Eternally Brown

Boys and Balls

2012-01-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

I think Hyrum picked a favorite toy from Christmas. He loves this little O-Ball! He loves to throw it, chase after it, place catch...Whitney captured this fun little moment.

Grandma Brown, loved his little wind-up!

Baseball player in the making!

Wow! What a bounce!

I love being this little guy's Momma! He is so much fun! He loves to play and he loves to grin. Pops says he has a crooked grin (just like his Daddy)!

My Sister-in-Law

2012-01-23T07:26:00.000-08:00

5 Reasons Why I Love my Sister-in-Law

1. She did my hair on my wedding day! It was perfect! it was exactly what I wanted and she did it just because she was glad her brother was FINALLY getting married.

2. She taught me how to shop (At least she's given me a few courses in it. By no means have I become as good as she.)

3. She gave me my first niece ever and she is the cutest little bug you will ever see.

4. She loves me, despite our differences.

5. She takes the bestest pictures with her fancy-pants camera. We never miss a moment when we're together because we trade all the millions of pictures we take. Here are some shots she captured. [Note: A lot of the pictures from recent posts have been from her as well!]

Thanks, Whitney! We love you!

Cousins, Grandparents, and Just Plain Cute

2012-01-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

[Maybe one of these days I'll get caught up on blogging...]

I think the best part about Christmas in Texas was having the whole family together. It had been a while since the babies had been together and while we are grateful for video chats, they just don't cut it! The last time Jacie and Hyrum were together, it was a big deal that Jacie was rolling over. That's a long time!

Grandma and Grandpa Brown LOVED spending time with the babes!

Jacie was always going a million miles an hour and sometimes Hyrum was just in her way! It was so funny to watch! Hyrum's face is about how he felt about it every time. We're lucky he didn't get too upset about it.

Dad? What is she doing?

Grandma and Grandpa Brown are the best. They always spoil us when we come, or when they come to see us. They call to chat multiple times a week. They're always so interested in what we're up to. They sure wish we could all live together! That sure would be fun.

We're so glad we were able to spend Christmas together with the Browns and Goodwins!

Christmas Morning

2012-01-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning...I'm dying to go see what Santa brought us...and Hyrum is fast asleep! I was so anxious. It was his first Christmas! What was he thinking?! Wake up!

Well, he finally woke up and we went out to see what Santa had brought. Hyrum got a train made out of blocks. Dad got a double, flippin' waffle maker. [You should come over and eat waffles with us. I'm dying to try out some chocolate chip waffles and some waffles with strawberries.] Santa brought me a new knife set. It is so wonderful for cutting and chopping and other kitchen-y cook-y things.

In the Brown Family, you add a new design to your stocking each year--something that represents that year for you. In 2009, Tony put the Nauvoo temple, I put a Nauvoo star. Last year, he put wedding rings, I put a wedding cake. This year, Tony put scriptures (for seminary) and I put a baby carriage. Hyrum started his stocking this year with a "First Christmas" ornament on it. It's such a fun tradition.

We thought Hyrum would love the unwrapping part of Christmas. He'd been climbing all over boxes, shredding newspaper, and making messes for weeks! Why wouldn't he like unwrapping presents.

But he mostly just gave us the "Really? Do I have to? This is so overrated." look.

He much preferred playing with his new toys. He was spoiled rotten!

Christmas Eve in Houston

2012-01-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

Whenever we can, Husband and I love to go to Houston. We've been especially anxious to go ever since Hyrum was born because we wanted him to meet his Great-Grandpa Burgess. Grandpa is 89 years old! When we got to the nursing home, Tony went in to Grandpa's room. When Grandpa saw him he whooped and hollered "Tony Brown!!" and whooped and hollered! It was a happy reunion. Tony is his favorite and everyone knows it!

When I took Hyrum in to meet Grandpa he told me I was "beautiful to the bone" just like Hyrum. Oh, how I love Walter Burgess! I'm so glad that I'm sealed to him--that he's my grandpa too!

Tony's Aunt Annette and Uncle Mickey live in Houston with their kids. It's always fun to get together with them as well. I love the family that I married into!

Hyrum sportin' Patrick's Albania hat.

OH! Aunt Annette didn't put a cage around the tree!

Grandpa and his girls, Trenda and Annette.

Ina (Patrick's fiancee from Albania), Patrick, Emily, & Annette

Me and my new hairdo.

Hi, Grandpa!

The whole gang! (Minus a few)

Christmas 2011: Part 1

2012-01-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged about Christmas yet. To tell you the truth, I've been intimidated by the 300+ pictures Whitney and I took. What can we say? It was our babies' first Christmas? It was the first time we were all together again since August! It was a blast!

Grandma and Grandpa Brown couldn't get enough of the two babies. They played and laughed and had a great time together. Maybe one of these days we'll all live within reasonable driving distance so that we can play more often.

Jacie Lynn is cute as a bug. She's speedy, too. She'd beat Hyrum in a race any day...for now at least. The two babies were so interested in each other. It was fun to watch them interact. Hyrum would just watch Jacie with this "What are you doing?" look on his face.

In true Hyrum form, he loved to get into boxes and dishwashers and whatever else he could find. Grandma Brown bought a fence to put up around the tree and presents. It was a perfect solution because the babies loved climbing all over the fence...who cares if we can't get to the tree...

We bought a real live Christmas tree at Lowe's for $5! I thought it was the most awesome Christmas tree because it mooned you! It's backside was bare! We just put that backside right up against the wall and no one ever knew. I sure did love that tree.

More to come about Houston, Grandpa, Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus!

Pop's Birthday

2012-01-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

I love this picture. I love these two guys. Aren't they great?

Pops is the best Pops there is. He loves his little Hyrum man. He is so fun to be around. He helps me write my care plans for nursing school. He's always been my number one fan and the best coach you can find anywhere. He might look intimidating at 5 foot 20, but he's just the nicest guy around.

We love Pops!

Sixteen and Dating

2012-01-11T16:53:00.000-08:00

So, my brother is an adult and now my sister is 16 and dating... what is this world coming to? Keila is becoming a beautiful young woman. She's spunky, loud, and an all around great friend.

She got a lizard too! Like Clementine! Except this one isn't alive.

We went to the Chinese buffet to celebrate Keila's birthday. It was super yummy. I ate as much egg drop soup and wontons I could. Plus, Keila made me eat octopus. It was like eating rubber. I don't think I'd recommend it.

Hyrum had an orange wedge. He thought it was quite sour. We thought it was quite entertaining.

I tried out my cupcake decorating skills. Not too shabby...

Parabéns pra você
Nesta data querida
Muitas felicidades
Muitos anos de vida!

Little Boy's Little Adventures

2012-01-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

A Christmas card arrived in the mail the other day from my high school math teacher. Along with their winter letter, there was a note that said, "Let me know when Baby Brown arrives!"

I felt bad.

Since when did life get away from me?

Hyrum is 8 1/2 months old! Sometimes we look at him and say, "Holy cow! He...

...is HUGE! How did he get so big?!"
...is so stinkin' cute!"
...is so TALL! Since when could he pull things down from the desk?"

It's amazing how much he's grown. He is still the happy Little Boy he has been since Day 1! We love his little self. How wonderful it is!

These are for you, Mrs. Bunger!

Auntie Brooke loves any chance she gets to have Hyrum to herself!

Hyrum loves watching the washing machine spin.

He's made it to the age where he cries when he doesn't get his way and Momma thinks it's so dang cute!

All ready to go on an evening walk with Momma!

Hyrum loves to play with anything besides his toys.

This time he found the breast pump supplies!

Onesie Dress and Flower

2012-01-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

I have this desire, every Christmas, to handmake gifts. This year I made a couple of infinity scarves, one for Whitney and one for Shaylan. They turned out really nice. We Arizona girls don't even know how to put scarves on, but I thought they would be a perfect fit for a couple of the Utah and Illinois girls in my life. Thank you YouTube for teaching me the new stitch!

My only other handmade gift this year was for Jacie Lynn, my one and only niece. Thanks to Pinterest, I found the perfect thing. A onesie dress! It was fairly simple to make and I think it turned quite nice. Someday I'd like to make one for my own little girlie. I also created a little flower clip to go in her hair. It wasn't too shabby considering the fact that I kind of made it up as I went.

I can't wait for that little Jacie to grow into the dress so that her momma can take pictures of her! (I think Tony might have kicked me in the trousers if I tried it on Hyrum!)

Little Bro is an Adult

2012-01-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Remember this handsome guy?

He's an Eagle Scout.

Plus, he turned 18. (Yes, a month ago. Don't judge.) 18! I can't believe it!

My little brother is an adult!

We had a party.

Big surprise...we found Hyrum in the computer cords while we were opening presents. That kid loves cords of any kind.

Say hello to Clementine. She's a gecko. She eat crickets. Her tail is weird.

Bryton wanted 18 chocolate pies for his birthday. My mother indulged him.

Parabéns pra você
Nesta data querida
Muitas felicidades
Muitos anos de vida!

(the traditional Happy Birthday song in the Shinkle home)

Not Enough Time

2012-01-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

Don't feel pity for me, but you know it's bad when you have your first break down on the first day of school. How am I supposed to do it? How do I find enough time? There isn't enough time to find!

How am I supposed to go to school 34 hours a week, do homework, be a Wifey, AND be a Momma? That doesn't even leave time for blogging, learning Portuguese, exercising, reading good books [textbooks were officially disqualified from the "good books" list in 2012 B.C.], etc.

I've come to the conclusion that it is impossible. Funny thing is, impossible things can be done. You just need a few things...

#1: Husband:

I'm not just talking about any husband. I am talking about Husband. He is the most wonderful guy. He supports me in my goals to become a nurse. He helps me with homework. He does things around the house that I don't have time for. He is the best stay-at-home-dad, work-at-Home-Depot, manage Big-Boy-Movers, love-on-his-Wifey guy I know!

#2: Little Boy

Where can you find a cuter, happier, more lovable guy that the one I have? He has his moments when he's a grump, when he wants to sleep in bed with Momma (don't judge), but I love him to pieces.

#3: Best Friend

Everyone needs a best friend, especially a best friend who knows what it's like to stress about nursing school and balancing and finding time. I love my bestest friend. She makes me laugh. She helps me with homework and projects and clinical. She lets me whine and complain.

So, here's to Junior 2! My goal is to catch up on blogging before things really get going...we'll see how that goes.

Remember When We Fell In Love?

2012-01-02T19:12:00.000-08:00

Happy 2nd Anniversary to the man I love most!

First Big Boy Movers Move

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Three generations of Big Boys!

Remember when Mr. Brown came to visit for a week and drove all around town advertising for Big Boy Movers? Well, wouldn't you know that all of those flyers did some good...

Tony and Bryton will be doing the first Big Boy Mover move here in Arizona shortly after Christmas. To say that we're excited would be an understatement...

Bryton's Eagle Project

2011-12-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

Have I ever told you how awesome my brother is? He is awesome. He turned 18 on December 8th (more on that soon to come) and [in true Bryton style] he did his Eagle Project the Saturday before, December 3rd. He painted two HUGE canvases with a desert scene, which he and some friends designed, for a local elementary school. They'll be using it for a music program in celebration of the Arizona centennial. It was a lot of work, but he did it! Congratulations, Bryton!

It was a giant paint-by-number designed by Bryton and the gang!

Just look at that handsome face.

"Why are they bringing it in the house?" you say? Because that's what you do when it can't be postponed because your 18th birthday is 5 days away and it starts to RAIN!

This is about how I felt, but Hyrum was the only one allowed to tucker out and take a break.

Because we had to move inside, the process slowed down because we only had space to work on one canvas at a time. We finally got the first one moved to somewhere it could dry and we had to start all over again on the second canvas...

Didn't they turn out great?! Great job, Bryton! Thanks to everyone who came and helped. We couldn't have done it without you!

D-1 and ONLY

2011-12-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'm done with Junior 1! I survived! I made it! I got my first B and I was okay with that! I learned how to give shots, how to do cardiac, lung, neuro...the list goes on...assessments. I learned how to talk to patients. I learned a lot. I'm so glad I chose nursing, too. I really enjoy it.

I was in D-1 this semester and couldn't have asked for a better group. We had so much fun together. I'm going to miss those girls, especially my best friend, Lindsay. Ruth, too! "Put your big girl panties on and deal with it!" I wish we could all go through nursing school together. Why do they feel like they have to split us all up?

Well, Junior 1 is over and Junior 2 is fast on it's way! I go back January 5th, so I'm taking advantage of every moment I have off. I'm getting really nervous for next semester because it's supposed to be much more time consuming. Time is the last thing I have. Does anyone want to give me some time for Christmas? If I thought going to school with a 4 month old was bad, I think I'm only asking for it. Nap time was homework time...now Little Boy is taking fewer naps and getting into more trouble. What will I do?? Hang on tight I guess...and say a few prayers.

