2-Wheeler Delight

Aidan learned to ride a two-wheeler yesterday.  He was a little shaky at first and kind of nervous.  But after just a few short moments he had picked it up.   Now, we have a hard time keeping him off his two-wheeler.  That's pretty much all he wants to do.  Go AIDAN!

  

  Of course Cole follows along.  Nice get up huh?

                                                     

Something to talk about..

What a weekend.  It was historic actually, as Dad and myself discussed, the oldest child and youngest child in our family graduated this weekend.  Emily (& Shawn) with bachelor's and Terri with a master's. May I just say how proud I am of all of you.  What an accomplishment. 

We had an awesome BBQ @ Terri's in spite of the weather.  If you're wondering why I don't have any graduation pictures to post, it's because I FORGOT MY CAMERA!  I was angry with myself for sometime (almost as angry as I was when I realized I did all the touch up paint in the wrong color).  It was a good time that Scott made even better when he gave me back my wedding ring that he'd sent to Boise to be sized (yes, I've put on some weight since marriage) Well, surprise surprise, he had the diamond sized!!!  It is beautiful.  He had a new center diamond put in that is so beautiful and had my old one made into a pendant.  It's all part of his 10th anniversary treat.  The only bummer is that the ring wasn't actually sized, so it doesn't fit.  He's sending it back to be sized for real this time. He even revealed to me last night where we're going for our anniversary- LAS VEGAS!  We're going to see "O" by Cirque du Soliel, and Wayne Brady and we're staying at the Bellagio. I'm very excited.

 So, today we went to lunch and the Dinosaur Museum with the Holyoaks.  It took some work with 7 kids, but I think they had some fun.

Here are Anna, Chloe, & Paige with some prehistoric creatures.

                          

Jenny enjoyed playing dinosaur, as did Aidan and Anna. 

   

   Aren't we creative.  

We had a lot of fun and that little deli @ Thanksgiving Point has some killer french fries.  

We also had some funny stuff said today.  

After taking Aidan's picture @ the Dinosaur Museum today in a dark hallway he said,

" MOM, my brain just made it's own dream after you took my picture."

While Scotty was playing ball on the floor with Cole Cole said,

"Stan up Dad".

That made us laugh.

The kids are really into WEBKinz. Little stuffed animals that you bring to life online. Aidan finally got his own and he just keeps saying, "I've got to take care of my dotcom pet."  It cracks us up.

Dad & Mom helped me raise my bed onto these blocks so that the bedskirt doesn't hang on the floor.  It's quite a change.  Kinda high, but cool.  So Scott finally hoisted himself into bed, laid down and said, "I think I'm getting altitude sickness".

Finally, as Scott was looking for some dinner in the cereal cupboard he kept pulling out boxes with just a few bits in the bottom.  Okay, so he pulled out 4 boxes like that to be exact.  This is his pet peeve.  He asked me, "Why don't you throw these away?"  I said, "That would be called wasting."  He replied, " That's not called wasting.  That's called TRICKERY".  

He got me there.  Oh well.  I made him a cereal suicide.  (remember when you use to do that at the pop machine, mixing every flavor there was to create a suicide?)

And to wrap it up, here is a bit of unbelievable news.  I took Chloe to Kohl's tonight to find some sandals.  She is 9, and in 3rd grade, and we bought her a ...

SIZE 5!  Is that normal.  WOAH!  I couldn't believe it.  She wouldn't let me take a picture of her foot so here's the shoe.  I'd better be careful or I'll make her self conscious.  Hmm. That makes me think.  Alright then.  Hope you all had a good weekend and congratulations again to the graduates.  

 

In a word...

a wink and a nudge

           

      

roly poly bugs   

                                                 asher caught a fly                                                                          

asher scoops cow pies                 

65 Unforgettable Years

Today is my Mom's 65th Birthday.  So I thought I would blog some great pictures and some thoughts that might spark a memory or two.

- Walking the ditch banks a mile a minute.  As a little girl you really had to jog to keep up with her ferocious pace (especially for someone 5ft.3)  Never mind all the dogs that knew she was coming.  Yikes.

-There was (and is) only one woman I know who made her own suckers, would get into full clown costume (desitin included), and come to your school/seminary and deliver them to your whole class.  Mind you it didn't have to be a holiday for her to make this performance.

- I haven't kept track, but I would be interested to know, how many times has Mom burned off her eyebrows and arm hairs and bangs?  Anyone?  And how about the time she burnt the weedy spot behind our garden and it got out of hand and took over that abandoned car.  

