Summertime.

Oh, what do you do in the summertime,

When all the world is green?

Do you fish in a stream,

Or lazily dream on the bank as the clouds go by?

Is that what you do? So do I...


(Primary Children's Songbook)

Which, incidentally, is a total lie. I don't fish (serious issues with slimy, smelly things), haven't had much time for laying around on banks and if I'm staring at the clouds then there is a good chance that my children are doing something they aren't supposed to. But the world is green and I do love summers with a passion. I love having my kids home. I love that every day is what the kids and I decide to make of it...do we want to go hiking? Swimming? To the park? To a museum? Bike riding? Do we need a slushie from Sonic or a snow cone from the scary shack down by the car wash? Do we want to get dressed? Now we do have our fabulous schedule complete with chores and "thinking time"...that has gone pretty well except for the times it hasn't gone so well but we have tried. I love the gangs of neighborhood kids that roam the streets all day. I love the doorbell ringing and the suspense of opening the door to discover what amazing friend is standing there and what proposal they bring for a new adventure or game. I love eating dinner at 7:00 p.m. and then heading back outside for the next round of summer fun. I love that the neighbors are out and we see each other and giggle and talk until the mosquitoes drive us inside. I love late bedtimes and no stress. I truly was meant to be a woman of leisure.

I love baseball games...whether it be 3 innings of Tball or a full night of the Salt Lake Bees. I need baseball in the summer.

MC kept me thoroughly entertained this summer with his first season ever of T-ball...he proved to be a pretty amazing baseball player. He always knocked the ball into the outfield and made sure that every time he got near home plate, it involved a slide or jump or other spectacle.

I love, love, love the time we spend with family! I love cousins and nieces and nephews and sister-in-laws and siblings and parents...love, love, love. And I love all the adventure they bring. Whether it is hanging out at Coates' house (with quilts and giant water slides and new patio furniture and Darth Vader helmet cakes), a delicious dinner in Chip and ML's backyard (bring on that delicious baby...not to eat of course...just to tickle and snuggle with), exploring the mountains of Utah, discovering new species of birds at the aviary, playing at the park or standing around my kitchen discussing eyebrows and facial hair, it is always fun and always memorable. I love it.

A new species of bird found at our local aviary!

Another new species...they kept popping up all over the place.

Tormenting the "free range" peacock.

Exploring beautiful woods and waterfalls.


Creating our own "I Spy" sculptures after visiting the Walter Wick exhibit at BYU Art Museum. This is MC's creation.

JC's "I Spy" sculpture.

Celebrating Papa's birthday with chocolate and grandkids!

My children simply can't get enough of their new nephew. He is adored and touched and kissed every time we see him.

Cousins...there is nothing in this whole wide world better than cousins.

More cousins...having a snowball fight in July. Only in Utah...

Pulling teeth...our boys were told by the dentist that they each had teeth that needed to be pulled. Chris told the boys he would give them each $5.00 and anything they wanted at Cold Stone Creamery if they would get them out themselves. It became a massive effort...I don't know if the money meant much to them but he was speaking their language with the ice-cream!

Always a couple of summertime injuries...take took a brick to the head and ended up with 2 staples. THAT experience could be a whole blog in and of itself. JC is FULL of dramatic possibilities...

Spending time with my family...priceless.

Homemade fishing poles and lots of creativity.

4th of July...one of my favorite holidays! Love the patriotic occasion, love the food, love the fireworks, love spending the day on the river trail and at the parade and in the cool, dark movie theater with silly 3-D glasses. Perfect day!

Grandpas. Need I say more?

A hike with a gaggle of cousins around a crystal blue lake high in the Uintah mountains.

And fabulous grandmas...a picture is worth a thousand words!

Ah, my sister-in-laws...I have AMAZING sister-in-laws. They are wonderful...but don't worry Courtney...they secret of the big syrofoam cup is safe with me!

HB jumped on our friend's motorcycle for a ride one night...this girl isn't about to miss out on the fun.

Here is hoping that your summer has been full of wonders, adventures, and much joy!