Little Baby Christmas Tree

2011-12-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

See that cute little baby Christams tree that belongs to us, the Browns? I don't know about you, but I'm in love. I think it is so cute. It's special too, with all the ornaments Husband and I have collected over the years, plus, those little blue balls were a part of the centerpieces at our wedding reception. It doesn't get more sentimental than that...

My favorite part about the tree is how we've blocked it off in a little corner so that Little Boy can't wreak havoc. He's just too curious for his own good.

When we set it up he was trying to figure out what the heck that pokey green thing was...

We decided to entertain him with the blue ornaments...no they're not glass or anything. He wasn't going to crunch them an hurt himself.

Capturing this was priceless...

And this is when we decided that maybe little blue ornaments and Little Boy don't mix...

We're so excited for Hyrum's first Christmas. He is going to love every minute of the wrapping paper and boxes. We'll get to spend it with the Browns this year, complete with a trip to see Grandpa Burgess. It's about time he met this cute little booger we call Hyrum.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-16T22:33:00.001-08:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Husband? It's a lot. I love how much we laugh together.

Yesterday he came home from seminary and said, "I have a prize for you!" He had four chocolate chip cookies that one of his seminary students had given him. Boy howdy! They were delicious, too! I ate the first one and then the second one and then the third one. I was in heaven

Let me just explain to you what my brain was thinking:

I am so glad Husband does not like chocolate or chocolate chip cookies. I am so grateful for that sweet seminary student who did not know this. These cookies are so stinkin' good. I think I will eat another one.

And so I grabbed the fourth cookie. I took a big bite and then said to Husband, "You didn't want any, right?" Why would he? He doesn't like chocolate chip cookies. Still, I thought I would be considerate and ask...

Yes.

Yes?

Yes what?

Yes you want a cookie?

Wait! I wasn't ready to be done! And so I took another bite of the cookie and handed him the half that remained. [This is where he called me a brat.] He took that half of a chocolate cookie which he wasn't supposed to want and went to the kitchen and poured a glass of milk, which I took a drink of. [This is where he called me a brat...again.] And we both laughed.

Crazy Pregnant Lady

2011-12-11T16:14:00.001-08:00

I had a silly memory today as Hyrum and I were walking laps around the apartment complex. I used to do that a lifetime ago when he was just a little Brownie in the oven. Tony and I walked and walked and walked and walked so that I wouldn't get fat, at least fatter than a pregnant lady should, and so that Baby Brown would come as quickly as possible.

Anyways, there was one day so very long ago when I was huge and Tony was at work and I wanted to be done being pregnant and so I started walking laps. A little more than halfway around, there was a guy parked in his truck. It was running. No big deal. On the second lap, I realized he was still there and I felt like an absolute idiot. He was probably thinking, "What is that crazy woman doing walking in circles?" I tried not to look at him as I speed-walked my way past.

Third lap...

He is still sitting there in his truck, with the engine running, and I am the loony bird pregnant lady walking in circles. Who does that?

It took me all day--all day of thinking this guy thought I was crazy and was going to tell everyone he knew that I was a crazy pregnant lady who walked in circles--to realize that HE was the crazy one! Who sits in their truck with the engine running? for 3 miles worth of the crazy pregnant lady's walking? And I thought I was crazy...

Fun memory. Happy Sunday!

Christmas Mail

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last night Husband, Little Boy, and I went on a little walk to check the mail together. I got so excited when I saw the little envelope that wasn't a bill, an offer to save on cable, or grocery ads. I was so excited to see that cute little Christmas ornament stamp! Hooray! A Christmas card! I love Christmas cards.

As we walked back to the apartment I ripped open the envelope because I was so anxious to see who it was from. I wanted to know who's smiling faces were plastered on the cute little card, wishing me a Merry Christmas! Much to my surprise, I didn't find any smiling faces. What I found was much more special...

Merry Christmas!

We are a family in your ward who wishes to remain anonymous. We feel spiritual promptings to give to your family this year. Please use this money however you see fit. We hope your Christmas is a memorable one. May the Lord bless your family!

We love you,
A ward friend

The Spirit touched my heart as I read this note and held the $60 in my hand. We needed that money. We've done the best we know how and still have so little. I know that the Spirit can prompt us to know who we should serve. We don't have money to give this year, but because of this note, we want to pray for inspiration of whom to serve. It may be something simple such as just going by to say hello or delivering a plate of cookies, but I want to do something. And then, sometime in the future, when things aren't so tight, I want to be the one who gives the $60 in the mail.

Thank you. To the ward friend who cares for us, thank you. Thank you for the money. More importantly, thank you for your example.

Big Boy Movers

2011-12-07T12:53:00.001-08:00

Have we told you about Big Boy Movers?

Two years ago, Whitney and Kemp started a moving company up in Utah. People call and schedule moves and then they send Big Boys out to help them load/unload their moving trucks. It turned out to be an ingenious idea. In the first year, they completed approximately 200 moves! In their second year of business, they more than doubled that! 635 moves completed as of November 28th! They started out just in Lehi, UT and surrounding areas, but now they have locations open all over Utah, including St. George, and in Boise, ID as well! And guess what else? Tony and I are lucky enough to work with them in opening the Arizona location.

This week, Mr. Brown, Tony's dad, is staying with us. His job is to drive all over town dropping off flyers and business cards at U-hauls, Self-Storage facilities, and the like. He's also helping Tony with finding quality guys to hire as our Big Boys. We could be in full swing before too long.

If you're interested in learning more about Big Boy Movers, you want to be a Big Boy, or you want to schedule a move, let me know.

Check out our website: arizona.thebigboymovers.com
Email me: jerilin@thebigboymovers.com
Call: 877-70MOVER

Mothers & Babies

2011-11-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

Birth is not only about making babies.
Birth is about making mothers--
strong, competent, capable mothers who
trust themselves and know their inner strength.
- Barbara Katz Rothman

Sometimes I look at where I am in life and I'm blown away that I'm a wife and a mother. I'm amazed that I spend each day with my very best friend, that he loves me enough to put up with me. I'm flabbergasted that there is a little boy crawling around with blue eyes just like me. Bewildered? Astounded? Dumbfounded? Yes. Happy. Content. Delighted. Exultant. Is there a better place to be? I can assure you there is not.

Little Boy has had me thinking the last few days. It is so much fun to watch him figure things out. Not only can he crawl, he'll come find you if you're in the other room. He's figured out how to pull himself onto his knees and his feet. Who taught him that? I was trying to keep him from doing that...now that he's figured that out, he's gonna figure out walking and then he's going to be six feet tall and it won't be cool to attack Mom with slobbery kisses. I'm going to miss that.

All of this speedy growing and changing has put me in a reflective mood. A year ago I was just getting past that yuck stage of pregnancy. The heartburn wasn't going to go away and the uncomfort was just going to get worse as time went on, but it was a happy time. I couldn't wait to be a mother and for reasons other than not being pregnant anymore. Isn't it wonderful that we forget how hard those months were? If we remembered, how many of us would do it again? I look back on April 19th and remember waking up with contractions, but I remember the excitement, not the pain. I remember that childbirth was hard, but I did it! If I did it once, what's keeping me from doing it again (at least eventually...no Baby Brown on the way--we have to wait for school to be done).

[I know that not every pregnancy is peachy keen. Some struggle with getting pregnant. Some haven't been blessed with that opportunity and might never be. Just remember to have faith in God, His plan, and His timing. Find joy in the life that is yours and know that you are a daughter of God who loves each of His daughters equally.]

Babies are special because they make women into mothers. Being a mother gives you the opportunity to work with a husband and with God in raising a child. Never forget that you cannot do it on your own and with God nothing shall be impossible. (See Luke 1:37)

Gila Valley Temple

2011-11-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

We went to the Gila Valley Temple last Friday morning. We went to the open house and Tony took the youth in our ward for a baptism trip, but this was the first time we were able to go and do ordinances there together. Afterwards we went around telling everyone that this was the twelfth temple we had been to together. A dozen temples! Seriously? We're losing count already? Good thing we have a blog that has kept track for us. We've really been to a baker's dozen. This was temple number 13.

We have been to the following temples (not in order):

Nauvoo

Mesa

Lubbock

San Antonio

Dallas

Houston

Salt Lake City

Provo

Oquirrh Mountain

St. Goeorge

Albuquerque

Las Vegas

Gila Valley

The Christmas nativity

This temple trip was special. We were able to seal my great-great grandparents Royal Elmer Tranmer and Ruth Anna Hauntz. We also sealed my great-grandmother Isabel Clarice Tranmer to them. She was also able to be sealed to her first husband Frank Albert Shinkle and her second husband Henry Scott Ziegler. Grandpa Ziegler was also sealed to his first wife and their daughter. I knew my Grandma Ziegler, Isabel, so these sealings were particularly special. The sealer told us that we could kiss over the alter since we were being sealed for my grandparents. It is so important to seal our families to us for eternity. It is also important to be reminded of the promises we made when we were sealed almost two years ago! I love my husband!

This is Happiness

2011-11-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures from our Thanksgiving trip this year. We are so grateful to be members of such close and loving families. It's hard to take turns, Browns...Shinkles....Browns....Shinkles, but we enjoy every moment we get to share with each of them. This year Thanksgiving was with my family and we will spend Christmas with Tony's.

A few of the boys I love the very most.

Add Hayden...too bad we're missing Pops.

Really, Jeri Lin? A picture?

He's a little scruffy, but my favorite Bryton.

Hyrum loves to treat you like a jungle gym, and Grannie loves her boy.

Hyrum wore himself out with all of his playing.

Uncle Luke can do cool tricks...

...and he's really fun to wrestle with.

I think Tony realized that P90X goes out the window when you've got a bunch of bedlamites to wrestle with. He just watched in amazement. He's waiting for the day when he gets to be Hyrum's bear trap...

Too Much of a Good Thing

2011-11-25T19:29:00.001-08:00

You've heard the phrase too much of a good thing? In other words, excess can cause you harm? Is there such thing as too much of a good thing when that good thing is FAMILY?

We had a blast in Thatcher celebrating Thanksgiving. We had somewhere near 40 people coming in and out of Grams and Papa's house this week. My grandparents spoiled us rotten with delicious food. The best part, however, was just being together as a family [although we were really sad to be missing Dad this year]. I took so many pictures! Over 100! Most are of Hyrum, of course...he hit some major milestones. He's crawling like a fiend and has started to pull himself up! I am amazed with how much he improves everyday and how he figures things out.

"A grill?!" you say. Why, yes. Yes, that is a grill and that is our Thanksgiving dinner in the making. Hyrum, with his green beans and turkey [Gerber style] probably had the most traditional Thanksgiving dinner...

Papa and all of his wonderful helpers put together Mexican Bar-b-que for Thanksgiving every year. Thinly sliced, delicious steak on homemade tortillas with homemade salsa and homemade guacamole. Then you add green chiles, cheese, queso, or whatever else your heart pleases and then you eat! And if you try really hard to control yourself, you can have some jello salad and pie [chocolate if you're me, pumpkin if you're Tony].

And of course, "Look, Mom. I pulled myself up!" What a big guy!! He really is compared to Gunner and Gavin, the two newest members of the family!

I'm so proud of my aunt Teonna and uncle Luke for making such beautiful little boys! They have five kids under the age of five now, but they're cute as can be and such a wonderful example to us!

More to come in the next few days, because remember? There's no such thing as too much of a good thing when that good thing is FAMILY!

Homework Makes You Ugly

2011-11-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

When Tony was growing up he had a puzzle with a frog on it that said, "Homework makes you ugly!" This week I've come to the conclusion that that puzzle was right. Any homework that keeps a princess from getting her beauty sleep can turn her into the ugliest frog...

This last week was absolutely crazy. You noticed? Yeah, I didn't even have time to blog about my woes. I had classes galore. On top of that we had Long Term Care from 1-8 on Tuesday and 1-6 on Thursday. And if that's not enough, the Long Term Care Project was due and we had an ATI test. I ended up pulling an all-nighter on Wednesday so that I could complete my LTC project. I only got about a total of 2 hours of sleep between 530am on Wednesday morning and 9pm on Thursday night. I never do that. I do my darn tootin' hardest not to procrastinate, but I've come to grips with the fact that when you're a mom, things never go according to plan. I was trying to work on the project a little bit each day for the last few weeks, but something always kept me from getting it done. Luckily, it did get done and I think I did an acceptable job as well.

This semester has been a tough one, but it has been a blast. I loved Long Term Care. I was a little surprised how much I enjoyed the elderly. They reminded me of Grandpa Burgess and I love Grandpa! I am grateful for the experiences I had there. To the CNA who let me help her with giving a shower: Thank you for letting me help. Thank you for teaching me as we worked. Thank you for your smile. I was able to give insulin twice. It was exhilarating. I had so much fun! My favorite part, though, was feeding the Alzheimer's patients. On our first day, I felt an overwhelming feeling of happiness as I did for someone, something they could not do for themselves. I realized that I really do want to be a nurse!