-No one ever taught her about stranger danger.  She'll talk to anyone- the waiter, the lady with the cute baby, the old man drunk on the sidewalk, the foreigner, but the best is when she talks to someone with an accent because she'll pick up their accent and use it as she talks to them.

- "The Obscene Phone Call"  This is a favorite of mine.  When Mom superglued her lips together (accidentally) and then proceeded to call Dad's office, only to have his secretary hang up on Mom several times since Mom was difficult to understand with her lips sealed shut!

-There's no one I know who can cheer as loudly as my Mother.  You always know when she's there supporting you.  (and she's no respecter of events either.  she cheered me with full force as I downed a whole pie @ a Pioneer Pie eating contest)

-Who doesn't like to start their day to Mom's version of O Solo Mio?  

What a gal.  She's always good for a laugh, a water fight, a trip to town, or flower shopping.

I love you Mom, have a great day!

Oh crap, this is a video?!

This is a post to reveal the truth.

We all make mistakes sometimes.

It may have nothing to do with your age,

or your abilities with a digital camera.  

Gunnison Trip

Today was the first time our family has gone to Gunnison (Scott had gone previously to check out this house and make some architectural suggestions, that the Deskins bought and now live in).  It was a beautiful drive and once again reminded me of home (Idaho) with the farmer's fields everywhere and a house our two interspersed.  The Deskins' house was built in the late 1800's.  It required a lot of work and dedication to make it livable, but they've done it.  It was so fantastic inside.  So unique. They've really tried to keep the antique feel in the house with appliances that are antique, light fixtures, and door knobs that are antique. I loved their personal touches from the places they've been all over the world.  One of the pics I've included is Lilburn's office.  He had his desk made by a man in Ethiopia.  He had pictures of Ethiopian tribes on the wall, as well as pictures of Holland.  They made us a delicious BBQ lunch and apple pie (that Cole couldn't quit eating).  We ate on dishes that Loy purchased in the Netherlands.  Mezeret and Fikert (excuse my spelling) played with th

e kids and are so sweet. We sat at the kitchen table and talked about Isaac (their son and Scotty's friend) and Scott and all the silly things they used to do together and we just laughed until we cried.  It was a great visit, very refreshing, and what fantastic people.  On the way home we took a shorter route through Genola (I think it was).  There is this road that is full of "tickle bumps" if you will.  You know those bumps in the road that tickle your stomach.  It had a ton of them.  As the kids hollered and giggled I got a fantastic idea.  UDOT should build a road full of prime tickle bumps.  It could be a toll road.  Families would go on drives to tickle bump road and UDOT could make it a toll road and make some money!  It would be called Tickle Bump Toll Road.  I'm brilliant I know.  Hope you all had a good weekend.  And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONYA!

 

Outside Day

Today was an outside day. It was so beautiful outside and there was plenty of yard work to be done.  So I worked on edging the yard and mowing the yard and Scotty worked on taking down our trampoline (if you didn't know, it blew all the way to the park last Fall and bent the frame).  The kids helped pick up the yard and played with friends.  We have no fences dividing our backyard from the neighbors and they have none dividing them from their neighbors.  Our kids are all the same-ish ages and play together often.  So they all had fun being outside together and running through all the yards.  They started this kite-thing to see how high they could get their kite to go.  Chloe retrieved some yarn from the house to add to the kite's string and they set to work.  They went out into the field behind the house to attempt it.  As you can see from the picture they were very successful.  They had a whole assembly line.  Someone letting out string, someone passing it on, etc.etc. (Chloe's in white, Aidan's on the left in dark blue) We actually had to have them pull it in because it was very near the power lines next to Redwood Road.  If you know where my house is you know how far my backyard is from Redwood Road.  Anyhow, they had a great time and the yard is on the up and up. Still lots of weeding to do and some planting, but it feels good to have it all the same length.  Tomorrow we drive to Gunnison to visit some friends.  Never been to Gunnison, so this should be a real treat.  

I Broke the Rules

We've had this no sleepover rule at our house.  The world just isn't the same place and parents have to worry about their children's safety at all times.  Well, Chloe wanted to have a friend for a sleepover.  She lives right next door. They've been friends since we moved here 7 years ago(ish). I obliged.  I know I opened the floodgate.  So last night they played the Wii, watched a movie, played with their WebKinz, came to the store with me, and generally had a great time and stayed up late.  It reminded me of all the MANY, MANY sleepovers I had with my old friends, Tonya, Shannon, Shantel.  It was so much fun.  It was fun to see Chloe enjoying something I used to do nearly every weekend.  (well it sometimes felt that way). Now I need to decide where to redraw this line I've moved!  

