Brownie Bites: arizona family

Showing posts with label arizona family. Show all posts

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Elder Carroll's farewell

We sent Syd and Parker off on an airplane to Arizona for Peter's mission farewell. It was Parker's first time on a plane and we just dropped them off curbside. haha. Baptism by fire.

Syd took this picture of the Grand Canyon.

Here they are at church with Uncle Clark.

! Cousins !

Jeremy, Parker, Peter, Sydney

I picked these two hooligans up on Monday and took them out to breakfast. We missed them and it was good to have them back!

I'm so grateful for extended families that are good examples and loving and supportive. It was wonderful knowing we could put our kids on a plane and have them picked up and taken care of with no worries. And that they could go to church and support Peter in his call to serve as a missionary.

Love our Brown family!

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Spring Break Day 5: Irrigation and temple

Tuesday was irrigation day on the Brown homestead. We've heard Sterling talk about it a lot but this was our first chance to participate.

Diverting the canal water.

Bryce is standing in the middle of the water, guarding the citrus pit.

After we irrigated, we cleaned up and went to the Gilbert temple to do baptisms for the dead. It was great going to 11:30 in the morning. Not busy at all! In and out in an hour!

Our completely "to-do" list!

Our final night we had dinner at Leisel's. Again, I wish I had taken more pictures. The dinner was great with a salad from their garden. Leisel showed me her latest crochet project, a blanket I plan on copying. And Peter took Syd and Park out to practice tennis.

By the end of the evening we were all tuckered out. The bottom three fell alseep pretty quickly.

Grandpa talked the older two into watching another movie with him. (50 First Dates, I think)

We were loathe to leave. Its a paradise out there on the Brown homestead. And the family is just over-the-top amazing. We love them so much! And Syd and Parker can't wait to go back for Peter's farewell.

Monday, April 2, 2018

Spring Break Day 4: work hard/ play hard

We unloaded our sleeping bags again and set up camp in the bedrooms and grandpa's house. Monday morning we got right to work in the yard!

Camille and Rachel gathered pine needles and other debris.

Bryce and Sydney helped pick oranges.

Parker really enjoyed his job on the riding lawn mower.

Soaking in the Arizona sun.

Sterling trimmed a couple of palm trees.

After working all morning we went to lunch at the greasy spoon, otherwise known as Pete's fish and chips.

We stopped by the cemetery and said hello to Grandma Brown.

Last on our list was heading to Tortilla Flat to eat Prickly Pear ice cream. It was pink and tasty but a little bland. But when you have the chance to have ice cream made from a cactus, you say, YES!
This is a picture Sydney took on the way to Tortilla Flat.

And the bathrooms never disappoint. I didn't see the men's bathroom but I heard it was even more scandalous.

We had a quick dinner at KFC and then headed home where grandpa talked the kids into watch Bourne Legacy.

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Spring Break Day 3: Easter Sunday

We woke up Sunday Easter morning in the hotel. And wouldn't you know it, the easter bunny found us, but instead of easter baskets, he left easter backpacks. (homemade ones that were super cute, I must admit).

The backpacks held a little bit of candy and a small book.

In no big rush, we drove through the beautiful Arizona mountains and headed for Mesa. We parked in the Mesa temple parking lot and listened to President Nelson announce the new ministering program of the church and Elder Holland And Sister Bingham talk about the new, beautiful way to care for our spiritual brothers and sisters. And also announce new temples.

What an amazing general conference with lots of amazing revelation for the world and for the church!

We drove by old family homes. This is Cecil and Marilla Allen's cabin in Pine, AZ. (Grandma Brown's parents)

And this was their home in Mesa.

After driving around a bit, we found our way to Clark and Mitzi's in Queen Creek for family dinner. Wish I'd taken a picture of everyone. But I did snap these pictures of my kids gathered around Grandpa Brown. Priceless!

Sunday, September 24, 2017

New England/Canada Cruise

Portland, Maine

Bar Harbor, Maine

Saint John, New Brunswick

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Peggy's Cove

City Garden

Cemetery for the drowned victims of the Titanic

Boston, Massachusetts

USS Constitution

Old Iron Sides

Boston Creme Pie in Boston

Inspiration for a new novel: Sea Glass

inspired by the Titanic, Peggy's Cove and the ocean (mermaids and pirates may also be involved).