Time Out for Women

2011-11-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

During the first weekend in November, I went on a spur of the moment weekend getaway with my mom, aunts, Grams, and cousin. Hyrum, of course, came along too. I hadn't planned on going, but a friend of my mom's had a baby get sick and she didn't want a ticket to go unused. Tony was going to be working most of the weekend, so I went. I'm so glad that I did. I love every bit of quality time I get with my mom, the most amazing woman in the world. Plus, it was fun to be with the other women in my family. They are such great examples to me! Grams, Jonna, Sherra, Casey, Teonna, Rocki, and Brittney! What spectacular women!

Time Out for Women is held on Friday night and then all day Saturday. It was held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Speakers such as Mary Ellen Edmunds, Brad Wilcox, Linda J. Eyre, and Shawni Eyre Pothier shared inspiring messages about what it means to be a wife, a mother, and most importantly, a disciple of Christ. I loved hearing Hilary Weeks perform. She has an incredible voice and such uplifting music. Aside from Time Out itself, it was fun to chat with the girls, spend the night at the resort, go out for dinner together, and catch up on all that is going on in our busy lives. We were sad that Teonna had to leave early. She was a trooper for being there and being 36 weeks pregnant with twins! Hooray for two happy baby boys, Gunner Wade and Gavin Edward, that joined our family this week!

I'm so grateful for my mother. She is one of my biggest helpers. She is always willing to watch Little Boy. She goes out of her way to do anything she can to make us happy. Most importantly, she has taught me what it means to be selfless and charitable. She is one of the most Christ-like people I know. I hope that I can learn from her example and become the kind of woman she is. I love you, Mom!

Seminary

2011-11-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

Tony's been teaching seminary for 4 months now! He's grown a lot and is continually improving. It's really stressful for him sometimes. He always wants to have a lesson that will be applicable to a group of teenagers, but it also has to be fun. On top of that, he never knows when Brother Moon will be stopping by to watch a class and critique him. Brother Moon's feedback is phenomenal! He always has great ideas for how to improve. We always enjoy his monthly inservices. They've asked him to be the guy to teach the teachers how to be teachers because he is a spectacular teacher himself!

Every now and again, Hyrum and I go to the seminary with Tony so that we can help him plan a lesson or just so that we can be with him for a little while.

As for whether or not Tony will be doing this for the rest of his life...

Brother Vellinga from Salt Lake came to visit last week. He's the guy who watches ALL of the student teachers from all over the country and then ranks them. He and Brother Moon watched Tony teach and gave him excellent feedback. We were able to go to an inservice with him and he also came to our house for a home visit/interview. He asked us about us, why would Tony be a good seminary teacher, where would we want to live if we could choose... We really enjoyed visiting with him and hope we left an impression. He will come back sometime next semester to watch Tony again.

The next step will be an interview with one of the Quorum of the Seventy, if they think we're good enough. And if we make it that far, we'll have to get approval from someone on the Church Board of Education. And then if they think we're good enough and if they have openings and if we're a good fit for that particular opening and if...if...if...if... THEN they could hire us full time and we would be ecstatic! It's a very competitive position. Tony is doing his best and we know that if the Lord has seminary in our plan that it will happen and if He doesn't and we don't get hired, we'll be all the better for it. It has been wonderful to watch Tony progress. He is going to be a better husband, father, young men's leader, etc etc etc because of seminary this year.

Uncle Bryton

2011-11-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hyrum is so lucky to have an Uncle Bryton. He's a silly guy, but he's a lot of fun. He loves music and art. He's currently working on his Eagle Project. He's going to be painting two 15x20 foot canvases for a local elementary school. The canvases are going to be for the Arizona centennial. He had to design the canvases and will probably be getting a group together this week to paint them. Hooray for being an Eagle Scout!

Bryton is also a great example of being missionary minded. He is always willing to share what he believes with others. He loves to share his Mormon Boy Swag on his blog. We're so excited for him to leave on a full time mission in just about 1 year! We will miss him, but we know he will do a great job. Someday, Hyrum will follow in his footsteps.

The Latest on Hyrum's Mobility...

2011-11-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

It would appear Hyrum is more interested in the camera now than the stackers.

My Boys

2011-11-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

No woman, girl, or lady is as lucky as me. I have a most wonderful Husband. I have the most sweet Little Boy. It is such a blessing to be Wifey and Momma to these two handsome boys.

10 Reasons I Love Husband

1. He works so hard to support our family.
2. He teaches me something new everyday.
3. He forgives me when I'm a ~~rotten stinker~~ sweetheart.
4. He spoils me.
5. He introduced me to the delicious food of Texas: Braum's, Freebirds, Cheddar's...the list goes on.
6. He's the best dad a BOY could ask for.
7. He cuddles with me in bed.
8. He holds my hand.
9. He thinks he's lucky he got me.
10. He made me a Wifey.

10 Reasons I Love Little Boy

1. He has blue eyes like Momma.
2. His sweet giggles when we tickle him or make faces or give him kisses.
3. He's so stinkin' cute in his stinkin' cute clothes.
4. His cute little hands. His cute little toes. His cute little bottom.
5. His fresh clean smell after bath time.
6. He's so peaceful when he sleeps.
7. He makes me slow down to enjoy the little moments.
8. His silly faces.
9. He smiles at me when I come home from school.
10. He made me a Mother.

The Manster

2011-11-12T07:01:00.001-08:00

manster (n) a little boy monster

2 days old

85 days old

181 days old

They grow so fast! It's hard to believe that it's the same baby! It's been a pleasure to watch him change, to see him learn how to use his little body. The best part, though, is seeing how much he's stayed the same. He is still the quiet, happy little boy we met that first day in the hospital. He has a gentle spirit. Tony and I feel so blessed to be the parents of Hyrum Joseph Brown.

P.S. The swing has been retired to the storage closet. Hyrum learned how to turn himself upside down and all around in it--even when he was buckled in! So...until the next babe...

October

2011-11-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

October has flown by, but that doesn't mean we weren't up to a million things. I feel like I photographed a life's worth of pictures in the last 31 days. Here are some that didn't make their way to the blog.

True dad, carrots and all...

Our Messmaker

Judge me for grabbing the camera.

POPS!!

Glad we caught the month in pictures!!

Hideout

2011-10-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

Little Boy and I are hiding; hiding from ghosts, goblins, and princesses alike. Judge me if you will, but we are not going trick-or-treating. He's six months old...he won't remember. Besides, I have a Pharm test to study for (See the trend? I'm blogging.), the stroller has a flat tire, Tony is working, and I don't have the stamina to carry a twenty pound giraffe all around town. And on top of all of that, it's a disappointment when all the chocolate runs out on November 2 and you're stuck with hard bubblegum and licorice.

We did take the Aunties and Uncle to the Trunk or Treat, so Little Boy's first Halloween experience wasn't totally skipped. He made a pretty cute Little Giraffe if I do say so myself...

Here, There, Everywhere

2011-10-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

Since when did our calendar explode?! This week, or last? Or maybe it's always been a disaster and I've just been in denial...How did we get through 12 weeks of school easy peasy fresh and squeezy?

Don't let me talk us into sleeping in. It won't be a good idea. Told you so. Scramble, not eggs. No time for that. Just enough time to get out the door. Kiss goodbye. Get Hyrum here at this time and I'll get him here at this other time. In between that, write a lesson, take a test, eat too much chocolate, deal with the trouble maker. Ride the lightrail, hope there's no weirdies. Laugh at Brother Janes. Get Hyrum. Go to work. Sorry there wasn't time to eat dinner together. Get the Aunties and Uncle Hayden from the bus stop. Study my brains out. Take care of Little Boy. Sorry I'm asleep when you get home. Hopefully I can stay awake long enough to pray. I just said it? Totally missed that. Don't let me talk us into sleeping in. It won't be a good idea.

How can we survive all the craziness? How can we find joy amidst the busyness? I'm not sure, but I'm glad we do. If I had to guess, I'd say it has something to do with this...

Super Mom/Dad Extraordinaire Convention

2011-10-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today has been absolutely exhausting. I'll spare you most of the details. Just reading about it may exhaust you.

After today, we signed Husband up for the Task Juggling 101 class as well as the How to Get a Good Night's Sleep in 2 Hours class at the Super Dad Extraordinaire Convention. Feed the babe, put him down for a nap, exercise, shower, dress, lunches packed, call the credit card company because they charged us twice for the bill this month (once on our current account and once on the account we closed a year and a half ago), get the babe to the babysitter, get himself to the seminary, have a heart-to-heart with the troublemaker, teach a rockin' class, book it back to the babysitter's, drive to Downtown Phoenix to pick up Momma from school, go home, change clothes, potty break, kiss Wifey and babe, run out the door for a 5 1/2 hour shift at Home Depot. Whew!

In less stressful news, the Texas Rangers lead the World Series 3-2! One more win and Husband will be one happy cookie. Husband has decided that when he serves his Wifey, the Rangers do well. The other day he vacuumed and did laundry etc. etc. and they pulled off a win in the ninth inning. See above and you'll know why they won today. I think wearing his Rangers tie everyday doesn't hurt either.

As for me, I'm signing up for the College and Mothering class and the How to Grocery Shop with Infants, Toddlers, and/or Children class at the Super Mom Extraordinaire Convention. [If you want details about the convention, let me know.]

I had class starting at 7:30 this morning, then another class, then lunch, then open lab, then a mandatory Student Nurses Association meeting. Long day. For real. Luckily, I had my buddy by my side. We had some good laughs and we suffered the nauseating BO at the meeting this afternoon. Unfortunately, that's not the worst smell we'll experience as nursing students...

As for the grocery shopping, most of the time I try to finagle* Tony into going with me (or sometimes, if I'm really lucky, he does it all by himself). This time it didn't work out. It had to be done today and Husband just couldn't handle one more thing on his plate. So, after my long day at school I came home, fed Little Guy and then we headed out the door.

Let the excitement begin.

Hyrum has upgraded to a bigger car seat, one that doesn't come out and serve as a means to tote your child around. He still fits in the littler one, but the big one was already strapped into the car, so I took it. Well...what am I supposed to do when I get to the store? Dilemma. Tote him around in my arms until they fall off OR sit him in the nasty cart and try to keep him from sucking on it? It was a rough trip and took me twice as long as it should have. Of course, I couldn't just go to one store...I had to go to Target as well because we were out of diapers and baby food and we still have gift cards at Target and I had a coupon for Target diapers. Why do we have to be so frugal? Oh yeah...because we're poor. Although, we did pick up $0.13 in spare change between Husband and I today.

Shopping behind me, we made it home. Now, we had to unload the groceries! I hate unloading groceries. I can't wait to learn how to gracefully unload the car while toting a six month old who weighs next to 20 pounds. It took me 3 trips and my arms were dead afterwards. I don't think I'll be able to move them tomorrow.

Enough excitement. Time to study.

*fi·na·gle [fi-ney-guhl] (verb) 1. to get or achieve (something) by guile, trickery, or manipulation

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies and Service

2011-10-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, our neighbor across the way, also known as Jeff, came by. He was in a pickle. His teenage son had just handed him two pairs of shorts that had lost their buttons. "I'm a single dad," said he. "I don't know how to sew on buttons! Can you help me?"

Who knew that sewing two buttons onto a couple pairs of shorts could make you feel like such a good person. Seriously. I wanted to smile and giggle. Service makes me happy, especially when you serve someone when they're really in need. This unexpected opportunity to serve made me want to serve even more...

...and everyone knows that nothing says service like homemade cookies, especially cute ones! I got my recipe for candy corn sugar cookies at Our Best Bites. I love their food, Tony loves when I make their food, and these cookies are cute AND delicious.

So, my Sunday afternoon was spent making these adorable little cookies. I made enough to take to the neighbor upstairs who is pregnant (everyone knows that pregnant ladies love cookies), the guy next door, my visiting teacher who is watching Hyrum for us tomorrow, my siblings, myself, myself, my neighbor Jeff and the one and only button boy, Tyler.

And if buttons and cookies weren't enough opportunities to serve, the Lord granted me one more way. When I went to deliver the cookies, Jeff explained to me that he had surgery on Friday and is now having complications with healing. His surgeon wants him to come in again, but won't do any additional surgery without him taking his blood thinners. Unfortunately, his prescription has run out and he won't have the $20 he needs to refill it until payday this Friday. I was more than happy to lend him the $20 dollars.

It made me think of the Primary song Jesus Said Love Everyone.

Jesus said love everyone,

Treat them kindly too.

When your heart is filled with love,

Others will love you.

Happy Sunday!

Our Story

2011-10-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been waiting in anticipation, you can now check out the "Our Story" page. You can find out how this...

Turned into this...

