15 May 2025

Mother's Day card from D

If I could my mom anything the world, this is what I would give her: a break.

Before my mom had kids, this is what she did: get a job, go to college, go on a mission, grow up

This is the craziest thing I've ever seen my mom do: throw holi powder at people

The best thing my mom cooks is: spaghetti (drawing of a microwave)

I know my mom loves me because: she puts up with me

I love my mom because: she loves me

This is my mom's favorite thing to do with me: talk

This is what my mom does when she's not with me: sleep work crosstitch other things

This is what my mom does to relax: talk with Papa, read, crosstitch

My mom is 30

My mom weighs 200 lbs

She has hazel eyes

She has brown fading black hair

My mom's favorite color is violet

My mom's favorite food is anything my dad makes

My mom's favorite drink is water

My mom always says "My favorite 13 year old"

 

15 May 2025

Rosebud's Mother's Day card:

Picture of me

If I could give my mom anything in thebworld this is what I would give her... $50,5,000 a mansion

Before my mom had kids, this what she did... married my dad

This is the craziest thing I've ever heard my mom do... dump a bag of powdered sugar on my dad

The best thing my mom cooks is... chicken noodle soup

I know my mom loves me because... she works hard for me 

I love my mom because... she helps me and loves me

This is my mom's favorite thing to do with me... snuggle and read with me

Here is what my mom does when she is not with me... work sleep 

This is what my mom does to relax... read

My mom is really good at... her job!

All about my mom:

My mom is 46 years old. 

My mom weighs ? pounds.

She has blue eyes

She has black hair

My mom's favorite color is greeredpurple

My mom's favorite food is ketchup beans

My mom's favorite drink is Dr. Pepper

My mom always says, You are my favorite nine year old in the whole wide world.

 

15 May 2025

Mother's Day card from Rose Pink

(Mr. Brown read her the template over the phone, and she made this and mailed it to me.  I felt very loved!)

This is my Mommy

If I could give my mommy anything in the world I would give her a magic Audi station wagon that never runs out of gas

The best thing my mommy cooks is: lebkuchen

I know my mommy loves me because... She shows and tells me every day.  She supports me in my decisions.  She trusts me to give makeup advice.  She encourages my hobbies.  She is honest with me when I have questions.

I love Mommy because... she loves me.  Because she is so strong. Because she does the most for me.  I love you Mommy.

My mom's favorite thing to do with me... watch Austen movies and judge the accuracy.  (Did they really take out that scene? -- I know! That scene is so vital!)

What does Mommy do when I'm not around?  Almost everything while I'm in Idaho, but specifically... waste away from red velvet cake deficiency!

What does mommy do to relax? Hiking, reading, nap

My mom is really good at... drawing perfect holly leaves in one line, cutting coffee filter snowflakes, listening and not judging.

All about my mom:

My mom is 46 years old

My mom weighs 46 kilos on the moon

She has two eyes

She has pretty hair

My mom's favorite color is green

My mom's favorite food is stroganoff

My mom's favorite drink is cold water no ice

My mom's iconic quote is "use your knife" "no more cups"

Dear Mommy,

Happy mother's day! Thank you for keeping me and not sending me back to the hospital.  I love you very much, you're the best mommy ever.  I see all the hard things you're doing now to take care of our family, and I offer my heartfelt appreciation.  Bein a mom isn't easy, and I'm so grateful for everything you do for me and the people I love.  You're an amazing woman and I look up to you and your success most days.  I love you, I love you, I love you  xoxoxo Y.
 

15 May 2025

Mother's Day card from Mr. Brown

This is my wife/family...old ladies...trees...children/A heart as wide as the ocean

If I could give my wife ANYTHING in the world, I would give her: a magic spell that would make trees grow healthy but very quickly.

Before my wife had kids, this is what she did... me! (oh how norty!) CENSORED also college

This is the CRAZIEST thing I've ever seen my wife so... she married me ;)

The best thing my wife cooks is... buns (in the oven) YMDB

I know my wife loves me because... she sacrifices for our family and puts the Lord first

I love my wife because... ANYTHING less than Forever is Not long enough

This is my wife's favorite thing to do with me: Wawa

My wife likes to...

Take care of old ladies

Go to book club

Solve problems in Excel

sit in the sun

visit her sister

(when she's not with me)

This is what my wife does to relax: read nap in the sun fruit salad

My wife is really good at liking people who are hard to love.

All about my WIFE

My wife is 45 25/26 years old

My wife weighs none of your business pounds

She has blue eyes with hints of hazel

She has brown hair with hints of silver

Her favorite color is SUNSHINE

Her favorite food is my cooking

Her favorite drink is a southern gentleman

She always says... it's time for scriptures and family prayer

10 May 2025

 Prom for Nut Brown!  He went by himself, in his spiffy green suit, and he was amazing!

and at the venue:

Prom was held at APG at Top of the Bay club.  So Nut Brown had an advantage over some of his peers because I could easily get on post to drop him off and pick him up.

He loves this suit. He's watching me type this up and commenting on what a sweet suit it is.  He also reminded me to include a photo in his favorite pose:

4 May 2025

Work has been wearing on me lately and I've been extra tired.  I fell asleep one afternoon and Rosebud brought her stuffed kitties (Naji and Kitty Caruso) in and snuggled them next to me, and left me this note.