July 24, 1847

The day had to have been hot. It was the middle of summer in the desert. There must have been dust and sagebrush and a hot sun beating mercilessly. In the midst of this scene, a wagon crested a small hill after passing through Emigration Canyon. In the back lay a man. He was very sick and unable to sit up but he asked that the driver back the wagon up and lift the canvas so he could gaze across the empty, barren desert. It was then that he declared, "It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on."

This man, Brigham Young, and the first group of Mormon pioneers drove on into the valley, ending their long journey to the west. Over the next few years, thousands of Mormon pioneers would crest this same hill through Emigration Canyon and catch the first glimpse of their new home that their beloved prophet, Brigham Young, had seen in a vision and promised that it would be a place where the Saints could settle and "make the desert blossom like a rose".

What fascinates me about this inspiring story is that when Brigham Young was lifted up in the back of that wagon in order to gaze for the first time across this valley, there was nothing there. With physical eyes, there was nothing to see. And yet he saw something great. That phrase keeps running through my head tonight...he saw greatness where others saw desolation. How many times in my life have I written off an experience or even an individual because I wasn't able to see the "big" picture. How many times have I missed something important because I was only using my physical senses. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we have been blessed with the greatest of all gifts...the gift of the Holy Ghost. And this great gift manifests itself to us in so many individual and beautiful ways. We have been given spiritual gifts that help us see things in a different way. Not in the way the world looks at things, but with the potential to see things as God sees them. Can you imagine looking at people and circumstances and opportunities and events and being able to witness them as He sees them? Those early pioneers needed their spiritual gifts and strengths. Physical strength alone could not carry them over the barren plains of the Midwest or help them scale the Rocky Mountains dangerous peaks. They had to see beyond what their physical eyes could show them. Just like Brigham Young, they had to rely on the Spirit to show them the spiritual possibilities. The Lord would bless them. I believe this early group of Saints must hold a very dear place in the Savior's heart for the sacrifices they willingly made in His name.

Every year, on the 24th of July, the citizens of Utah celebrate Pioneer Day. We celebrate with great energy and enthusiasm and zeal. We have the opportunity to celebrate our beginnings...and not many states have a prophet of God and men and women of such great faith representing the beginning of their history. What a unique state. What a unique place to live. What an incredible opportunity to walk where these individuals walked and to have an opportunity to see some of the many ways and the individual talents that were used to make this desert bloom like a rose. With great courage and fortitude, our little family decided to celebrate the day at one of our very favorite Utah places...Pioneer Village.

It was a busy day.

First, there was the pie eating contest. Like any stalwart pioneer boy, JC decided to enter the contest and win honor for his family. He did us proud.



Next we headed over to the playhouses where the children love to play "train robbers" on the wooden train. Actually, HB pretended she was the server on the train and served the 2 train robbers a delicious meal of plastic baguettes, croissants, and broccoli. I thought it was the merging of 2 very strange imaginary worlds.

Then it was off to the blacksmith shop to make some decorative metal leaves and on to the Main Street parade. After watching a fabulous parade of pioneers and their decorated handcarts, we needed to get the ponies rounded up and the livestock in their pens. HB actually took care of the goats, lambs, bunnies, llamas, and pigs while the boys headed back for more fire and forging at the blacksmith shop.

Well, after chores, it was time for school. The kids headed over to the schoolhouse and made it just in time. Girls on one side, boys on the other. The teacher taught them how to raise their hands and stand in recitatory position when giving an answer or asking a question. Then they learned what happened when you used your free agency to make a bad choice.

First you end up on a barrel in front of the room with your nose pressed against the wall and your hands behind you. JC was kind enough to volunteer to be punished in front of the entire class.

If you choose to use your free agency improperly a SECOND time, it was back to the barrel/corner/nose thing but this time with 2 books in your hands. Again, poor JC.


If there is a third offense, the teacher would just smack you a few times with a paddle, send you home, and let you explain why you're home early. Ah, the good ole' days. Public education would probably see a major turn around if we could just go back to the old ways.

But the kids had a great day at school. Learned the Deseret Alphabet, state history, and got to write on chalkboards with chalk. In a world of dry erase boards, this was big stuff for my 21st century kids.


Well, off to the barber shop to get a tooth pulled for 7 cents and a shave then on to the bank for a withdrawl in order to get the candy sticks at the general store. Off to the apothecary for some herbs, the hat store for a fabulous look at the new hats, and a stop at the leather shop to pound some stuff into leather (not to knowledgable about the leather store.)





