around here you might find me standing in front of the garage having my photo taken by Payton.  Don't worry it's totally normal.  Even though it feels totally awkward.  Just getting photos for my LuLaRoe social media.

around here I'm teaching my 2 youngest about breastfeeding.  I purchased a breast pump from a friend's baby registry and the gift sat on my dining table for a couple days unwrapped.  As each child happened upon it they came to me with confused faces, "mom what IS this?"  Not only did I have to explain what it was for, but I also had to explain the fact that moms produce milk for their babies.  COMPLETE NEWS TO THEM! That's what happens when you have zero exposure to babies.  It was actually pretty hilarious to reveal this information not once, but twice! and to be met with similar confused, shocked, and why?! reactions.

around here I'm loving the activities that our Relief Society is putting together.  This Saturday we did projects at the church and I am loving my terrarium and tea towel.  And look at how CUTE this class set-up is?

 

around here we are all singing "Two guys -- on a scooter".  Studio C had it's season 6 premiere.

around here Anna started another fall soccer season.  She was SO incredibly nervous for the first game.  I had another commitment so I was a few minutes late, but during the warm-up Scott said that she kept coming over to him and hugging him because she was so nervous.  They were playing up a level this year, her team is down 1 player for the entire season, and she wasn't confident about her drop kicks in practice. Well, things ended up quite alright - they won!  She scored 2 goals, had 3 goal assists (one of those while playing keeper), had a bunch of great saves as keeper, and their team played so well together.  What a great way to start the season!

around here we're living the parent life which means you drop off your 14 year old son and friends at a church dance half way across town and then find something to do for 3 hours until they are ready to be picked up. We:

• walked around the Linq and decided this is our favorite outdoor part of the strip.  It's clean, there is outdoor air-conditioning!, good places to eat, and a cool outdoor vibe with a view of the High Roller.  But the biggest bonus point is that you aren't bombarded with any half-naked posers, riffraff, or call girl solicitors -- they aren't allowed in this area.
• had tacos for dinner at a yummy Mexican place - Chayo.  Our table was right next to a mechanical bull pit and by the end of our meal two women had had a go with the bull.  Wow - that was a first for me!
• tried walking down the strip a bit but turned around and came back because, seriously, it's just so icky at night. {shudder}
• grabbed a pair of Sprinkles cupcakes -- chocolate peanut butter and cinnamon sugar.

And then we drove back to the dance and sat in our van and ate those cupcakes while we waited for the boys.  

around here some good things are happening.  Some of those hard situations I mentioned in earlier posts are getting better.  We are cautious to add a checkmark to our trial, because it is still a work in progress and there is work to be done.  But this week has felt lighter and for that we are so grateful.

 

everyday browns // vol. 8

Let's see if I remember how to blog.  :)

We made it through the first week of school.  This is going to be an interesting year -- full of changes and new schedules.  3 kids at 3 school (elementary, middle, and high school) and one of those children is starting a year round schedule.  Like I said, it should be interesting.

Anna is a 4th grader.  And Payton is a 7th grader.  More on the first week of school in another post.

Because of their odd schedules I couldn't get a first day of school photo of all 3 of them.  I guess I COULD have taken a photo of all 3 at 5:30 am, but Payton & Anna would have been in their pajamas.

Conner is a freshman, which means he also started early morning seminary. And because he has a zero hour class he has early-early morning seminary!  Oy!  He has been great about getting up with his alarm, but by the time Friday rolled around we were SO tired.

Conner is the first one to leave and the last one to get home.  It's a LONG day!  We are so anxious to see him that sometimes we walk out to meet him near the bus stop.  Not at the bus stop, because we don't want to embarrass our new high schooler.  But near.

Walking to school has also resumed for Anna and I.  It's always one of my favorite parts of the day.  One of our crossing guards retired and it's weird to not have him a part of our mornings anymore.  He always loved our kids and called them "the thank you kids" because they always said thank you every morning and afternoon. He promised that he would come back to visit the corner.    

I'm also participating in a middle school carpool for the first time and it is going to be SO great!  This is definitely the year that I need the extra help.

Our ward had a youth temple trip after school one day.  They always go to In-N-Out for dinner and Conner was super proud that he ordered and completed the Quad burger.

We tried hanging out on the balcony one evening.  (You can see Anna's silhouette - fresh from the shower with a towel on her head).  It's still a touch too warm, but we're almost there.