Eternally Brown.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Completely unrelated:

A shout out to the poop explosions that have not graced me with their presence as of late (knock on wood)... I love veggie poop because it is not veggie soup. Sorry if that's gross. It's true.

I can't wait for Christmas. I'm mostly excited because of the magic that comes when children are there. He'll only be 8 months, you say. It will be magical. Don't you doubt it.

My beast named Husband is working 11 1/2 hours at Home Depot today. You do what you've gotta do to stay out of the poor house. I'm grateful he is working hard. We miss him.

Next week is gonna be a toughie. Monday: Quiz, Open Lab, SNA Meeting Tuesday: Cardiac, Respiratory, Musculoskeletal Assessment and Self-Breast Exam Competency Wednesday: Pharmacology Exam and Nursing Theory Presentation Thursday: First day in long-term care taking care of my very own patient [insert scariness here] Friday: Nursing Concepts Exam WOW. Long week.

Life is good. I wouldn't want it any other way.

***UPDATE***
My brain lied to me...again. I don't have a pharm exam this week...
Thanks, Lindsay.

Boot Scootin' Boogie!

2011-10-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

The boy has made it to six months old, so the day after his birthday, he decided to learn how to scootch around. Here he is chasing his favorite target.

One more time just to show it wasn't a fluke.

If I were making another video just one day later, you would see that in just one day he is tons better. My guess is that he will be crawling within a week. Crazy.

In other happy news, the Rangers executed an unbelievable comeback to even the World Series at one game apiece. The beautiful videos are here.

Sparkletts

2011-10-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Remember when I was a smarty pants? Those days are long gone. I've taken to having my brain lie to me. Take for example the other day...the alarm clock went off at 6am. My brain said, "Six?! Six?! You can sleep another half an hour and be just fine." LIAR! I was not just fine. I had a granny smith apple, string cheese, and three peanut butter cookies for breakfast because I was not fine.

I did it again yesterday...not the not give myself time to get ready, but the lying brain thing. Since when does $5.00 equal $1.25?

Hmmm...never.

The Sparkletts Water man came by. They told me they would give me a really good deal since I'm an ASU student. They would give me the cooler for $5 a month and each 5 gallon jug for $5. Plus, he was going to give me the first 30 days free, plus two free 5 gallon jugs, plus a free case of water. I wanted to call Husband to ask him what he thought, but he was in class. They assured me that I could cancel any time after the 30 days if I wasn't satisfied. What the heck! It was a great deal. We spend $5 for 5 gallons of water anyway! Well...in a world where when you say $5.00 you really mean $1.25...

After they left, I looked at that cooler and all that free water and I was just happy as a clam. Husband was going to be so proud of my purchase. He was going to be so happy that he no longer had to haul the gallon jugs to the water dispensing machine--especially since I got such a whopping deal! Because $5.00 is equal to $1.25, remember?

...

Wait. One. Second. $5.00 DOES NOT EQUAL $1.25!!!

I called Husband. I told him I was stupid, but I was too embarrassed to tell him why. When he came home he saw the beautiful Sparkletts cooler and he just laughed ~~and I cried~~. He laughed and laughed and laughed and told me I wasn't stupid and it was okay. And wouldn't you know? He loves the darn thing...he loves that he doesn't have to go to the water dispensing machine every time we run out. He loves that it's always cold and super handy. Now he's trying to talk me into keeping it, even though we are poor folk.

So, there ya have it. I'm a ding dong. (I know you're getting a kick out of this one, Dad. Laugh it up.)

And, at least for 30 days, we have a Sparkletts water cooler. And Husband wanted to take a picture of me with my water cooler, so there ya go.

A Very Happy Half Birthday!

2011-10-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

Hyrum turned six months old today! He started the morning with carrot cake. It was his first day of carrots and he loved them. He's now marked sweet potatoes, green beans, and carrots off the list. It doesn't even phase him when we make him try something new. I'm continually amazed at how much this kid will eat! [I guess I'll probably be saying that again in about 14 or 15 years. He'll probably grow out of his clothes just as fast, too!]

Although we didn't do anything real special to celebrate, besides the carrot cake, we did enjoy the time we were able to spend as a family this afternoon. He spent a lot of time with his dad while I did homework--he even went to mutual! His daddy loves to play with him. They have pillow fights. The stack blocks and knock them over. Daddy loves to hear happy sounds. He was also the A#1 putter-to-sleeper tonight.

Hyrum also loves the bath! He likes to sit up and splash and play. I love that he smells fresh and clean afterwards.

Our Little Boy is getting so big! He's scootching himself around. He loves to jibber jabber. He's always ready to give you a smile. We're so grateful he joined our family!

Gilbert Temple Progress

2011-10-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are interested, we drove by the Gilbert Temple site recently. They've made a lot of progress. We're so excited for the temple to be completed so that we can share it with our non-member friends before they dedicate it. They'll have an open house and allow the public to walk through, see the finished interior, and learn a little bit about what goes on inside.

To really see how much they've done, visit my post about the groundbreaking and my post that shows temple construction back in July. If you want to learn more about why we build temples, just ask!

Auntie Brooke's Baptism

2011-10-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was a special day. Auntie Brooke was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was really special because Uncle Bryton was the one who baptized her. I thought it was really neat to see Bryton exercise the Priesthood in that capacity for the first time.

She was so happy that Hyrum could be there to share this special experience with her. She loves Hyrum so much! He is definitely one of her favorite people. We love Brooke. We're so happy with her decision to be baptized. She is such a sweet girl who loves to play and have fun. She is very kind and will serve others.

Besides the immediate family, Papa, Grams, Teonna and a couple of her kids came to share the day with Brooke. We enjoyed a nice little brunch (chicken salad sandwiches, crepes, cookies, etc.) afterwards and then spent the rest of the day as a family. I love my family! I'm so glad they're close and wish Tony's was closer. We're counting down to when we can see them at Christmas.

Stress

2011-10-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have found the official answer on why I feel better about things after I blog.

"In its therapeutic meaning, expressive writing involves telling a 'story' about traumatic, emotionally charged, or stressful events and personal reactions...expressive writing is useful in disclosing and processing emotions, and in measurably improving physical and mental health" (Horowitz, 2010).

I'm glad blogging is more than a time-consuming hobby. Hooray for improving my physical and mental health, and hooray for my happy, rabbit-eating boy!

Horowitz, J.A. (2010). Stress management. In C. L. Edelman & C. L. Mandle (Eds.), Health promotion throughout the lifespan (7^th ed., pp. 619-647). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

See how I'm showing off my APA skills? Fun, huh?

A Rock and a Hard Place

2011-10-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

I know I'm supposed to be studying for Pharm, but I can't do that effectively until I get this off my chest.

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. The rock is nursing school. The hard place is being a wife and a mother. [Or vice versa, it doesn't matter.] I have too much on my plate. No matter what I do, I seem to fall short somewhere, but if I jump to catch one spinning plate from falling, I seem to knock the other one off balance on my way over.

I can't not work hard at school. This isn't like high school, where all you do is show up and you get to be valedictorian. I'm working my butt off and I feel like I'm just barely hanging on. Puting forth less time and effort would mean giving up scholarships or even not passing Junior 1. I told my mother-in-law the other day that is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. "Harder than having a baby?" she retorted. Yes. I'll have lots more babies, but I won't ever do nursing school again.

So whilst I spin the school plate, what plate is tottering? Family. I feel like a terrible mother. I say that and everyone says, WHATEVER. Well guess what?! I get frustrated with Little Boy when I need to study but he wants to play. Then, I get frustrated with myself for being frustrated with him. It's not his fault. Then, when he's tired beyond belief but he doesn't want to go to sleep and he's fighting me and he pulls my hair and pinches my face, I raise my voice and tell him to quit. And then I cry because I shouldn't yell.

And then he finally falls asleep and I should do my studying for Pharm...that's why I was so frustrated that he wouldn't go to sleep, but instead I just pick up my spinning plates, throw them out the window and blog.

Time to glue the pieces back together and start spinning again.

What We Believe: Children of God

2011-10-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

We are children of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love Him. He sent us here to earth to live in families. He sent us here to learn and grow. He sent us here to gain physical bodies. We will return to live with Him again someday.

Your Heavenly Father loves you and is aware of you!

Girlyfriends

2011-10-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

My dad has a set of season tickets to ASU football this year. [I guess that's what happens when he works for ASU and gets a wicked good deal.] He's taken his girlyfriend #4 (Mom is #1, I'm #2...and so on) and he's taken Bryton multiple times. Well, last Saturday, the boys had Priesthood so Girlyfriend #3 and I got to go to the game.

We ate at Subway before the game, rode the lightrail, and then watched ASU try to lose the game. I enjoyed the fireworks and the marching band and was grateful Keila was there to explain things to me. I know the basics of football but she's a team manager for the Jaguars, so she really knows her stuff.

I'm grateful for this little sister of mine. We weren't always the best of friends, but now that we've both grown up a little bit, we have a lot of fun together. I can hardly believe she'll be 16 in a couple months! Speaking of which, she got asked to Homecoming this week. I remember being in that same predicament...asked on your first date, not quite 16. I got asked to go to a play by one of my best friends. It would have been fun. I said no and I'm all the better for it, not that going out on my first date a few weeks before I turned 16 would have turned me into a rebel. I still would have gotten married in the temple. I wouldn't have become a pregnant teenager (oh wait...). The principle, however, is that when you obey the prophet you will be blessed. I was blessed. She will be too.

Rubber Ducky, You're the One!

2011-10-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Rubber Ducky you’re so fine,

And I’m lucky that you’re mine.

Rubber Ducky, I’d love a whole pond of,

Rubber Ducky, I’m awfully fond of you!

This is Hyrum's unique little rubber duckie. He is a duck but he is also a lion. Uncle Hayden got it from the city library's summer reading program and thought Hyrum would like it. He was wrong. He LOVES it.

This is Hyrum eyeing the duck.

This is Hyrum plowing his face into the ground as he eats the duck.

The funniest part is that he doesn't just eat the duck, he eats it ferociously. He growls as he shoves it into his mouth.

Rubber Ducky you're my very best friend, it's true!

Sweet Potato Pie

2011-10-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hyrum has slept through the night since he was 6 or 8 weeks old, so it was a little weird when he started waking up at midnight or 1am every night. He would fuss and fight until I fed him and then he'd go back to sleep, snap! , just like that. He was hungry!

So, his eat every four hours, sleep for eight every night schedule has been thrown out the window. He's usually hungry every 3-3 1/2 hours nowadays and we've found a solution to the wake up at midnight problem. Sweet potatoes!

We mix it with rice cereal, which he's been doing for a few weeks and he likes it...pretty much, anyway. He had it for breakfast lunch and dinner today. And lucky us, he's sleeping through the night! Hooray! Problem solved.

Now, the experts say not to start babies on solids until they're at least 6 months, but experts also say not to starve your child. He fits all the other "Your baby is ready if..." statements so we're going for it.

Next on the menu? Green beans.

Like Oppossums to Peanut Butter

2011-10-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hyrum and I were practicing our sitting-up skills today. He took a few dives...

But over all, I was surprised at how well he did. We hadn't really ever tried before and he took to it like opossums to peanut butter. (Seriously, my in-laws have caught 7 opossums in their yard in the last little while...with peanut butter. Only in Texas...)

Another new development is how much he enjoys the camera. All of a sudden it's fun to smile when the camera comes out... This is why I love being a mother. BIG HUGE GRINS

Later, when Daddy came home, we wanted to show him his new trick. He sat like this by himself for at least a full minute. Won't be long until we're calling Little Boy, Big Boy.

We love our Hyrum Joseph Boy.

Monday Musings

2011-10-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

Whilst Little Boy sleeps, I shall blog. My brain needs a break from school and I don't want to fold laundry yet and my better judgement is telling me to wait until I cut Husband's hair before I clean the bathroom.

I'm excited for fall. Fall as in autumn. I'm excited for it to be dark when I leave for school. I'm excited to wear hoodies that have become dusty in the closet. I am excited to be able to move the comforter off the cedar chest and back onto the bed. I remember the days when I could snuggle next to Husband at night without sweating. I liked those days.

Hyrum hasn't been feeling well the last few days. He's not his normal happy self. It makes me sad. He doesn't sleep well. I hope he feels better soon.

I got a 90% on my exam this morning. Not too shabby. Too bad in the nursing program at 90% is a B. They expect a lot from us and it's good they do. What would you say if you knew your nurse made it through nursing school with a 1.0 GPA?

We enjoyed conference weekend. Tony's favorite talk was by Matthew O. Richardson. I really enjoyed Carl B. Cook. Did you know that there is a prophet on the earth today, just like Moses or Abraham? There is! I am so grateful for his constant guidance.

I think this week is going to be ok. If you had asked me that yesterday I might have cried, but I think I scared myself into extreme studying. I feel like I might do just fine, if Hyrum will let me put him down for even a few minutes, that is. Happily, though, Tony only works at Home Depot today and Friday this week. That's doable.