On Being a Mom

"We all know that the early years of our children's lives are precious. It is when they are most teachable, impressionable and open to true and erroneous teaching. Our society in a rush to success encourages us as mothers to send our children from the home earlier and earlier, to involve them in more and more activities. Too often we forget that the most impotant preparation for success is in the home under the nurturing care of the mother. That preparation takes time, long stretches of time filled with the consistent, everyday activity of home life. The time we have with our little ones is short and should be guarded carefully."

Kimberli Robison

Kids Say The Darnest Things

Syd: All I hear when guys talk about cars: "G7XLT 1500 YLQ4XP."

And all I say back is, "I like the grey one."

(Apr 2020)

Sydney's roommates when she was moving out to come home because of covid-19:

"Coronavirus needs to catch itself and die so we can get our Sydney back."

(Mar 2020)

Syd: "I need to get the heck back good again."

(Jan 2020)

Syd (excited about a boy): "They should have a hotline for girls to call and talk about boys when their friends and family are tired of listening."

(Jan 2017)

Bryce (saying a prayer): "Thank you for our bones, so that our bodies, won't melt."
(Aug 2014)

Parker: "What happened to the rest of the cake?"
Mom: "I ate it."
Parker: "Oh, so you can just eat whenever you feel hungry?"
Mom: "Yep."
Parker: "I can't wait until I'm a Dad. Then I can have my cake and eat it too."
(May 2013)

Bryce: "I do undersault." (somersault)
(May 2013)

At a Jazz basketball game:
Parker: "How many people are in this building?"
Dad: "Probably around 20,000."
Parker: "I think Mom's written more words than that."
(referring to my NaNoWriMo word count, which was at 23,000 at that point)
(Nov 2012)

Parker: "Why can't we watch the movies I picked tonight?"
Dad: "Well, it's Sunday, so I would like to watch a church movie."
Parker: "Why? So, like, Three Amigos isn't a church movie?"
(Nov 2012)

Rachel: "When you said clean the room, I didn't know you meant to clean up all the toys on the floor."
(Oct 2012)

Regarding Sunday General Conference:
Parker: "This morning was just the 1st quarter?" (like a basketball game.)
Mom: "Yes, and now we're watching the 4th quarter."
(Oct 2012)

Rachel: "I don't think we should eat that bread."
Mom: "Why?"
Rachel: "Because it has a bad word in it."
Mom: "What?"
Rachel: (slowly and very ennunciated) "Bi-ki-ni bread."
Mom: "No, it's Zucchini bread. It's ok to eat."
(July '12)

Rachel: "My arm ankle hurts." (wrist)
(Jan. '12)

Camille: (whispering to mom) "Dad just said we are having 6 hot brains for breakfast." (he actually said 6-grain hot cereal)
(Jan. '12)

Parker: (after taking a gulp of super hot chocolate)
"Oh..oh..oh. That just boiled my apple." (adam's apple)
(Oct. '11)

Parker: " Man, Mom. You have a big job. Taking care of the kids. That's like the hardest job. Well, except being an Avatar." (Sept. '11)

Rach: (laughing) "What if one of our 5 senses was our pajamas? That would be soooo funny." (Sept. '11)

Rach: "Mom, can I have some strange cheese?" (string cheese) (Aug. '11)

Parker: "Dad, when I grow up, I really want to be a professional basketball player. But more than that, I really want to be a Farm Bureau Man." (May '11)

Syd's "Hug List" (the list of people she wants to hug when she gets to heaven. Sydney: "Jesus, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young..." Dad: "Hannah Montana?" Sydney: "I'm not sure she'll be in the kingdom I'M going to." (Mar. '11)

Camille: "Pop! goes the wiggle." (Feb. '11)

Sydney: "Parents are supposed to be my example. But the only thing I learned from you today is to come home in the middle of church and eat the donuts." (Jan. '11)

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