In the spring Conner auditioned for and made the Concert Choir and Madrigals which we are super excited about! It's an especially big deal to get into Madrigals -- this year he is the only freshman.  They had a "retreat" over the weekend:  food, team-building games, & swimming at the Madrigal president's house on Friday.  And then more get-to-know-you activities, skits, and choir business on Saturday in the choir room. He had such a great time.  We are so happy and thankful that he gets to be a part of this, have an instant group of friends, and find his niche as he starts at a large high school.  And looking at the 4 page calendar of events he is definitely going to be busy!

As for me . . . I've been doing the normal mom stuff and barely keeping up!  :)  I don't have all my little minions around anymore to help with the daily chores so I've kinda fallen behind on that.  But I've decided that last week was all about learning & feeling out the new schedule for the kids.  Going forward I will work on getting my own business under control.

But hey, I made BBQ pulled pork nachos for dinner one night and they were amazing.

Before school started I went through the kids' closets and cleared out clothes that were too small, worn, etc.  Aside from church pants, Conner was down to zero pairs of pants.  I put "jeans" on the school shopping list and he quickly crossed it out because he hates wearing pants.  And he's been this way since he was 4 years old!  There's a blog post in the archives about that one.  Anyways, we went school shopping and I didn't buy him any pants, at least for now, and he was so happy about that.  Probably going to need some jeans sometime in the winter if we make a ski trip, but we'll cross that bridge then when he's grown another inch or two and we can pick out jeans that will fit. 

Wednesday he comes home from school, "uh we're going to sing the National Anthem at our school assembly on Friday and our teacher wants us to wear jeans."

Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!  So jean shopping we went.

On Friday I met a few ladies at Cafe Rio for a celebratory we-made-it-through-the-first-week-of-school lunch!  It was such a great time - so nice to visit, swap school stories, laugh, and do something just for the moms.  We had one pre-schooler with us - love his workbook in the foreground (what a well-prepared mom!) - and he took our photo.  These are such great women and I'm glad for each opportunity I have to get to know them better -- I work with Lena, Katie, & Kristi in the Primary Presidency (the best!), Lindsay & I swap our boys back & forth over the summer for swimming & Settlers ofCatan and we carpool, and Kenzy & I also carpool, volunteer at the school, and are navigating this new world of high school together.  We have lived in this ward just shy of 3 years and it feels so good to know I have these connections.

Participated in a fun creative challenge this week on instagram. LuLaRoe consultants were asked to post a picture/image that inspires you and then try to replicate it.  Like I said, SO fun!

Scott and I went out to dinner Friday night with that Red Lobster gift card that's been floating around since Scott's birthday.  Yes!  We've been dealing with a hard situation and a lot of unknowns for a long time.  Sometimes we just have to get out of the house, sit down, and talk through it.  And sometimes a plate of good food or an ice cream treat helps to make those talks a little more pleasant.  :) 

We came home to find a scorpion crawling around the family room while the kids were watching a movie.  Blegh!  

Also this weekend . . . . 

Scott and Payton helped move a new family into the ward and they actually live super close to us with girls Anna's age.  And another super nice family with younger kids moved in across the street.  Yay!  There are so many old/retired couples on our street -- need to add some youth to this neighborhood!

We had stake conference.  Some great messages.  Loved this line, "As you are teaching your children, you are actually teaching your grandchildren."  Love that message -- the things we teach our kids right now is what they are going to pass down to their own kids.  Also a book recommendation, Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin.  And lots of great talks about keeping the Sabbath Day holy.

making pancakes

Pancake training began for Conner today.  Scott was going to make pancakes and Conner asked if he could learn.  With hesitation he conceded the spatula to the boy with plenty of wise cracks at every move.  We are not one of those families that is all love & rainbows & positivity, and "great job you deserve a medal!" with every mediocre attempt.  You gotta have a sense of humor and the ability to let the criticism roll off your back & laugh at your failures.  Because that's what the rest of us are doing.  Luckily our kids do well in that department! 

It was a bit of a crazy, whirlwind weekend that began Friday night with a State PTA Reflections award ceremony for Anna (more on that later).  Then Saturday included a middle school Krypto competition for the boys, Anna had a temple field trip with her Activity Days group, a soccer game in the afternoon, and then Scott and I were back at the temple for Ward Temple Night and dinner.  