 

30 April 2025

 

29 April 2025

 Rosebud goes to sewing class every Tuesday afternoon with a lady from church.  She's in a class with 3-4 other girls her age, and the lady really enjoys having them.  Rosebud is learning so much!  Her teacher also really likes to talk, and today when I came out of the house, I found Rosebud ready to drive off. :)

28 April 2025

D had a very ADHD birthday this year, which can be summed up by the candles on his cake.  Here is the whole story:

1. He asked for a special mini-bro night that was all video games, with pizza.  We planned to make pizzas at home.  I forgot to issue the invite until the day of.  This wasn't a super big deal, because mini-bro night happens every week.  But it was a harbinger of things to come.

2. We didn't get it together to have things to make pizza.  We also didn't get the mint brownies made that he'd asked for.  Plan B: Domino's and some ice cream from the store.

3. I went to a fair at the elementary school with Rosebud and Nut Brown at 5:30 pm.  Mini-bro night goes from 6:30-8:30.  I planned to order pizza at 7 pm and pick it up 20 minutes later.  I forgot to order at 7 pm.

4. I discovered that the wait time for pizza on Friday night is more like 45 minutes.  I got the pizza to the boys at 8:15.  There was no singing or candles and only kind of ice cream because D didn't want any.  D did enjoy playing video games with his friends though, and there was enough pizza that he could have it for breakfast too.

5. His family birthday dinner was on Sunday.  He'd told us several times that he wanted fettucine alfredo for dinner and we planned on it.  On Sunday afternoon we discovered that we didn't have any cream.  We had spaghetti for dinner, and promised we'd have alfredo for dinner the next day. (We did.)

6. We did get the brownies made for the family dinner. However, I discovered that we didn't have any candles.  We didn't have the right numerals for his age.  I improvised with what we had (if you add them together, you get his age) but I had to turn the 9 upside down to make it a 6.

So many things that were forgotten or made up at the last minute or improvised - it was a very ADHD birthday.  We sure love him though, even if we forget things.  He's such a wonderful young man and I'm so glad to be his mom!
 

27 April 2025

Sunday afternoon... the boys are playing Dominion.  They just bought a new expansion for it.  Rosebud is reading on the couch.

Later she and I went out to the back porch.  I sat in the sun and she scavenged in the yard for cooking materials, and clipped dead branches off of Rose Pink's rose bush.

 

27 April 2025

When D has run out of video game turns, he often looks around the house and decides to clean the parts that bug him the most, usually in the kitchen and living room.  Even though he knows there is no video game reward for it, he still wants the house cleaner than it is and so he takes action. 

26 April 2025

In an effort to be more involved in our community, we participated in a downtown cleanup and picked up trash for an hour or so together. Lots of yucky stuff - bottles and cigarette butts and papers and lottery tickets and so on.  But we left our designated area cleaner than it was before we went through it!
 

25 April 2025

Rosebud's elementary school had it's annual spring fair.  One of Nut Brown's friends was going to be there with his girlfriend, so he came too.  Rosebud met up with some of her school friends, so Nut Brown and I played some games together.  We like ski ball the best.  He won every time.

Rosebud got her face painted (by Nut Brown's friend's girlfriend)

 

They worked on wax drawings together.

Nut Brown volunteered to sit in the splash chair so Rosebud could soak him. 

We had a good time!
 

23 April 2025

Last night, D approaches the closed bathroom door to find out if anyone is in it.  He pounds on the door and says, "Open up! FDA!"

19 April 2025

 Last activity with Rose Pink was a cookout in the backyard.  D and Rosebud also took her over to the creek to show her all the cool places along it.  They came back with a shopping cart that they'd dragged out of the creek.  So now it is resident in our backyard, which I guess is an improvement over resting in the creek.

17 April 2025

Rose Pink is visiting for her spring break, and we are having a great time together all of us! Yesterday we went to Dave and Busters and played arcade games and then went out for dinner at Golden Corral.

Today we got up early (for spring break) and drove down to DC. Rose Pink and I attended a session together while the others went to the visitors center. It was a lovely experience for all of us. 

We ate lunch in the car on the way to the Museum of American Art. D read a book at school about the creation of a fabulous piece of artwork called Throne of the Third Heaven, which is now in the Smithsonian.  So we went to see it!

It was amazing. Definitely worth the trip. We looked around a little more but we didn't end up having much time because we didn't get there til one. We were in the car at two but didn't get home until 4:30. 

Right now Rose Pink and Rosebud are having a spa night. Rose Pink is such a good big sister.  Nut Brown got in on the action a bit too - he tried a facial mask. 

D is now taller than Rose Pink!

15 April 2025

Nut Brown has been checking out a tremendous volume of manga series from the library again. I think we have 102 items checked out. Tonight at family prayer, Mr. Brown began to read Moroni 10:3 - "And I exhort you, that when ye shall read these things..." Nut Brown interrupted with, "...put them back in the right order."

13 April 2025

Lately D and Rosebud have been very into rollerblading.  They've been skating up and down the street in front of our house, and getting more and more skillful. Last night we went for a walk, and the two of them were chasing each other and shrieking and having a great time. They were playing a game where the person holding the stick whacked the other one on the butt and then had to drop the stick, and the victim picked it up for their turn chasing down and whacking the other one. Rosebud would cover her rear end with her hands (while skating!) and shout, "Butt protection! Butt protection!" It was a beautiful night and we had a wonderful time.

6 April 2025

Conference weekend!  Here's Rosebud being snuggly with me on the couch in between sessions.  I've been sick for the last two weeks, so I spend a lot of time laying down.

And of course: conference ramen!

 

3 April 2025

Rosebud got to be one of the students who poured slime on the principal at her elementary school as a reward for reading the most minutes during the month.  She was so excited about it, but was disappointed in how quickly it was over.