We visited the Anderson's at their Scandinavian home and helped them weave a little on the loom and then headed down to the family whose name I can't remember to help do the wash in the backyard. (One room cabin where a man, his 2 wives, and 10 children all lived snug as bugs. Actually, rumor has it the 1st wife made a beeline out of there when wife number 2 showed up. The 10 kids got to slug it out in the loft above the cabin.) We voted on our favorite handcarts from the parade and then immediately headed back to Main Street to see the "candy cannon". Interesting experience. They literally shot salt water taffy out of a cannon. How you ever tasted candy that has been shot out of a 19th century piece of war machinery? It has a really unique flavor...and of course there was a stampede of children fighting over sulfur burned taffy. Tears were shed, punches thrown, and T-shirts/pockets/etc. filled to the brim as children hoarded their loot.
Naturally, after such a long, hot, hard day, we immediately headed for the nearest Wendy's to get ourselves a Frosty treat. While we honor our pioneer heritage, we also revere our 21st century miracles.

We finished off our fabulous day with a trip to the Faulconer's for the annual pig roast. It was amazing! Christian had BBQ'ed a whole pig to perfection (literally...the head had been disposed of the night before in the trash can. You don't throw pig heads away in broad daylight!), there was a band, tables with beautiful centerpieces, and enough food to keep us happy all night long. It was out on the front lawn and we had a smashing time visiting with old friends. Thank you Faulconer family!

(I forgot my camera so I had to google "roasted pig" for an image. Remember...Christian's pig didn't have a head. And it wasn't sitting on the grill when we got there. The meat was divine but I had to separate myself from the actual pig. HB immediately announced she couldn't eat any meat that still had a snout on it.)


It was a wonderful day! Perfect from start to finish. Happy Pioneer Day! Remember who you are...

A Decade of Good Lovin'

On July 16, 1999, I was married.

I was 28 years old...the groom was 32. And I would just to like to bear testimony to the following truth...

Good things come to those that wait.

So began our big adventure on July 16, 1999 as we stood hand in hand at the House of Lord and felt that we could conquer anything. It was the beginning of a new journey, a new phase of life. And it was amazing. (I haven't even mentioned the absolutely fabulous rainstorm, the wedding party scramble to shelter in the midst of the downpour, the beautiful cake, wonderful people who braved the elements to celebrate with us, or the wedding planner that provoked my father. There were bubbles and a magical carriage ride and my father following the carriage and honking right when things were getting frisky to give us the keys we had forgotten. It terrified Chris. He kept his hands to himself for a little while after that!) Was that too much information? It really was a funny moment!



And here we are. We just get better with time. I'm more in love with him today than I was 10 years ago. I don't fit in my wedding dress anymore, I'm a little lumpy where I used to be smooth, and I still can't control myself at Target but we have such an amazing life! We have 3 fantastic children! They are such a great blend of the 2 of us. I am constantly amazed by the characteristics they possess and the joy they bring into my life!

We live in a great house in a beautiful neighborhood with kind, generous, compassionate friends and neighbors. We have family...lots of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins around us that we associate with and love and that are helping us to raise our family by loving and adoring and mentoring our kids in such tender, important ways. Chris has a job that he loves and is so good at. He is able to use his skills and touch so many lives in a meaningful way. I am able to spend little bits of time doing things I love and have discovered so many new interests and passions in the last 10 years. I couldn't have imagined where we would be or what would be happening but I am overwhelmed as I look around me and contemplate the joy. I feel so blessed.
And so today I celebrate my husband and my children and the eternal blessings of the gospel. I am so excited to go see the new Harry Potter movie tonight and hold his hand and share our candy. I'm so excited that tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day after that, I get to wake up next to my own Prince Charming. Our life together has been such a grand adventure...I can't wait for the next 10 years.

Happy Anniversary my wonderful Chris! I love you.

Family Reunions and New Found Confidence

Last night we attended the Brown family reunion. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant about attending. It had the makings of being a strange experience...large group of people I didn't know, advertised "talent" show, potluck, 3 kids with low tolerance for heat, mosquitoes, and strangers. But to the reunion we went...and what a fabulous evening we had!