Today we went to church, came home for a quick lunch/dinner of pancakes, and then made our way to the Smith Center for a performance by the Zion's Youth Symphony and Chorus.  It was pretty great with solid performances by the choir, symphony, and soloists.  What an awesome group of talented high school kids from the valley.  And the Smith Center is just an amazing venue so any opportunity to go there is a real treat!  Here's a link to a little VIDEO about the choir.

And Anna painted a unicorn.

february stories

Back when both of our parents came for Payton's priesthood ordination weekend we had a big breakfast at our house before church.  Sausage, bacon, fruit, pancakes.  Scott makes THE best pancakes!  Seriously, so good. And he looks pretty great in an apron too.  :)

He also grew his hair out to epic lengths and achieved this pretty amazing flip on the back. It was a pretty big topic of conversation in our house in February.  Payton referenced this hair flip on his love note to Scott -- "I love dad's hair . . . from the side."  And Scott apologized for his hair laziness on his love note to me.  He has since had a haircut.

I love it when the kids vacuum out the van.  Pretty nice to have a few in-house car detailers.

I bought these wooden arrows from a local shop called Amber's Umbrella and then gave them to myself for Christmas.  Ha!  Anyone else do that?  Anyways, I finally got them up on the wall and I LOVE love them!

Anna decorated this box at home for her Valentine's Day class party.  Oh my, her creativity just blows my mind sometimes!  The 3D elements, the sun rocking out with headphones, and even starburst wrappers turned into bows!  And I love that it looks like a 9 year old made it.  Simply adorable!

Our first family bike ride!  Now that we all have bikes we'd like to do this more often.

On Valentine's Day morning we had our traditional Love Day breakfast.  Chocolate chip muffins, strawberries + kiwi, ham, and orange juice.  The kids got a small heart shaped box of chocolate, a small gift (under $10), and a coupon for an ice cream date with mom.  I loved that Valentine's Day was on a Saturday this year so we could really enjoy our breakfast and family time together!

And a Valentine's Date for us!  We had really late dinner reservations so we killed time by getting dessert first at Sweet Addictions (ice cream cookie sandwiches!), Target for miscellaneous toiletries, 7-Eleven for gas and a soda, Williams & Sonoma where I bought a cheese grater, and finally to dinner at a fish house.  It was probably the most random date EVER but we had a great time and just goes to show it doesn't matter what you are doing but who you are with.

On February 21st we drove up to St. George for the day.  Jenn's daughter Alyna was going through the temple for the first time and we wanted to show our love & support on her big day.  It worked out so nicely that St. George is only a 2 hour drive -- so glad we could be there!  Plus, we had never been inside the St. George temple so it was a treat to get to see this beautiful building.  Built in 1871, it definitely has a place in church history.  And if all that wasn't enough, after the temple session we met up with Jenn's family to watch Alyna open her mission call -- she will be serving in Sao Paulo Brazil for 18 months!  Talk about a BIG day!

Sadly, I didn't get a single photo of any PEOPLE.  Ugh.  But we had a wonderful time.

I DID get a photo of the Waffle Truck and the waffle that I ate on the drove home that night.  I may need to take a look at my priorities.  :)

On the bright side, we got to see the Habels again a few days later when they returned to Vegas for their flight home.  They stopped by our place for a short visit -- Anna showed Belle & Josie how to make rubber band bracelets with a  fork, the boys holed up in Conner's room to talk boy stuff, and I got to show Jenn the updates to our house since the last time they were here 2 years ago and have a little debrief on the big event/changes happening in their family.  So weird that my best friend has a daughter going on a mission!  Guess it means that we are getting old!  :)

One last story for February . . . I've been working hard at my LuLaRoe business!  I plan to share a post all about it very soon.  It has been a lot of work the first month and a half just getting everything set up and rolling but now I'm feeling good and know what I need to do.  Here is a photo of me after a big party - the back of the van is a MESS, but a happy mess because it was a successful party.  I really should have taken a photo before I left -- haha!  Noted for next time.

october stories

Here are a couple stories and tidbits from the month of October that I wanted to throw in before they end up too far in the past.  And I may or may not have one more Halloween post.  And the promised 3rd installment of Anna's Night Owl Party.  {sigh}  My hope was to get it all in before Thanksgiving.  We'll see how it goes!