Exploding Toilets

2011-09-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

So last night the toilet exploded. I don't know exactly when Husband got home from work, but he got all ready for bed, including that pre-bedtime potty stop. After he flushed, the connection between the toilet tank and the hose that connects it to the wall...well...it busted. I remember lying in bed thinking, "What is that sound?" It was the water spraying Husband and flooding our bathroom. Poor guy. He got the water shut off as lickety split as he could, but it had already dumped enough water onto the floor to soak the bath mat and four full-sized towels.

So he dealt with that, mostly, and came to pray with me. He told me all about the fiasco and finished with, "...so we only have one flush left." Don't you hate how when you are told you can't go to the bathroom or, in this case, that you can only go one more time, and all of a sudden you REALLY have to go?! Needless to say, I used the last flush.

I need to apologize to Husband for being such a grouch last night. I was really sleepy. The last thing I wanted to deal with was a flooded bathroom, especially when not having any contacts in renders me completely blind.

So what do you do when your toilet explodes? Just laugh about it.

Nurses Call All the Shots

2011-09-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the cuteness before the melodramatic-I'm-still-trying-to-pretend-I'm-a-teenager drama starts...

[Insert drama here]

So much for learning injections being the most exhilarating day of junior one...more like the most stressful. I enjoyed it, but it also caused my very first nursing school meltdown, I cried way too much, and my head still hurts.

We started out with mixing insulin and giving a subcutaneous injection. That was all fine and dandy. How hard is it to stab a fat pad with a needle? Not very. Then the world came tumbling down. We did intradermals on hotdogs (so not like the real thing). Then we got to stick our buddies. Now, the goal of an intradermal is to get this cute little bleb. Bleb. Bleb. Bleb. It's a fun word. Anyway. I didn't get the bleb. I other words, my one shot (no pun intended) at giving an intradermal before they send me out into the real world to give it to a real patient, and I went a little too deep. I wanted to cry, especially when my buddy made the most beautiful little bleb in my left forearm. (Congrats, Buddy! No hard feelings.) The excitement of stabbing a fat pad with the inch and a half long needle was lost after that.

I made it to my little lactation cubby before I cried. I cried all my makeup off and gave myself a headache. I tried to go eat lunch with the girls but ended up finding a quiet place where I could read about antibiotics and cry a little more. (Sappy, sad story. I know. Get over it or quit reading. It was a big deal to me.)

After lunch we went through the injection competency step by step so that we're ready to go next week. I still felt like quitting nursing school. I felt like a complete failure...all because of a stupid little bleb, or lack thereof. I waited my turn. This time we were doing subQ's on our buddies. Finally it was my turn. Ruth looked at me and said, "Are you okay?"

And I lost it.

I was surprised at how much better it felt to cry in front of everyone--much better than hiding away in my cubbyhole. It was good to know that others knew I was struggling. It's hard to not be perfect when people (including yourself) have always expected perfection from you. It's hard to balance being a mother and a wife and a student.

Husband is struggling, too, with seminary. It can be bad, if we sit down and have a pity party together, but it's also nice to know that even though you have a whole mountain on top of you, at least you have your best friend right there with you. At least you can take turns digging. I love my husband. I love my little boy. I love this crazy adventure we're on together. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

**Note to my buddy: I still want to read your blog--if you're willing to share, that is.**

Taco Soup, Among Other Things

2011-09-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law sent us a recipe for Taco Soup a few weeks ago. I made it last night and it was DELICIOUS! Unfortunately, it almost got the best of me. I cooked some fresh beans the day before (black and pinto). I chose to make them fresh rather than buy them canned because we have pounds--literally--of beans from WIC that keep piling up. It was about time we used them.

Now for the fun part where I almost burn the house down and all that jazz...

The first thing you do when you're making taco soup, besides the beans, is sauté a medium onion. So, Little Guy is asleep, I put some olive oil in the pan, turn the stove on and chop my onions. I'm on the phone with Husband and thoroughly distracted by the bad connection and trying to get my message across. I throw the onions in the pan. I'm raising my voice with Husband, frustrated that he's not understanding me. I look up and my apartment is full of smoke. I yell, "I'M BURNING DINNER, BYE!" and hang up on Husband. I turn the stove off. Stupid me...WHY DID I TURN IT ON HIGH?! I have a pan of blazing hot oil, crispy, black onions, and a house full of smoke.

I get a text message from Husband that says, "Love you too." He doesn't understand that dinner is burning and thinks we're having our first fight.

I open the door to get the smoke out before the smoke alarm goes off. My throat is burning. I get Little Boy out of that darn place as quick as I can. I try to call Husband to tell him that I am trying to break family rules a.k.a. kill myself, but he does not answer. I don't understand that his phone is not working. I think we're having our first fight, even though it's a huge misunderstanding.

I finally get the smoke out. Husband shows up and sees that I am not mad at him, just scared of dying. I start attempt number two at Taco Soup. This time I do not turn the stove on high and I do not burn the onion. I add my beans, hamburger meat, a can of stewed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, some frozen corn, and the taco seasoning. Except, go figure, it is not taco seasoning, but is thick'n'zesty spaghetti sauce mix. I am upset. I scoop the mix out of my soup as best I can and go back to the pantry to get my taco seasoning. Except, go figure, there is no taco seasoning, just thick'n'zesty spaghetti sauce mix. I angrily throw the thick'n'zesty spaghetti sauce mix back in the pantry. Husband has to go to the store to get taco seasoning.

In the end, we had yummy taco soup with cheese and chips. Husband is especially a fan and took leftovers for lunch today. I like when he is a fan.

After the dinner fiasco, we went on an adventure to the drive-in movie. It was everybody-gets-a-free-double-feature-night. It was my first time to the drive through. I enjoyed it...poop explosion (minor compared to some, but still in need of a fresh outfit) and all. We saw Pirates 4 and rather enjoyed it. We decided not to stay for Cars 2 because it was a school night, though. Bummer.

Just some fun thoughts:

School was rough this week. It was full speed ahead and you jumped one hurdle just in time to clear the next one, hoping you didn't crash and burn somewhere along the way. I survived, though. I'm pretty sure I passed both tests. I got both projects turned in on time. I studied my tail off. I'm PO Med competent. Next week I get to learn injections. Good thing I have a good buddy who is going to let me poke her. I like my buddy. She makes me laugh and it's fun to have a friend to talk to at school. It's been a while since I've had a school buddy.

Tony forgot that he needed to go straight from seminary to Home Depot today. I felt like a good wife because I realized he didn't have a change of clothes or a dinner or anything so I packed it up and took it to him so that he wouldn't be late to work. He was happy.

It looks like my Christmas wish will come true...moving into a house four times as big as our apartment at a fraction of the cost. You've gotta love couples who go on missions for a year and a half and want you to take care of their house while they're gone.

I'm going to make two-ingredient ice cream tonight without an ice cream machine. I'll let you know how it goes.

I drove all the way to Walmart this afternoon to pick up a prescription and a package of double stuff Oreos and when I got there, I realized I didn't have my wallet. What fun!

My baby needs some love now, so that is all.

Surviving with a Smile

2011-09-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days. It's hard to justify blogging when you all you feel like you have time to do is homework (and even then, you still don't get all your reading done) and the spare time in between is when you get to love your boys and feed them and make sure they have clean clothes to wear and all that... Have you noticed the theme of my blog lately? I hope it's not boring.

Anyway...I'm back. I made it through Week 5 of Junior 1. It was a toughie.

This week isn't going to be any easier...test Monday, competency Tuesday, Exam Wednesday, and quiz Friday. I can do it, one day at a time.

**I think it must be a mom thing, but I've been desensitized to poop.

If you don't like reading about poop, I recommend that you skip the rest of today's post.**

I love being a mother. Crazy that I can love it, even through the rough times...like Thursday. Hyrum loves his Daddy. He always saves the big huge poops for Momma or Grannie, never Daddy. Lucky guy. Anyways, Thursday was another one of his infamous poop explosions.

It had been a while since he cleared his GI tract and I knew that didn't bode well for me, but I finally decided to bathe him. He smelled like fresh, clean baby. Yum! I fed him dinner and put him in bed. Apparently, though, he wasn't ready for bed and he let me know by happily kicking and squealing and having a good ol' time. So, I laid him out on a blanket by me in the living room. He kicked and squealed away, happy as a clam, so I decided to dish myself some apple pie and ice cream (Happy Birthday, Tony!). It was quite delicious until I heard the poop. I dropped the pie and ice cream and had him off the floor within two seconds, but the poop was already up his back, on his clothes, and clear through to the blanket. I got him stripped down and was trying to clean up the mess, just in time for the second round. At that, I gave up, wiped him clean enough to make it to the bathroom and hosed him off in the tub. Fresh baby...again.

Now, judge me if you will, but I now have a clean baby in a fresh set of jammies and a pile of poopie diaper and wipes all over the changing table. Maybe I should have cleaned the changing table, but instead I chose to eat my apple pie and melted ice cream soup... So as I sat and enjoyed my soup, ignoring the fact that I had a poop explosion waiting for me three feet away, Hyrum did this for the very first time...

I frankly forgave him and loved him more than I ever had and then cleaned the changing table with a smile on my face.

Life would be so boring if all I had to do was homework...poor regular, everyday college students...

Gig 'Em Aggies!

2011-09-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hyrum is enthralled with his first Aggie football game!

Tony was happy because the Aggies won, Jeri Lin was happy because that meant lots of kisses!

Gig 'Em!

What We Believe: Baptism

2011-09-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Jeri Lin says:

I was baptized when I was eight years old by my father. I remember that the water in the baptismal font was cold, but as soon as I came out of the water I felt warm, inside and out. That warm feeling let me know that what I had just done was right.

Baptism is a reminder of our commitment to Jesus Christ. Some may argue that eight is too young, but I knew then and I know now, that I love Jesus Christ. I want to be like Him. I want to return to live with Him. Baptism was my first step toward those goals.

Tony says:

Because my parents raised me in the Church, I was baptized at the age of eight. One of the great regrets of my life is that I don't have any specific memories of being baptized. I
remember that it happened. I remember that a friend was baptized the same day. But as far as specific feelings, I don't remember.

Since then, I have had the opportunity to witness many other people's baptisms. I always counsel them to get a journal and write their feelings and thoughts so they don't forget. Those memories can be sources of great strength when days of doubt or difficulty come.

Since I don't have personal recollections of my baptism, I have to look to other experiences for strength. At the age of twelve we can enter Temples and be baptized for deceased ancestors. I do remember the day when my dad baptized me for his dad. I knew my grandpa, but he died when I was only seven. There is a feeling of peace that accompanies baptisms in the Temple. That day tied my family closer together.

The Temple is how I make up for not remembering my baptism. In behalf of an ancestor, I can make the promises to take upon me the name of Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. In return, He promises to send His Spirit to always be with us. That promise applies to us in this life and in the life to come.

Rainy Days and Nap Time

2011-09-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

I love dreary days...those days when the sun is hidden behind grey clouds and (if you get quite lucky) some raindrops grace you with their presence. It's almost as if the whole world slows down and takes a single breath. We don't have enough of those days here in Arizona.

Well, imagine my elation when I heard the thunder yesterday afternoon. Little Boy and I raced outside and found the most glorious dreary day.

[insert tangent: Everyone always commented how lucky I was to have an April baby. I missed the being huge and pregnant when it's really really hot outside. Oh hooray! Lucky me! What no one ever mentions is how miserable it is to be stuck in a tiny apartment AFTER the baby comes and all you want to do is take the baby for a nice little walk to the park or even 100 steps outside of the apartment to check the mail {tiny exaggeration}, but you can't because it is too hot outside. There's really no perfect situation in my book...ANYWAY...]

Thunder. Dreary grey clouds. Right. So we loaded up the stroller and took off in an attempt to enjoy the grey skies and raindrops. And we did, for about two minutes. We were quite upset when the sun came out and the rain dried up and we started to sweat and it was no longer enjoyable. *sigh*

In addition to this unfortunate event, we have a predicament. Nap time. I love nap time. Nap time is when I get my homework done. However, nap time is also the only time I can nap. What's college student/mother to do? Nap? Or homework? I'm not sure. Yesterday I chose nap. I think I'm going to regret it when I sit down and realize how much I need to have done for Monday. First exam of the semester. Hundreds of pages of textbook reading. Papers. Concept maps. Wellness plans. Teaching plans. Granted that's not all due Monday but I'm a firm believer in anti-procrastination.

So you ask, "Well Miss Anti-procrastination, if you have so much to do why are you blogging about it?"

Because I want to.

Don't Read This. It Might Hurt Your Feelings.

2011-09-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

We like our blog. We like to share our daily adventures, no matter how boring they may be. We like to share what we believe, not so that you will believe it too, but so that you can understand. We like to share our accomplishments, our joys, our embarrassing moments. If anything, this blog is for us. It is a way of recording our life together.