We arrived at a beautiful home with an absolutely smashing backyard. Badmitton, volleyball, trampoline...as we pulled up, my children spotted 3 of their favorite cousins and they were off. I went inside to offer my meager pasta salad for the potluck and to get my name tag. I felt a moment of tremendous pride when they handed me the name tag with "VERA" written at the top. She is my grandmother and I have always felt so proud to be her granddaughter. I loved writing my name on that tag and having people know I belonged to this woman. Although I have to admit I sometimes feel like the "bull in the china shop" when it comes to how closely I resemble this remarkable woman. She was elegant, refined, polished, and a tremendous hostess. I am fashion disabled, put ketchup bottles and milk jugs RIGHT ON THE TABLE, and haven't ironed a tablecloth or pillowcase in my entire life. I have much to aspire to. Vera truly was a stalwart, strong, amazing woman.

We headed outside where HB immediately found a new friend that she announced was her "twin". They both had the same name, were the same age (born 7 days apart), had blue eyes, were wearing leggings, and had stripes on their dresses. I wish making connections to new people were that easy for adults.

We ate potluck, we met lots of new people (just a side note...this family is really good-looking. I've never seen so many handsome men, beautiful women, and cute kids! Although my grandmother was always a "turn your head" beauty!), listened to a loud but very talented sixties band, played basketball for quarters and dollars, visited with lots of cousins I haven't seen in a long time, and played badmitton! Then it was time for the talent show.

The family hosting the affair had a great big back porch that extended out into the backyard and was raised a few feet off the ground. HB listened to a couple of piano solos and then asked me what was going on. I told her it was a talent show and people were performing their talents. "I want to be in the talent show," she announced.

"Well, sweetheart, I don't think we can. You were supposed to sign up before you came," I replied.

"But I want to be in the show," she answered. I could tell we had just locked horns.

"Sweetheart, see that man up there with the clipboard? He has all the names of the people who are doing something but your name isn't on there."

"Oh."

I thought the matter was resolved. I turned around for 30 seconds to get something out of my purse and when I looked back, HB was gone. Suddenly, I noticed a pair of sparkly silver shoes headed up the stairs toward the "talent show". My jaw really, truly hit the ground. I beckoned frantically to Chris who was standing on the stairs closest to her but it was too late. She marched across the stage to the man with the clipboard and started having a conversation. I leaped over chairs, bounded through bodies, and ran up the stairs in time to hear the man say, "So you want to tap dance? Do you have any music?"

"No," HB replied.

I was awkward as I tried to interrupt the conversation on the stage in front of a whole group of people that I was trying desperately not to embarass my grandmother in front of. The kind man explained that HB was signing up to do tap dancing and it was just fine with him if it was OK with me. What could I say? I had a pair of giant blue eyes looking at me with such longing and yearning in her face that I couldn't say no. I headed off to the car to try and find a CD and a prayer in my heart that my daughter had somehow learned to tap dance when I wasn't looking.

She waited so anxiously through the rest of the talent show. When they called her name, she took off up the stairs and headed out to center stage with pure happiness written across that darling face. She stood and looked at me to get the music going. We chose Harry Connick Jr.'s version of "Supercalifragilistic" and off she went. That girl tap danced her heart out in those sparkly silver shoes. I was absolutely stunned. There were over 160 people sitting on that lawn. She knew maybe 10 of them. She has never had a dance lesson in her life...and I'm not sure where she even learned about tap dancing. But she danced her heart out. It was beautiful and charming and I think she actually did a couple of real tap dancing moves. Where did this chunk of pure delight come from? Oh, my grandmother. Vera. How fitting. What a perfect tribute. My grandmother's great-granddaughter got up on stage in her silver shoes with her french braids and big silver bows and performed. She made people happy and made them smile and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. That was my grandmother. She was always beautiful and "fancy" and elegant and loved little girls in sweet dresses with big bows and sparkly shoes. Vera loved to make people happy and loved life. I saw a my grandmother in my sweet girl and it made me cry a little. Mostly it made me happy. HB has inherited her grandmother's taste for fancy, beautiful, feminine things. She has inherited her confidence and fortitude and ability to make people happy. I loved every minute of the that little tap dance. It made my grandmother so alive again!