One of our good friends from Oregon happened to be in town and popped in for a visit!  The Cluffs moved away from St. Helens about 5 years before we did (2007), but there is something to be said about the bonds you form with moms/friends/women when you are raising your babies together!  Tim and Tiffini have such a great family.  Cream of the crop.  And it was so fun to see our kids get along SO well.  Between our two families there was one boy in 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, and 5th grades.  Ethan, Zach, Wyatt and our boys bonded over a game of Risk and discussing Studio C.  I loved seeing that they had so many common interests.  If I could just pick them all up from Idaho and move them to Vegas I know they would be fast friends.

As you can see, the girls - Mallory, Anna, Darcy - hit it off and there were many hugs when they finally had to go.  Thank you Cluffs for stopping to see us!

At a Court of Honor this month Conner received a BUNCH of merit badges from Scout Camp (he actually attended 2 Scout Camps this summer) and he earned his Life rank advancement.  Payton also pulled in a few merit badges and walked out with his Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class in one fail swoop!  And he's 11.  There's something to be said for having your dad as the Scoutmaster.

We took the kids to see Meet the Mormons.  What a great movie!  And I'm not just saying that because I am Mormon.  The documentary featured inspiring stories of 6 individuals and showed how living the gospel has shaped their lives.  By the end Scott and I were bawling (thanks to "The Missionary Mom").  And we love David Archuleta's single from the movie, "Glorious".  You should go give it a listen.  Great film.  And just beautiful cinematography.  The only thing I would do over is make sure we arrived earlier to avoid sitting on the second row!

All of the kids have made their way through the Fablehaven series this fall.  Love it.

Anna was so excited to be the Student of the Week in her class.  //  At Activity Days the 8-9 year old girls learned about freezer meals and even assembled some honey lime chicken enchiladas to take home and some to share with busy young moms in the ward.  I thought that was such a great idea for an activity!  It made me realize how easy and thoughtful it would be to share something like a freezer meal once in a while. We all know how crazy the dinner time hours can be!

everyday browns // vol. 7

The weather this month has been beautiful!  Barefoot weather for most of the month, although at this moment I am wearing slippers and my feet are chilly.  I always say that November is my favorite month here.  We're looking at a forecast of 70 for Thanksgiving day!

Fall finally showed up too!  Love!  There aren't a ton of trees like this around town but the ones that do turn red get a lot of local love.

Anna wrapped up her fall soccer season.  At the final game she played goalie for the first half and pitched a shutout.  She even took a ball to the face and maintained her position to block the ball again on rebound.  In the second half she played forward and scored two goals!  We have been super proud of her this season.

I've been doing some projecting and moving things around here.  I painted Anna's old twin bed frame black and set it up in Payton's room.  He LOVES it!  Then we moved the twin/trundle bed to the scrapbook room.  I moved the computer desk from the scrapbook room to the family room which has created a total of 8 feet of computer work space.  

I really like this new set-up.  Surprisingly, I find myself to be much more productive and even more surprising I'm on the computer LESS.  I found that I would often go into my craft room to do computer things and get sucked into click after click after click on the internet because I was isolated from the rest of the family.  Now I do what I need to do and move on quickly.

After I shared my house update post last week Scott took me to Home Depot and we bought closet doors for the craft room!  Yes!  I spent 4 hours on Saturday painting the doors (and I have the pain in my back to prove it).  The room is looking super cute and polished (I'll share pictures sometime).  With all the rearranging I took the opportunity to clean up and clean out a lot of my scrapbook drawers and shelves.  That felt great!

Nothing like warm sheets and blankets straight out of the dryer.

Payton was my photo assistant after church yesterday.  Our Primary Presidency has a fun little surprise for the kids this Christmas!  I hope they like it!  We sure had fun creating it.

Other randoms: 

Reading . . . The Language of Flowers.  What a beautiful story!

Listening to . . . Imagine Dragons Night Visions on repeat.  Especially love Every Night and America and My Fault and I Bet My Life and pretty much the whole album.

Watching . . . all the Twilight movies with Scott.  Watching those movies feels like going home or hanging out with a good friend.  I'm not ashamed.

Creating . . . fall crafts (fall banners and this plate).  Earlier this month I hosted our monthly Girls' Night Out.  We made crafts and ate pumpkin crunch & spiced apple cider with Twilight playing in the background.

Celebrating . . . Conner's 14th birthday!  Am I really old enough to have a 14 year old?  Apparently the answer is yes.  But in all honesty, I am loving these growing up years!  Onward and upward!

Celebrating . . . that I got a hair cut today.  Hallelujah!  It has been 6 months since my last cut and 9 months since my last color, which is okay because I fit right in with the ombre trend.  This was my inspiration photo.