We like to know that people read our blog, that, for one reason or another, they find what we have to say interesting and enjoyable. We like the fact that family and friends that we don't often see, can come to our blog and see what we've been up to. They can see pictures of a happy little family. They can read stories about that little family.

Now to the part about hurting feelings...

I recently added a little feature to our blog. It was meant to be a way for people to share what they thought, without the hassle of leaving a full blown comment. At the bottom of each post, there are little boxes you can check: funny, inspiring, LOVE! Did you catch the change? Originally, you could check boring. Well, imagine my dismay when people started putting cute little check marks next to boring... Really? You think I'm BORING?! Well, guess what?

I DON'T CARE.

And that, my dear friends, is why you can no longer put your dainty little check marks next to boring. You can choose to LOVE! it if you like, but no more boring. If you think it's boring, DON'T READ MY BLOG. If you think prayer is boring, DON'T READ MY BLOG. If you think the mundane accomplishments of a student nurse who is working her butt off are boring, DON'T READ MY BLOG. If you don't care if my little guy is rolling over and eating rice cereal, DON'T READ MY BLOG. Or, if you are feeling punkish, leave me a comment. I won't approve it.

I hate to be mean and nasty, but you hurt my feelings, and no one has a right to do that.

Oh! My Poor Child!

2011-09-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

I had one of those "Oh! My poor child!" moments yesterday. Little Boy went to sleep in a t-shirt the night before. All morning I planned on changing him into his clothes for the new day but I kept putting it off with the thought, "I'll wait until he poops." I've been traumatized by the I-just-dressed-him-and-he-pooped-all-over-it syndrome. So I waited...and then he went down for a nap...and then I left for class...and then I figured Tony would change him...

Text from me to Husband: Sorry I forgot to change Little Boy.
Text from Husband to me: That's ok. I did too.

Oh! My poor child!

Luckily we had an extra change of clothes packed away in the diaper bag and Grannie is more than happy to change him into a fresh set of clothes.

Slightly unrelated, my husband is spectacular. On Monday, Hyrum was down for a nap and I had been going 100 miles an hour all morning. I had done laundry, dishes, cut Tony's hair, cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed, etc. etc. etc. I was pooped (as in tired, completely unrelated to the poop explosions that have been happening all too often). I decided I needed a quick nap. Tony agreed to wake me up in a half hour, or when Hyrum woke up (he was gonna be a hungry boy). Unfortunately, Hyrum woke up 15 minutes later. I was not aware, however, because my fabulous husband entertained the hungry guy until my half hour of blissful napping was up.

Completely unrelated, but still exciting, I am vital signs competent! I can take your temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation. I was a little worried. Blood pressure is a lot harder than it looks, but I did just fine. I passed on the first try. I'm proud of myself. Nursing school is tough. You just go, go, go...hope you understood that because we're moving on...NOW. The fun part is, we haven't even picked up full speed yet. I'm looking forward to my Disneyland trip following graduation. I'm planning
it for myself. It'll be a nice little pat on the back. Good job. You accomplished something amazing.

That's all for today. Smile!

Cool in the Pool

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's September. Too bad that doesn't mean It's time to celebrate Fall, you know...the season. Too bad it's still ridiculously hot outside. Too bad I still can't take Hyrum for walks to the park. Too bad our electricity bill is still high. Too bad that the unkempt men on the lightrail stink. Too bad I stink, no matter how much deodorant I wear.

I long for the days when you can wear your old high school hoodies. I can't wait for the nights when I can open the window, climb under the covers, and snuggle next to Husband. I'm kinda excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the fun, food, and family that go along with. (I'm not excited for Halloween because I think it is stupid, but that's just my opinion.)

But in the mean time, we're trying to make the most out of the warm summer heat that is Arizona, because we all know that come February we'll be dreaming about the heat and the lake trips and the sunscreen. It's inevitable.

On the Move

2011-09-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Gone are the boring days of immobility. Here are the days when I need vacuum every day since Little Guy won't stay in his designated area. Hyrum has learned to roll from his back to his tummy. This discovery, coupled with his ability to roll from tummy to back (something he's been able to do for a little while) means he can move!

I would put him here...

...and pretty soon he would be...

...HERE...

...or HERE!

The best part is, he's so proud of himself. He just chats to himself and giggles as he rolls rolls rolls. If I haven't said it before, I love being a mother.

Now back to homework...

Where's the Fire?

2011-09-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago (when our air conditioning went kapoot!) I was spending the day at my parents house, trying to stay cool. My mother, also known as Grannie, was at work for the day. She's a 9-1-1 operator for the City of Mesa. Cool. I know. Anyways, she was at work, but then all of a sudden she was at the house and there was a big huge RED firetruck at the house too. She was having "a day in the life of a fireman." They had brought her home to change after running at the high school.

Hyrum was sleeping, so he didn't get to meet his very first big huge RED firetruck, but Brooke and Hayden enjoyed the excitement.

Doesn't my mom have a really cool job?

What we believe: Prayer

2011-09-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Tony says:

Prayer is difficult. Not that saying a prayer is hard. Anyone can say the words of a prayer. But to truly pray is a challenge. To know what to pray for is a challenge. To pray with faith is a challenge. To have confidence in getting answers is a challenge. I have found that my concerns day-to-day don't tend to change much. And that makes avoiding repetition a challenge.

Despite the challenges, or perhaps because of them, prayer is very important to me. I have found that some kinds of prayers get answered more readily than others. Prayers for others. Prayers for truth. Prayers to know how to serve better. Prayers for our children.

The number one prayer that God is willing to answer for us is when we ask what to pray for. There are blessings we could receive if only we would ask. And if God lets us know by His Spirit what we should pray for, then we will automatically have confidence and faith in that prayer being answered.

I go to God most readily when I have great need. But I have found that I must reach out to others in need or my prayer is useless. How can I ask for help from God if I'm unwilling to help others? I have never had much money, but not every need others have is financial. So time or companionship or physical labor are all ways I try to serve others. When I serve others, I help God answer their prayers. Then my prayers become more meaningful and are answered more clearly and quickly.

Jer Lin says:

Do you ever feel like no one's listening? Or if they are, that they just don't understand?

I think everyone feels this way at some point in their life. Unfortunately, we forget that there is always someone listening and that He always understands. We are children of God. He loves us and is concerned for us.

I think it is wonderful that the Savior understands all. He experienced it all. He understood what it felt like to be alone when He was on the cross and said, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Perhaps He felt like no one was listening, even as He cried out in prayer, but God was listening. He could have caused Christ's suffering to stop, but He had a greater plan. Sometimes when it seems like God isn't answering our prayers, it is because He has a greater plan for us.

I have come to know my Heavenly Father through prayer. When I pray to Him, I feel as though he is listening to me and not just superficially, but eagerly! He, in turn, responds to me through the feelings of my heart. I feel peace and love and understanding when I pray to my Father in Heaven.

Momma's Gonna be a Nurse Someday!

2011-09-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hooray for nursing school! This is me and Hyrum on my "first" day of nursing school. I say "first" because it was the first day I got to put on scrubs and wear my nifty little stethoscope around my neck. I'm not gonna lie, I think the wine/white scrubs are classy. I'm not gonna lie, I'm terrified of sitting in something and ruining my white pants. Classy can turn disastrous real quick, let me tell ya.

I'm loving nursing school. Wednesdays are not so great, but overall I love being in class. I love lab. We've practiced therapeutic communication, vital signs, changing an occupied bed, "peri care", how to transfer patients, catheter care, and much more. I love the things I'm learning. Pharmacology is going to be a tough class, but I think it'll be engaging and applicable.

Blood pressure is a lot harder than it looks. I have to pass out of it Tuesday. I need to find some people to terrorize so that I can master it. Dad? Bryton? Tony's already been forced to be my patient and Hyrum's a fun little guy too! No blood pressure for him, but holy cow is his heart rate fast! Almost too fast to count.

I'm glad I'm going back to school, even though a cute little guy put it on hold for a little while. I'm glad that I've found nursing to be enjoyable so far. I think I made the right decision in a career path. I always wondered if I was enough of a people person to be a nurse, but I've found that if I tell myself I can do it, I can do it. And for my high school counselor and everyone else who has told me I should be a doctor, not a nurse... BLEH! I love nursing. I wouldn't want to be a doctor for anything. I'ma gonna be a nurse someday!

A Dozen Holy Places

2011-09-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

While in Utah, Tony and I were able to go to the Provo Temple. Hooray for Grandma Brown and Aunt Whitney for watching Hyrum for the morning.

It was a sun-shiny morning and there were missionaries everywhere! Provo may not be everyone's favorite temple because it's an older style and not as "pretty" as some, but Provo is where my parents met, so they were on my mind while we were there.

Provo was the twelfth temple that Tony and I have been to together. A dozen holy places. A dozen houses of God. We love temples. Brigham Young said this about temples...

"We enjoy the privilege of entering into a temple, built to the name of God, and receiving the ordinances of his house...we also enjoy the privilege of administering for our fathers and mothers, our grandfathers and grandmothers, for those who have slept without the Gospel...

To accomplish this work there will have to be not only one temple but thousands of them, and thousands and tens of thousands of men and women will go into those temples and officiate for people who have lived as far back as the Lord shall reveal" (Discourses of Brigham Young).

We love to visit the temple and we are so excited for the Gilbert Temple and the Phoenix Temple that will be completed very soon. Did you know that if you aren't a member, you can go inside these temples before they are dedicated? If you'd like to go, ask us about it! We'd love to go with you, maybe even go out for ice cream too!

Bumbo Seat

2011-09-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the wonderful invention they call the Bumbo Seat? They're these neat little seats that support babies who can't sit up on their own. I love mine. My wonderful visiting teacher gave me hers now that her kids are done with it. Thanks, Jo! P.S. Don't judge. Hyrum's Bumbo is purple, but you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. We're teaching him early.

Anyways, Hyrum gets tired of his swing and tummy time or whatever else I try to make him do when I need two hands, so the Bumbo Seat is perfect. He just sits on the counter next to me while I do my hair or on the kitchen table while Husband and I eat breakfast. Check it out!

HOWEVER! I have found a flaw... When said cute child named Hyrum decides to fill his pants, he cannot help but fill his Bumbo Seat. We learned the hard way two mornings in a row. I know he's just testing me, to make sure that I was paying attention to the demonstration on "peri care" this week in lab. Unfortunately, this morning I was silly enough to get him all dressed up and cute for the day and then put him in his Bumbo Seat. Bad idea. He went from cute to poop. I was happy. Luckily, the Bumbo Seat is easy to clean...maybe they foresaw such instances.

In other baby news, our little boy ain't so little anymore. He weighs 16 pounds 10 ounces and is 2 foot 3". He's so big he's wearing Daddy's belt buckle. Looks like a true Texan if you ask me. Either that or a Luna boy...who else wears Wranglers to church?

The other big news is the upgrade to rice cereal for breakfast and dinner. He makes his fair share of funny faces when he's getting started, but by the end he can't get enough of it. He gets mad if you don't shovel it in fast enough. Oh, and as a side note, the poop explosion in the Bumbo seat this morning was post bath. He decided to make breakfast an especially messy occasion and needed a good scrub down.

I love being a mother. I can't believe I smile through some of this stuff, but I truly enjoy my little boy. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the whole world. Just to help you understand why, here's one more picture. I was sitting on the floor reading for class the other day and I looked over to see this...

"Oh no, Momma! What do I do?!"

All Together Again

2011-08-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

Our last big hurrah before school started was a trip to Utah to be with Tony's side of the family. It wasn't just the Browns, but aunts, uncles, and cousins from the Burgess side of the family as well. Everyone came from far and wide (Texas, Arizona, Oregon, Utah) until we were all together again. It was wonderful to see everyone. It was fun to finally have the two babies together, as well.

Hyrum is one big boy compared to Miss Jacie Lynn.

It was fun to hold Jacie Lynn. I almost forgot how small babies can be!

Grandma and Grandpa Brown were glad to see their grandkids again.

The whole group. (Run, Kemp, run!)

We took a four mile hike to Stewart Falls. It was beautiful!

Hyrum was a trooper and didn't complain at all! He would make a good pioneer baby.

What a handsome guy I married!!

Cousins!

We stayed at a beautiful cabin near Sundance.

Jailbirds.

It was a successful week up in Utah. Some other highlights included Tony's bike ride up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls, ice cream from SubZero (they freeze it with liquid nitrogen), family pictures, a temple trip to Provo, good food, and good fun. Can't wait to see the Browns again at Christmas!

What do you make time for?