The reunion was a joy. JC jumped into a game of volleyball with a group of adults he didn't know and played with gusto. That surprised me. MC played with a ton of kids all night and had a ball. They didn't feel shy or huddle around my chair...they played and felt at home and seemed to just mesh right in. It may not seem like much, but I felt constantly a little surprised last night. And when I mentioned it to someone, they said, "Why are you surprised? They are with family!" Yes, they were with family.

What a surprise! I rediscovered the joy my extended family brings me, the eternal connections we share that I treasure and hold dear, the characteristics I admire and respect and adore about these people that have physically, spiritually, and emotionally made me who I am, and the gift that having family is. All at a family reunion that I was afraid was going to be a little boring.

Life's little surprises are amazing. I'm so glad I didn't miss it!

For photographic evidence of the aforementioned events, please visit Mo's blog

Greatest Father on Earth

I couldn't let a Father's Day go by (or at least not too many days pass)and not post something about all the wonderful fathers I know. I am surrounded on every side by fabulous fathers who do their jobs with perfection. Each of them do their jobs differently because each of them have unique circumstances, wives, children, lives...but they share so much in common that makes them wonderful fathers! I am so grateful for my own father, my father-in-law, my grandfather, uncles, cousins, brothers, and brother-in-laws. (See what I mean by surrounded?) But the one father I'd like to celebrate today is my husband...the father of these 3 amazing children we have...the man who truly exemplifies fatherhood for me.

When I started dating Chris, I was pretty impressed from the beginning. There were so many things about him that I instantly admired and the fact that he was oblivious to the fact that he was so exceptional made him even more desirable to me. I guess he just assumed that all men knew how to clean a house, take care of a yard, entertain nieces and nephews, change diapers, hold babies, open car doors, save money, make smart decisions, treat people with respect and compassion, etc. But I knew better. I'd been out on that dating scene for a few years and I knew this was no ordinary man. Matter of fact, 10 years later, that fact is driven home to me almost daily...I am blessed...and so lucky! By the time we started dating, got engaged, got married and finally got pregnant, he'd waited a LONG time to be a father! And from the moment that first baby boy was laid in his arms, he was a natural. Tender, loving, caring, compassionate, attentive...nothing has been off limits. He handles all the natural disasters like a seasoned professional...diapers, poop, urine, throw up, spit up, blood, etc. He feeds babies in the middle of the night (and during the day!), changes diapers in men's restrooms, plays Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop with the same ease as baseball and soccer, tells fantastic bedtime stories, loves adventures, stops what he is doing to listen or play or help a child finish a project, does fantastic birthday cakes, prays with his children, reads scriptures and holds father interviews and makes sure we have family home evening, takes his kids to see all the movies they are dying to see at the sticky shoe dollar theater even though very few of those movies are at the top of his "must-see" list, helps build outstanding pinewood derby cars, does amazing art projects, draws all the best pictures for the kids during sacrament meeting, colors in coloring books, celebrates achievements, geniunely loves to eat dinner with his family and ask what everyone did that day and how things went, puts children to bed, rubs legs with growing pains, potty trains children, makes mind-blowing Halloween costumes, and loves Disneyland. I love watching him give his children father's blessings, administer baptismal ordinances, and exercise his priesthood on behalf of his family. There is such strength in compassion and tenderness. Every child needs a father like this man I am married to. This world would be such a different place if every man understood what the real definition of "father" meant.

I love this man I am married to. I love watching him father our children with all the energy of his soul. I love that he never gives up and is ever seeking to learn and grow and improve. I truly applaud all he is and all he is helping our family to be.


I love you Chris.


Thank you.

Vacation with the family, 2009.


Hiking in Moab.

Chris is the man in charge of all birthday cakes in this operation. Every one of them is a work of art. This picture shows the pre-planning meeting where the children assemble and the cake is discussed. Sketches are drawn, ideas tossed around, and in the morning I am never disappointed by the masterpiece on the kitchen counter.

The "horned viper cake" for JC's 8th birthday.

The "Speed Racer" cake for MC's 6th birthday.

Christmas Eve in new jammies.

An "Amazing Race" cake for JC's 7th birthday.

Boys from the hood.

Out with his princess.

Showing MC how to boogie board!