Anticipating . . . I am very much looking forward to several GREAT things coming up in December -- girls weekend in Portland!  Going to a concert!  Having my parents here for Christmas!  And all of the many wonderful things that happen in the Christmas season.  It's almost here, but not yet.  Gotta celebrate the pilgrims first!

SUNDAY // week in the life 2014

The LAST day!  Whew!  I made it to the end.  Everyone was really good sports about all my picture taking this week, but there were a several more sighs and eye-rolls when I brought my camera out on this last day. But I know how important this kind of a project is and how much it will mean to me - and all of us - in the future.

I pointed out to Scott that my first Week in the Life project includes photos of the boys (4 and 2) inside the shopping cart at Safeway, shopping at our tiny local scrapbook store, naptimes, Blue's Clues, and little snack bowls of Cheerios.  All things that are no longer a part of our life.  That's why I take the time to record these everyday details -- the Star Wars bedsheets, jumping the fence on the way home from school, piano lessons by mom -- because they won't always be a part of our everyday and I want to remember it.

After I have a few days to let this project simmer I'll move forward on compiling all the photos and some words into some kind of an album or book.  Right now I am leaning toward a digital photobook via Blurb.  I'll be sure to share the results when it is complete.

For Sunday I'm sharing just photos, no words.  Yay for another Week in the Life documented.  And yay for family, home, routines, messy rooms, laughter at the dinner table, good books to read, and smiles all around.

 

 

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And yay for Ali Edwards' brilliant idea: Week in the Life.

SATURDAY // week in the life 2014

Saturday was an interesting day for taking photos because we were pretty much bums all day.  I had a couple projects to work on for Primary but for the most part we just hung out at home.  Here's a peek at our lazy Saturday:

7:51 AM - A change in the weather is a-coming!  After enjoying temps in the mid-80's all week, a cold front moved in and dropped the temperature 20 degrees.  Welcome Fall!  

10:02 AM - putting the final touches on my sharing time lesson for Primary tomorrow all about faith.  In the fall we get some pretty great direct sunlight through the large window above our front door.

10:11 AM - Anna is still on a crafting kick.  Now, if I could only convince her to organize the craft cupboard a bit.  It's a disaster in there.

2:53 PM - I went down to the church to swap out the Primary bulletin board with the new theme for November.  It turned out SUPER cute.  

3:20 PM - Plenty of chillin' going on back at home.

3:26 PM - Payton is bored out of his mind.

4:48 PM - So we finally got out of the house and went to a movie (Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) and dinner at Applebee's.  Thanks mom for the giftcards!

8:09 PM - I declared that I wanted to watch a "mom's choice" movie so I stopped by Redbox on our way home from dinner.  We sent the kids to bed, I grabbed a blanket and a few pieces of candy from the candy bucket, Scott grabbed his iPad to entertain him, and we watched Winter's Tale.  That has got to be the weirdest movie I have seen in a looong time.

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This week I am documenting our everyday lives along with Ali Edwards and her project Week in the Life.

FRIDAY // week in the life 2014

9:18 am -- First off, hooray for no school and sleeping in!  Second, we pulled this boy into our room to chat about a couple things and then it led to a discussion about church dances (he gets to attend when he turns 14 in just a couple weeks).  His dad, the ladies man, had plenty of tips to share.

11:07am - weekend chores and responsibilities.

12:33pm - We put on some costumes and headed out in search of free/discounted food on Halloween.  Stop #1 - free donuts at Krispy Kreme.  Stop #2 - $3 burritos at Chipotle, and then we found out that they don't start offering the discount until 5pm.  We turned around, came home, and ate a donut for lunch instead.

1:52 pm - Anna pulled supplies out of the craft cupboard, sat herself down, and created this.  I LOVE it.

2:13 pm - Time to carve the pumpkins.  Only Anna and Conner participated.  Payton decided that he does not like the feeling of pumpkin guts on his hands so his pumpkin remained whole.  Instead, I hooked him up with some homemade slime to mix up.  For whatever reason he was totally okay with that tactile experience.

4:13 pm - The traditional Halloween photoshoot on the front porch is complete!  I'll share those photos in another post.

 4:49 pm - Dinner!  Mummy meatloaf is now a tradition after serving it up 3 years in a row.  Also, carrots, drop biscuits, and orange soda.

6:20 pm - Let the party begin!