2011-08-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I thought blogging would go out the window when school started. How are you supposed to make time to read 1000+ pages a day, much less blog about it? How are you supposed to make time to spend with Husband, make time to do laundry, make time to make dinner, make time to make time to make time to make time to blog about it? Fortunately, while making time to study and practice and demonstrate therapeutic communication, I discovered therapeutic blogging. Just blogging about it is a stress reliever. So, amid all the things I have to make time for, blogging is going to be at the top of the list, even if I have to do it at 9 o'clock, after The Boy is fed and I still have homework to do and I'm missing Husband.

Let's move on...

Embarrassing moment of the day: being whistled at, promptly followed by a "Hey sweet thang!" as I walked to the lightrail this morning. Someone please tell Tony there are more appropriate ways to express love. (Note: even if it was totally embarrassing, I was glad to know he loves me.)

I feel like I accomplished a lot today. That's not always easy, even when you have a lot that NEEDS to be done. Have I ever explained the phenomenon that exists within my brain? "Accomplishing a lot" has nothing to do with the number of tasks I complete, but the proportion of tasks I complete. If all I need to do on a particular day is shower, read my scriptures, and love my boys, and I do all of that, I've "accomplished a lot." If on another particular day I need to shower, read my scriptures, love my boys, read 1000+ pages, catch up on laundry, clean the bathroom, go grocery shopping, call the in-laws, take the truck to the shop, go to a doctor appointment, bake a cheesecake AND get to sleep before 11, and I complete 6 of those tasks (twice as much as the first particular day, but only half of the total number of tasks) I have "accomplished nothing!" Luckily, today was one of those high total tasks, high proportion kind of days.

Tomorrow is lab day. Bring on the vital signs, bedpans, and catheter care! That means I get to wear my awesome scrubs and be gone all day. Hyrum gets to go to Jo's house. I'm grateful that I leave him with Tony and Tony is responsible for taking him to Jo's. I don't think I could do it. I hate that I have to leave Hyrum for so long, but I'm grateful for everyone who helps us out. I want to finish my education. The high school valedictorian can't be a college drop out, right? Right.

I guess that's enough for today. I can only make so much time. The end.

100 Things

2011-08-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Eternally Brown, the blog, was born on Oct. 17, 2009. If you'd like, you can read the cheesy goodness from way back then. That was almost two years ago... What. The. Heck?

So, a little less than two years later, we're writing our 100th blog post. It's a big deal...if not to you, it is to me. It's kinda like in kindergarten when you finally learn to count to 100 and you celebrate with a day of 100 things. You bring a little ziploc with 100 pennies you counted all by yourself. You get to glue 100 Cheerios to a piece of paper. Like I said. Big deal. [Just as a side note, I think the phrase "big deal" has been meandering its way into my blogging vocabulary quite a bit in the last few weeks. I apologize. I can't help it if everything is a big deal.]

So how do you celebrate 100 blog posts?? Pennies and Cheerios or should it be a little more up-scale? I don't know... Quarters and Fruit Loops? I think we'll stick to a regular update. That's what you get when I blog from downtown Phoenix.

Jeri Lin: I'm loving the nursing program. I feel special walking around in my scrubs, even if the pants are white and I'm terrified of sitting in something. My "learning community" (D1 and Only) is really fun. We're all young girls, although I have to admit... I feel really old in comparison, since I'm married with a baby. Ruth is our faculty member. She's a lot of fun. Blunt. Tough. Fantastic. It's going to be a fun semester.

Tony: Seminary is harder than he expected. It's one thing to walk into someone's class and teach for two weeks and a-whole-nother ballgame when you have two classes of your very own. He's doing a spectacular job, learning a lot, and we're looking forward to the student teacher in-services. I'm even invited to some of them. :)

Hyrum: He's rolling rolling rolling! He finally figured it out. It's a lot of fun. He's a well behaved boy for Daddy and Grannie and the other baby-sitters while Momma is at school. We love that he's such a happy boy!

One step at a time.
One blog post at a time.

Pucker Up!

2011-08-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

When life gives you lemons...

...pucker up!

Smile and Say Cheese!

2011-08-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

Part of our trip to Utah this month included family pictures. The same gal who did our pictures in November took them. We were happy with the results again.

More adventures from the Utah trip soon to follow.

Big Day

2011-08-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day. First day back to school in eight months kind of big. First day of upper division nursing kind of big. First day for Hyrum and Tony to be on their own for an extended period of time kind of big. Tony's first get up early, watch the boy, drop him off at Grannie's, teach seminary, drive straight to Home Depot, close at Home Depot, and try to get some sleep before we start all over at 5:00am kind of big.

It was also a hot day. I think I got a sunburn from walking to and from the lightrail. Blue eyes, fair complexion, I don't care. It's just too hot and the sun is too harsh for any living soul to be outside.

So, a few highlights of the day before I hit the sack...

1. A friendly reminder in my scripture study this morning to "Cast not away therefore your confidence" (Hebrews 10:35. School has always been the right decision. Just because it's about to get really difficult doesn't change that fact.

2. Hyrum was "a perfect angel" for Dad and Grannie.

3. The lactation room on campus actually isn't all that bad. It did the job. I love my WIC breast pump. Portable, mine to keep, and totally free.

4. Getting out of class a half hour early.

5. Talking to Husband for most of my ride home. He's spectacular, in case you didn't know.

6. Seeing my little boy again. Getting him to smile and giggle and knowing he didn't change too much while I was gone.

7. (A preemptive highlight) Getting to crawl into bed with Husband.

We're going to have nothing but big days from here on out. Three and a half months until Christmas vacation. We can handle it.

A Perfect Life

2011-08-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

I hope we don't ever pretend to have a perfect life. We certainly don't. Take this morning for example...

It started perfectly. We got up early. Husband went for his run. Hyrum slept in so we were able to eat breakfast without little fingers dipping themselves in syrup. We got ready for the day in peace. Brother Moon, the seminary pre-service trainer came by for a home visit. It went really well. We love Brother Moon. It was fun to sit and chat with him about how life is going and where we see the future taking us. PERFECT morning.

After Brother Moon left, Hyrum and I took Husband over to the seminary so that we could have the car for running errands. Hyrum, according to plan, fell asleep and that's when things started to go wrong. We went to the WIC office to get a breast pump. It's a necessary item with school starting this week. Unfortunately, they were out. They expect a new shipment any day, but really? Couldn't I have called to check before driving all the way over there?? Oh well...

THEN..."Oh! What a cute baby! How old is he? Here, let me wake him up for you by squeezing his foot." Yes. Thank you. That's exactly what I wanted you to do. I make my way out to the car and start driving toward ASU. I need to find the building where I buy my UPass. This is when Hyrum realizes, "Wait a second...I'm in my car seat. I don't like my car seat." (This is a new development. An unfortunate one.) So, he's wailing as I drive all around and in circles trying to remember where the parking and transit office is...

We finally get there and find a parking meter around the corner because all the ones right in front are taken, of course. I get the sun shade up, pull Hyrum, who immediately ceases his punkishness, out of his car seat, scrounge for some quarters and realize that the meter is broken. Lovely. I put Hyrum back in his car seat (he wails), get back in the car, pull the sun shade down, and look for another parking spot.

We walk around the corner, in the blazing 100+ heat, to discover that the line for parking and transit is out the door. Cursing ASU and everyone else who waited until now to get their stupid, overpriced parking passes, I get in line, just in time to realize that I have a bona fide poop explosion on my hands. It is exploding out the front AND back! What a lovely adventure to have when the only bathroom anywhere close reeks of harsh cleaning chemicals, is hotter than Hades, and doesn't sport a diaper changing station...

P.S. WIC just called. The pumps are in.

So, we finally make it back in line. I have sweat running down my back. My hair is sticking
to my neck. Then, I realize... I forgot to put deodorant on. Great. The appetizing aroma of body odor and baby poop. We wait and wait and wait in line, just so I can sell my soul to the to the Sun Devils.

We finally finish, find our way to the car. Hyrum ~~loves~~ hates being put back in the car seat. The cherry on top could have been a parking ticket for exceeding the time on the parking meter, but I don't like cherries and Heavenly Father knew I could only handle so much this morning...

So...perfect life? Hardly. Ability to laugh about it? Intact, but only after getting home, bathing my little boy, feeding him, putting him down for a nap, and showering myself. That's when I realized it was funny and therefore, worth blogging about.

Life isn't perfect, but it is good. You can let it make you bitter or better. I choose to be better.

Met in Nauvoo Day

2011-08-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Two years ago yesterday, Husband and I met in Nauvoo. Who knew that this...

Would turn into this...?

Yesterday was a crazy day. Between seminary, grocery shopping, mutual, scout meetings, and a sick Hyrum, we might have seen each other for a total of an hour. I love Husband, though. I'm so grateful for him. He does so much to serve me. He hardly ever gets mad at me, even when I want him to. He makes me laugh. I'm so glad I found him in the most unlikely of places.

It's a Hard Life

2011-08-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little crazy this past week or so. Crazy crazy.

First of all, we have a Utah trip on the horizon. In preparation I've been running all over town looking for something I can wear for family pictures. I hate shopping, especially when you're looking for something specific. How come you can never find it? Anyhow...after scouring the mall and every other little shop between my place and Timbucktoo, I've decided I'll just wear something I already own. Lame. I know.

In addition to that drama, Husband has been scrambling to get everything ready for his first day of school. We fly in the evening before he officially starts teaching seminary at Mesa, so everything has got to be in perfect order. Hyrum and I have been helping as much as we can. It's been fun to decorate his classroom. (We'll post pictures soon. I think it looks great.) Husband has been busy busy busy between all his seminary stuff and Home Depot. He can't wait for the day when he only has one job, but he concedes that two jobs is better than no job and Home Depot is better than sitting at home looking for a job.

On top of all that, I've been trying to get everything ready for school. It's kinda depressing to spend $1000 on books, especially when you still have more books to buy and you just spent $200 on scrubs and there's a supplemental tuition for all nursing students and...and...and... Luckily, my in-laws decided to spoil me. As an early Christmas/Anniversary present, I got an iPad. I love it. I'm excited that I can tote it around instead of a laptop. It's also fun for doing things like say...updating your blog?

Then, if that's not enough, the A/C at our apartment broke. We woke up yesterday morning swimming in our own sweat. Delicious. I went to my mom and dad's house to escape the heat and Tony spent the day at the seminary. Unfortunately, we thought they fixed it, but ended up driving back out to my mom and dad's house at midnight because it was so blazin hot. All I can say is they better fix it soon because I have to pack for Utah and I ain't doing it when it's 100 degrees INSIDE my house. And hooray for having family nearby and teenage siblings who are awake at midnight to unlock the front door.

Mr. Hayden

2011-08-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

I found this picture the other day and it made me smile.

I hope Hayden and Hyrum grow up as good buds. I know Hayden is one of MY best buds. He's got an infectious amount of energy and happiness. He's a sweet little booger.

The Goings On

2011-07-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Smolder

2011-06-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Uncle Bryton calls this my smolder.

What do you think?

Marriage Problems

2011-06-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Looking back, no wonder our first year of marriage was so great. Tony was unemployed, but we always had what we needed financially. Tony not working translated into the two of us being able to spend oodles of time together. We could drop everything and go on vacation just because. He could instant message me while I was in class. My days off were his days off, guaranteed. We went grocery shopping together. We checked the mail together. We took out the trash together. We SLEPT together [imagine that!!].

Fast forward to now. Tony now has two jobs, and we still have everything we need financially, even without me working. Tony working two jobs translates into the two of us hardly ever getting to spend time together. We can't drop everything and go on vacation just because. We have to request time off. My days off are rarely his days off because he rarely gets days off, guaranteed. We don't go grocery shopping together. We don't check the mail together. We don't take out the trash together. We don't even get to be in our outrageously comfy bed at the same time because of a stupid night shift.

Last week was a rough week. We were short of temper with each other. We each expected the other to read our minds and then were upset when they didn't. Take these two instances for example...

Instance #1
It's approximately 7:25am. Tony worked a full 8 hour shift the night before and only got in an hour's worth of sleep before needing to get up again to be at seminary meetings. I slept and fed Hyrum the night before and I'm still asleep. I sort of remember a conversation that went something like this:

Tony: I wonder if I can get dressed and fix myself breakfast in 5 minutes...
Jeri Lin: [just barely stirring in bed] What are you going to have for breakfast?
Tony: Pancakes.
(This is a smart choice, seeing as there is pancake batter already mixed up and in the fridge.)
Jeri Lin: Do you have the griddle turned on?
Tony: Yes.
Jeri Lin: [totally unconcerned, seeing that the griddle is getting hot and should be ready for pancake making by the time Tony finishes getting dressed] Oh good. You should be fine. [rolls over and goes back to sleep]

Come to find out, Tony wanted me to read his mind and get out of bed and make those pancakes for him because he really didn't have time to make them and get dressed. He ended up putting on his tie while driving 70mph down the freeway and made it to his meeting just in time...