Bring on the Sun!

 This is the first official day of shorts and flip-flops for the Browning's.

Weather forecast for tonight: dark. -george carlin

Chloe came running into our room and whipped open the blinds.  No mind that Scott is in his underwear.  And there it was...again.  Snow, our old friend.  Spring....it's so undecided.  It reminds me of myself sometimes.  So I snapped some shots of my sweet daffodils with snow on their heads (I sound like my Mom right there, but oh how I love my flowers).  Ah well, I'm fighting back with my new hairdo- the Cali Do it's called now.  It looks like I've been at the beach in the salt water, dried in the light breeze of the ocean, with the sun lightening out the deepest red.  right?  Ok, so it looks like I'm a busy Mom who doesn't fix her hair, so what,  I just imagine I'm Mary Kate or Ashley Olsen and my messy do is totally the coolest.  

Happy Spring.

Happy New Do.

Be the Change you want to see in the world-Gandhi

So, I decided to change things up a bit today.  And here it is. The colors are kind of bold.  Hopefully it's readable and doesn't irritate the eye. Here are other things I've recently changed:

My hairdo:

 Shower, scrunch with product, let air dry, go (I call it the California girl do)

My razor

My running shoes:

 Too many shin splints, I finally gave in

My bedding:

 From flannel to cotton

My running philosophy: 

Just run as long as you're still enjoying it, don't let mileage rule your mind.

My piano teaching technique:

 Give more songs per lesson, allow them to play each song 3 times/day rather than practice for 20 minutes, this usually works out to more than 20 minutes, but they haven't figured that out yet.  Also, sit through their first practice after lesson, so they don't practice wrong all week.

My toothbrush & toothpaste:

 From electric to manual. (feels like I do a better job on my own power) Went to a whitening toothpaste.

Laundry soap:

 Went to the Kirkland brand powder with color safe bleach.  Smells great, does a great job.

The book I'm reading: 

Started The Goose Girl (thanks Kelly).  It's a good read.

My outlook:

On how much power I have over the "attitude of the house". My kids attitudes will inevitably change when I change my attitude.

So what have you guys changed recently.  Let me know. 

Sweet little gift

Cole hasn't been feeling too hot since yesterday.  

Feverish, complaining that he's cold all the time. 

 Because he wasn't feeling well yesterday we had to cancel some fun plans.  

The kids were kind of disappointed. 

 So today, as Chloe walked home from school

 she found some discarded flowers in the park. 

They were real little, so she made one a little "vase" out of wet toilet paper

 to keep it alive 

and she gave it to Cole.  

How sweet.

Great Weekend

What a great weekend it was.  As our children have gotten a bit older it has become easier to get them more involved in Conference Weekend, and even help them gain some insight from the speakers.  Overall, they did really well.  I tried to make it a special weekend and one we will always look forward to.  What really made this weekend great were the inspirational talks given.  There were so many that touched my heart to make changes.  Elder Bednar's talk about meaningful prayer and aligining ourselves with the will of our Father in Heaven through prayer was especially thought provoking.  Anyhow, I hope you all had a great weekend too.  Enjoy the snow!

Cinco Siestas

That's correct 5 Naps.  You see last night the children went to be around 10:30, much past their 8:00 usual bedtime.  And then, Asher woke up around 6:30 and the others followed suit.  So after the morning session of Conference (which they did very well at- I printed off lots of activities) I demanded that they all go to their rooms.  I turned the heat up a few degrees, tucked their cuddle blankets around them, turned on some soft church music and layed down by Cole.  THEY ALL FELL ASLEEP.  YES!!!  We all had a good 2 hour nap while Scott did some studying.  It was fantastic.  I do not remember the last time that ever happened.  It may not have ever happened before.  Happy Slumbering.

Mad Skills

We've got some skills at this house.  Here are a few examples:

Aidan's got some serious break dancing skills.  If you ask he will perform.

Cole's got some cootah (scooter) skills.  This new 3-wheeler keeps him a bit safer.  He was borrowing his siblings 2-wheeled Razors and going downhill.  Then he started to steal the neighbor's 3-wheeled scooter.  

The famous Browning stonehenge.  These boys are daily fort builders.  This is their latest idea.