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This week I am documenting our everyday lives along with Ali Edwards and her project Week in the Life.

THURSDAY // week in the life 2014

 11:17 am - After a morning of balancing my checkbook and gathering the last bits of party supplies it's time for a little snack.

1:32 pm - I was in charge of Anna's Halloween class party and went around the room snapping photos of every child.  I got many nice smiles from the other 23 kids and of course this is what my own daughter gives me.  :)

2:31 pm - Conner was so relieved to see us at late pick-up.  We had made plans for him (and Payton) to stay after school so he could complete an English vocab test he missed.  After Anna's party & dismissal we would drive over and pick him up.  He told us that 2:30 would be perfect.  Well, at 1:57 I received a missed call & voice mail from him - while we're in the middle of Anna's party - letting me know that his vocab test didn't take as long as he expected and could we please come pick him up.  Sorry!  He and Payton just sat outside the school until we were able to swing by.

3:33 pm - No homework and beautiful weather.  A great afternoon of playing outside.

3:35 pm - Blue skies and palm tree fronds.  Our tree is getting SO big!

5:35pm - I put Payton in charge of cooking the bacon for dinner.  

6:34pm - After picking up Conner from District Honors Choir practices he and I finally got a chance to sit down and eat.  Waffles & bacon for dinner tonight.  I always like to warm up my syrup in that little glass measuring cup.

8:39 pm - Spent the evening putting my Silhouette to work cutting out words and leaves for the November Primary bulletin board.  "Living the Teachings of Jesus Christ Strengthens Me & My Family."

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This week I am documenting our everyday lives along with Ali Edwards and her project Week in the Life.

WEDNESDAY // week in the life 2014

Day 3 of this project.  By the time I get to wednesday, all the picture taking of our everyday life starts to feel repetitive.  How many times - and from how many different angles - can I take a picture of someone practicing the piano?  But this is where I know I have to power through.  

A peek at our wonderfully ordinary, everyday life.

6:10 AM - Making lunch for school.  Which can be a tricky thing for Payton.  He doesn't really like traditional sandwiches, so we have to get creative.  PB&J on a mini bagel was a slam dunk this week.

 

6:45 AM - These two.  Headed out the door to school.  They get along SO so so so well.  Like, I can't even remember the last time I heard them argue - I'm talking months, but probably years.  They are undoubtedly best of friends.

7:23 AM - Walking to school this morning.  It's somewhere in the 60's and the sun is coming up later and later.  I noticed her super dry/chafed knees - side effects of playing goalie - and reminded her that she needs to put lotion on them.  

12:43 PM - I made 4 or 5 batches of green slime (glue + water + Borax) in preparation for Anna's halloween class party.  And yes, I played with it before packaging it up.

1:58 PM - Went out to check the mail and decided to look up.  Love all the lines and wispy shades of light in this tree.  The cicadas also LOVE these trees in the summertime.

2:24 PM - When Scott walks Anna home from school they take the "shortcut" over the fire access gate.  It's not my favorite, but dad's gotta be a dad.  And yes, there is a Do Not Enter sign posted there with a minimum $75 fine.  But we're assuming/hoping that only applies to vehicles, and not to 9 year olds.  Our neighbors haven't turned us in yet!

2:54 PM - Reviewing spelling words with Anna.  Village, suppertime, occurrence . . . . She wasn't very happy when I made her write her misspelled words 10 more times.  "But that isn't part of the homework!!!"  Sorry, this is called mom homework.

6:28 PM - Choir concert.  Conner is in the advanced choir this year and we are so happy because they finally sound good!  (The beginning & intermediate choirs are just doing their best).  Tonight, one of their songs was a medley from The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Loved it.  Also, Conner got to play the triangle for "Thunderstorm."

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This week I am documenting our everyday lives along with Ali Edwards and her project Week in the Life.

TUESDAY // week in the life 2014

Welcome to Tuesday!  Here's a small peek at our everyday

6:38 AM - Before school we read a chapter of the Book of Mormon as a family.  We go around the circle and everyone takes a turn reading 4 verses until the end of the chapter.

7:50 AM - standing on the asphalt outside Anna's classroom, watching the flurry of activity on the playground & at morning drop-off, ready for my volunteering gig to start..

1:15 PM - Our pumpkins from Winco.  And I think that I subconsciously ignore the need to sweep my front porch because the handful of scattered leaves from the nearby rose bush and jasmine vine help me feel like it might actually be fall.