Instance #2
I had a rough day on Tuesday. I didn't accomplish anything that I wanted to get accomplished. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the whole wife and mother role, especially since Tony has zero time for helping around the house. I'm wishing he could read my mind and just take out the trash and recycle for me or something, but it doesn't happen.

Welcome Wednesday morning. He's sitting at the computer, right next to the recycle that needs to be taken out. I gather the trash, juggle the recycle, and try to look as miserable as possible as I walk out the door. **Read my mind, Tony. I want you to do this for me!** Alas, I take the trash and recycle out and I'm bitter.

We laugh about both of these instances now. Luckily, we both are unable to remain mad at the other for very long. While tying his tie at 70mph, Tony decided that if Joseph couldn't translate the plates when he was mad at Emma, then Tony Brown wouldn't gain any inspiration at a seminary meeting if he was upset at Jeri Lin. While walking back from the stinky trash receptacle, I decided that he really was a busy guy and it was silly for me to be upset because he didn't help around the house. I am perfectly capable of taking out the trash and recycle. It's not that hard and it's probably the most exercise I get all week. I also came to the conclusion that I only get mad at Tony for not helping out when I don't get much accomplished on my own. If I do laundry, clean the bathroom, vacuum, and load the dishwasher, I've had a great day and I love my husband. If it takes all my gumption to take the trash and recycle out and that's all I accomplish, then I hate my husband for not helping more. It's all or nothing for me or else it's Tony's fault. Silly. I know.

Anyhow, it's safe to say that we've both harbored unkind feelings for each other. We finally were fed up with not liking each other very much, so we sat down and had a chat about expectations and implementing better communication (not expecting the other to be a mind reader). We both know that things aren't going to get any easier over the next couple of years. The night shift is over, but Tony will still be working two jobs and I start school in August. Things are going to be a little bit crazy. We can't let the craziness make us bitter and upset at each other.

I've decided that one way to make sure I don't harbor bad feelings is to do extra little things to show Tony that I love him. When I'm serving him or surprising him with little things that show that I love him, I'm much happier. So, the first thing I did was I bought a Peanut Butter Snickers on a whim while doing the grocery shopping because I knew he wanted to try it. I made a little note that said,

Don't SNICKER,

BUTTER I love you!

I also splurged and bought Tony's favorite Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls. It's sitting in the fridge waiting to be discovered with a note that says,

ORANGE you glad you have

such a SWEET wifey?!

I love my husband, and I want him to know that I love him. He is so good to me. He makes me a better person. I'm so glad that we are eternally Brown!

Daddy, Pops, Grandpa, and Great-Grandpas

2011-06-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed Father's Day this year because it was a year of firsts. It was the first year that Tony was Daddy, the first year my dad was Pops, the first year Tony's dad was Grandpa, the first year Papa was Great-Papa, and the first year Grandpa was Great-Grandpa.

I am so grateful for the wonderful men that Hyrum has to look up to.

Tony is my very best friend and he makes me better in so many ways. I know that I can be a good mother for Hyrum because Tony is there to support me and help me.

I love my dad, Pops, because of his easy smile and continuous humor. He has always been my number one coach and supporter and I know he will do the same for Hyrum.

Tony's dad doesn't fall short in any way [besides maybe a few inches]. He has raised an amazing son and has been a wonderful example to us. He loves Hyrum just like a Grandpa Brown should.

Papa, Grandpa Shinkle, and Grandpa Burgess are Hyrum's three living great-grandfathers. He already loves his Papa [Papa tells me that he and Hyrum "have a thing for each other."] and is excited for the chance to meet his other great-grandpas.

Hooray for dads and for grandpas!

Nap Time

2011-06-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm a stay at home mom [at least until August when I go back to school] I find that I have a lot of time on my hands. Nap time for Hyrum no longer has to be nap time for Momma...not that I don't take advantage every now and again. So, nap time is when I:

1. Shower and do my hair [and believe me...I'm glad I'm back to styling my hair...the fresh-out-of-the-shower-and-into-a-messy-bun look was getting old].

2. Do the laundry. [How come we added one little person and voila! laundry enough for ten people?]

3. Do the dishes.

4. Read. A lot. I finished the Kingdom and the Crown series by Gerald N. Lund lickety-split. I recommend.

5. Eat too much, which is only going to be exacerbated by number 6...

6. Blog surfing. I have become addicted to blog surfing. The latest discoveries...

This blog, my friends, is sure to make me fat. Husband too, because he likes to eat as much as I do.
Chicken-Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls. Unfortunately, I can't wait to try.

AND

This one, fortunately, won't kill me. Mostly I just like to look at all their cute crafts and projects and wish...Wish I was rich so I could afford the supplies...Wish I had a good reason to make half the things they make...

Heartbreaker

2011-06-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Boy did we make one handsome little boy!

He's gonna be a heartbreaker. Especially if his eyes are blue like his Momma's, he's tall like his Pops, funny like his Grandpa Brown, good-looking like his uncles, smart like his Daddy, sweet as his Auties, and hardworking as his Grannie and Grandma Brown.

Baby Blessing

2011-06-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday, June 12th, we were able to celebrate with friends and family as we gave Hyrum a name and a blessing.

During His mortal ministry, and then later when he visited the Nephites, Jesus Christ took time to bless the little children.

"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God...And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them."
(See Mark 10:14-16 and 3 Nephi 17)

In April 1830, a revelation was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith which said,

“Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name.”
(D&C 20:70.)

So, today, we take our little children bless them. They are blessed by men who hold the Priesthood. Tony, Pops, Grandpa Brown, and Papa all hold the Priesthood and gave Hyrum his blessing. It was a special experience to have three generations of Priesthood holders surround our future Priesthood holder.

[Hooray for our little eternal family!]

Favorite memory from the day... We wanted our little Hyrum Joseph to look especially handsome for his special day. I had him wear a long-sleeve, white onsie and some khaki dress pants. Unfortunately, he hadn't quite grown into the pants yet. We giggled through church as we kept pulling them up and they kept falling down.

[Thanks to Grannie for the delicious meal she fed everyone afterwards. We had Kalua Pork Tacos with homemade tortillas (corn or flour, take your pick)! My momma is the best!]

Lake Trip 2011

2011-06-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite views...one I see every summer at the Gibbons Family Lake Trip. We love Roosevelt Lake. The sun (minus the sunburn), the water, the cool nights, yummy food, visiting with family, homemade ice cream...just to name a few of my favorite things I love about this lake trip. This year was extra special because we got to share the lake with the Browns!

Hyrum is Grams and Papa's first great-grandkid. Papa told me at the end of the week that he and Hyrum "had a thing for each other." Thanks to Papa and Grams for watching our little Hyrum so that we could go out and play on the water. Thanks to Hyrum for behaving himself while we were gone. And, as always, thanks to Grams and Papa for the delicious food, drinks, boat, gas to make the boat go, etc. etc. etc.

Once we were out on the water we enjoyed tubing and swimming at the dam. Thanks to Grannie for being our boat driver. Thanks to Keila for capturing some awesome pictures.

Probably my favorite part about the lake (because I can sit in the shade and avoid getting sunburned) is visiting with aunts, uncles, cousins, and now lots of grandparents! We had Grams and Papa, Grannie and Pops, and Grandma and Grandpa Brown all there at the lake with us. It was Grandma and Grandpa Brown's first time to be with Hyrum. We're glad they were able to come out for the weekend. We also stayed at a bed and breakfast with the Browns. It was a neat little place and we stayed up too late watching movies and playing our favorite game "Settlers of Catan."

We're so grateful to be a forever family! We're grateful that the relationships we build here on earth will be continued in the eternities.

Smiley Goose

2011-06-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Our little boy is becoming what I call a Smiley Goose. I love getting that precious smile to come out and play, especially when it's in response to seeing or hearing us. The trick now is to learn how to catch it on camera.

First we get the why are you sticking that thing in my face? face...

And then we get the Ok. Now Dad is sticking that thing in my face and I still don't know what I'm supposed to do face...

And then he gets the hang of it... Oh! You want me to ignore the thing you're sticking in my face and SMILE. I get it.

Smiles or not, I think our little boy is just too stinkin handsome for his own good.

The end.

What's in a Gnome?

2011-05-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

Time to report on the Dating Divas Romeo & Juliet Date...Husband and I had a lot of fun. We made homemade pizza (a favorite at our house). I'm sure Shakespeare liked pizza too, and if he didn't...oh well. You can only stretch the date theme so far sometimes. While we made pizza, we did a little activity. I had printed off a bunch of quotes from Romeo & Juliet. We took turns reading them and then translating them. It was really cheesy and sometimes just plain dumb, but we also had some good laughs. Take for example Tony's interpretation of

What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.

Translates into:

What's in a name? That which we call a Jimmer

By any other name would Jimmer you just as much.

Classic.

After our silly little game we watched Gnomeo & Juliet. It was a lot of fun. Cute movie. Way to go, Sir Elton John.

In other news, we're excited for the arrival of summer. Not that summer brings any big changes, just that it brings a number of vacations and lots of fun with family. We're anticipating the Annual Gibbons Family Lake Trip, a visit from Dr. Brown and Grandpa for Hyrum's baby blessing, a Shinkle Family Get-Away to Scottsdale, and a Burgess Family Reunion (complete with meeting Jacie Lynn and introducing Hyrum to his Grandpa Burgess). We may even throw in a ward camp out if we feel up to another trip.

Hyrum is 6 weeks old today. Yesterday (while he was asleep and I was making delicious Mexican pizza for dinner) I found myself thinking, "Wow! When did I figure this whole Mom thing out?!" The past week has been magical, if I'm allowed to use that word. Hyrum and I have finally figured out our little eat, sleep, repeat routine. This has resulted in me being able to do chores, fix dinners, and even squeeze in a little time with Tony during the sleep phase of the cycle. (Unless, of course, it also coincides with Tony's sleep phase.) On top of that, last night Hyrum ate at 9pm, 2am, and 7am. It's amazing how rested you can feel when your baby decides to eat only every FIVE hours instead of two or four. Although I have a lot to be grateful for in the baby category, Hyrum also has his moments, like when his diaper exploded at church. Come to find out, you shouldn't sit there embarrassed while your child makes rather loud pooping sounds in Sunday School. Instead, calmly get up, walk to the mother's lounge, and take off his clothes. That way, he won't ruin his clothes when it all comes gushing out. [SIGH] I still have a lot to learn as a mother.

Hodge Podge, Conglomeration, and Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink

2011-05-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Without further ado...

It amazes me how we can turn this:

Into this:

We've been helping my family with their garden and in return, we get part of the harvest. So far we've had quite a few zucchinis (pictured above) and they are delicious. My mom also made homemade salsa with fresh cilantro from the garden. Eventually we'll be able to make homemade salsa with fresh cilantro, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Gardens are wonderful things. I love going out on a Saturday to weed, cultivate, and harvest. It's quite rewarding!

Besides gardening, my new favorite activity is Tummy Time! I love cheering my little guy on as he grunts and slobbers and strengthens those little muscles!

Speaking of that sweet pea...he's 5 weeks old! We went in for his 1 month check-up yesterday and he weighted 10 pounds 10 ounces (60th percentile) and was 23 inches long (90th percentile). When did he get so big?!

New to my list of things to be grateful for are not paying for a tow truck, extended warranties, and Toyota recalls. On Sunday we were driving home from church when my car quit working. We pulled over to the side of the road, Tony took a look under the hood shrugged his shoulders ("I'm a house guy, not a car guy!" says he). Luckily I was still on my parents' home and auto plan so one little phone call was all it took to get our free tow to the dealership.

Then, on Monday afternoon we get the phone call..."We have no idea what is wrong with your car." GREAT. LOVELY. WONDERFUL. I'm glad it's going to be an easy and inexpensive fix covered by the extended warranty I purchased when I bought the car. Glad to hear it. Sure. You can take it to the Toyota dealership.

Luckily, Toyota quickly determined the problem. My computer had crashed. Luckily, it was covered by my extended warranty and all we would pay was the $50 deductible. Luckily, it was also covered by a Toyota recall and we would NOT have to pay the $50 deductible. Hooray! All is well.

On a completely unrelated note, I have a new favorite website.

[Note: This is a group of Utah Mormon women and sometimes they're a little cheesy and over the top,

but just take it for what it is...you can still find some really good ideas for dates

and other little ways to show your husband you love them!]

I'll get back to you next week about how our first attempt at a Dating Divas Date goes. It all started with a note in Husband's lunch box:

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?

Date night?

This Friday!

The text message I got at lunch time (1:13am):

But soft. What light through yonder window breaks?

Tis the east, and Jeri Lin is the sun.

[Like I said...cheesy. But you have to admit it's better than..."So what are we gonna do tonight? I dunno. What do you want to do? I dunno. What do you want to do? I dunno...]

Hyrum Joseph

2011-05-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Katelin is going to school for photography. She offered to do a newborn shoot for us and we were very impressed with her work. Check out her website.

Katelin Roberts Photography