The Goings On

So what's been going on at the Brown household this month?  Just let me tell ya...  It's been kinda crazy.

To celebrate the 4th of July, we went out by Tempe Town Puddle and watched the fireworks.  It was fun, but I would have enjoyed being closer so that we got some more BOOM!  Plus, it was a hot Arizona evening (go figure) and we were being attacked by the bugs.  Shame on us for skipping out early and missing the dust storm.  P.S. I loved carrying Hyrum in my sleepy wrap.

Hyrum has enjoyed his third month of life.  He is as cute as ever (as seen below).  He and Momma are enjoying all the time they have together now because it will be cut drastically in a month when Mom goes back to school.  He was able to go to the Upper Division Nursing Program meeting with me today and he was a big hit with all the girls.  He enjoys tummy time (sorta), visiting Grannie and Pops, video chats with Grandpa and Dr. Brown, and being his happy little self.
 

 

As for Mr. Brown, he's one busy guy.  He works a ton at Home Depot (next week it'll be 38 hours).  Sometimes he opens (4:30am!) and sometimes he closes (10:30pm!) and sometimes it's right smack in the middle of the day (bleh!).  On top of that, he's doing a lot of seminary prep work.  He's had a few 13 hour work days this week!  We're so glad he is providing for our family by working so hard!  Hyrum and I love when we get to help him with seminary stuff, otherwise we hardly see him at all!  We helped him set up his new office and we're working on the classroom this weekend.

Tony is also the 1st counselor in the Young Men's program in our ward.  He enjoys working with the boys.  Last weekend he was able to go to Ward Youth Conference with them.  They went and did baptisms at the Gila Valley Temple, at dinner at Casa Mañana, did a service project, played some racquetball, and did a little hiking.  He really enjoyed it.

 

As for me, the Momma, I've been enjoying every bit of this I can get...

We all know that time with my boy and SLEEP will be in short supply come August 18th.  I'm excited to start the Upper Division Nursing Program, but it will come with a price... Other than that, I'm enjoying my boys, trying out new recipes, reading good books, scrambling to get ready for school, trying to plan game night for our family reunion in two weeks, and loving every minute of it.

Life is good with the Browns.

One Big Boy

You know that your baby is growing.  It's obvious that they're getting bigger.  The doctor tells you he weighs 13lbs 6oz.  [What?! Two months ago he was 8lbs 1oz!!]  But it isn't until you sit down and compare pictures that you really realize.

 

Hyrum: 2 days old

 

Hyrum: 85 days old

This just blows my mind.

Chicken-Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Check out these bad boys...

Now if that's not the prettiest dinner I've ever made, I don't know what is.  And they tasted BETTER than they looked.  They were delicious.  Just watch Husband and I as we enjoy them...

What's better than homemade pizza dough surrounding melting, oozy delicious cheese, chicken, and bacon?!  Oh wait...when you put Parmesan and and ranch dressing mix on top and then dip them in RANCH!

I found this recipe on Our Best Bites.  Favorite food blog EVER.

Staycation

How better to get away from the normal routine and the ridiculously hot weather than a staycation?!

A couple of weekends ago, Hyrum, Tony and I took off with my family to stay in Scottsdale for a few days.  A 30 minute drive to a three-bedroom resort is my kind of vacation.  Here's why...

First... We could set the air conditioning at 73, be perfectly comfortable, sleep with a blanket on at night, cuddle for our middle of the day nap, and NOT run up our electric bill.  That is the definition of luxury.

Second... We could play games, watch movies, laugh, and enjoy one another's company.  We didn't need roller-coasters or the beach or anything.

Third... Our full-sized kitchen and outdoor grills meant we didn't have to spend extravagant amounts of money to feed the 11 of us.  We just brought the groceries we would need and enjoyed breakfast burritos, muffins, homemade pizza, tacos, and hamburgers, among other snacks and treats.

Fourth... The 110+ degree weather was tempered by the beautiful pools and splash pad.  Hyrum took his first swim and loved it.  Tony and I enjoyed date night at the "dive-in" movie (with a baby-sitter named Auntie Keila back at the room).  

We really enjoyed the time we got to spend with the Shinkle Family!  We are so lucky to have them so close!

Gilbert Temple Construction

Tony has been dying for an opportunity to drive by the Gilbert Temple in order to see how much progress they have made.  A couple of weekends ago we decided to go out to my parents for the day so that we could swim and play games.  It just seemed natural that we would drive by the temple and grab some Papa Murphy's pizza!  (We love being able to feed 10 people DELICIOUS food for $22!)

Our pictures aren't all that exciting since they were taken out of the car window as we drove by, but it's exciting to see the beginnings of a beautiful temple!

If you'd like to know more about temples and why they're important to us, don't be afraid to ask!  Tony and I love temples.

Diamondbacks

One of my dad's co-workers gave him five free tickets to the Diamondbacks game.  Bryton, Keila, Brooke, and I went with him.  We enjoyed our dollar menu dinner from McDonald's before the game, watched a little batting practice, and then enjoyed watching the D-backs beat the Indians.  It was fun to win with a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning, especially since that meant we didn't have to stay for extra innings.

 [Keila especially enjoyed the Yankees fan right next to her during batting practice.  

I guess he talked to himself about how awesome the Yankees are the whole time.]

[Brooke really enjoyed getting to spend time with the big kids.  She was my buddy all night.]

The only thing that would have made the night better would have been for Tony to be there too.  Unfortunately, he had to finish out his last (Hallelujah!) night shift.  Auntie Sydney and Grannie were so good to watch my little boy so that I could enjoy the evening.