2:09 PM - Proof that they are home from school.

3:27 PM - Piano lessons with Anna.  She is on the very last songs in her Level 1 books.  Last year we were kind of slow & inconsistent with lessons.  But this year we are blazing through.

4:08 PM - Getting ready for soccer practice.  Gathering water bottles & Pepsi bottles and making funny faces in the kitchen.  Anna loves having her dad take her to practice.

4:18 PM - Picked up the boys from piano lessons and Payton is barely in the care before he dives back into his book.  Michael Vey is a favorite of both boys.

8:55 PM - Taking it down to the wire . . . Conner & Payton wanted my help to submit a video for the school talent show.  All entries were due by 9pm.

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This week I am documenting our everyday lives along with Ali Edwards and her project Week in the Life.

MONDAY // week in the life 2014

This week I am documenting our everyday lives along with Ali Edwards and her project Week in the Life.  This is such a great project.  I did it for the first time in 2005 and oh my, our everyday lives are so much different 9 years later!  I love this opportunity to focus on our everyday -- our routines, the things we wear, see, do, participate in, the food we eat, what our house looks like, the places we go -- it all makes up one wonderful story.  I know that years from now I will look back on this chapter - as with every other chapter of our lives - and smile at the memories and the forgotten stories.

I am trying to take photos primarily with my dSLR but the iPhone is helping a lot too.  I am also using Ali Edwards' documenting sheets to take notes throughout the day.  Later I will compile it into some sort of album or book, but that is for later.

I will share a few photo highlights from each day, but I am making myself limit the number so I don't spend too much time away from "living" my week. :)

Here are a few photos from MONDAY

6:51 AM - time to do something with that hair. 

9:22 AM - clean the kitchen.  Dishes in the dishwasher, clean the sink, wipe all counters with cleaner, and find homes for all the random papers & stuff in the kitchen.

12:49 PM - Lunch.  Leftover honey lime chicken, tortilla chips, homemade salsa from my visiting teacher, and fresh apple cider from my other visiting teacher.  Also, I need to start thinking about sharing time this coming Sunday.

2:56 PM - He came home with this sugar skull project from Art Club.  

4:43 PM - All geared up - hairnets and aprons - ready to help with the dinner hour at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, along with a group of youth & adults from our church.

8:34 PM - Kids are in bed.  We made some brownie sundaes and carried them upstairs to enjoy while watching The Voice before bed.

everyday browns // vol. 6

Highs :  Conner made the District Honors Choir!  The Primary program was a success!  It's cool enough in the morning to open our windows and doors!

Lows :  While doing touch-up I spilled a can of paint in Anna's room.  Purple Penguin closed up for the season.  

Stuff of life:  Ward potluck/picnic. Women's Meeting.  Volunteering at the Student of the Month luncheon.  Classroom volunteering.  Anna made frozen meals at Activity Days.  The boys are learning computer programming at Scouts.  I was asked to be the room mom for Anna's 3rd grade class.  Girls Night Out / Witches Soiree.  Cleaning the church.  Primary presidency meeting.  And preparing for Anna's birthday party.

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A few quotes that stood out to me this week

Dan Clark - We become the average of the 5 people we associate with the most.

Payton Brown - If I could have anything in the world it would be a time machine.  And then I would go back to 3rd grade over and over again so I could do the invention convention.

April Perry - I raised my hand in class and asked how I could better apply that to my life right now. "I feel stretched too thin sometimes," I said. "I wonder if I'll have enough time/energy/patience/ability to do what I feel the Lord wants me to do. How can I better trust in the Lord? How can I know that He will help me?"  And then others in the class started raising their hands in response. At least ten of them. They shared beautiful experiences from their own lives--when they were sure they weren't going to have what they needed, but the Lord came through...every single time.  He understands my anxiety over the projects that require so much of my energy, and He recognizes that every day feels like I'm digging into the barrel for that last handful of meal.  But He keeps giving me exactly what I need. He sends mentors and helpers and angels to assist me. He helps me to breathe and to see the vision He has for me. And His Spirit lifts my heart--not so much that I don't have to stretch myself, but enough that I have total confidence that I am not alone.

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I'm looking forward to this weekend because it will be an opportunity to slow down and enjoy being with my family as we listen to the words of inspiring men and women.  It is General Conference weekend which means, Monkey Bread for Sunday breakfast!  Can't wait for all of it!