31 October 2024

Halloween!  This year we went with a theme for costumes, instead a family group.  It happened because I suggested that Mr. Brown and I could dress as the Men In Black, and Rosebud said, "Great idea! I'll be Catwoman, she wears black!". So "men in black" it was!

Mr. Brown and I dressed as the Blues Brothers.  This picture was taken at the ward Trunk or Treat, which I was in charge of, and I forgot my black pants in the rush to get ready.  People still recognized us!  We went to the APG trunk or treat too, and people knew who we were.  They would say, It's the Blues Brothers! And we would respond, "We're on a mission from God!" So fun.

Nut Brown opted for "George Washington in black with sunglasses".  He loved the powdered wig I bought for him. And when we went to the thrift store looking for supplies, we found a fabulous red brocade coat with gold epaulets, and he was in heaven.  But this is the "in black" version of the costume.

D went as a Minecraft Wither, which is a three headed skeleton.  This costume was really fun to make.

Catwoman was a little grumpy for this photo.

Rose Pink chose to dress as the Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride. She wanted us to all dress as characters from the movie, but Mr. Brown and I didn't think we would be recognizable.  I unfortunately didn't get any photos of her individually! She looked great, and made herself up to change the shape of her face a bit and have a mustache, which was really cool.  Anyway, she's in the back row of the group photo from trick or treating, next to the boy in the orange shirt.

We trick or treated with our ex-fam friends in the same neighborhood as last year, and had a good time. (Mr. Brown made seven layer dip for the party and made some blood spatter out of hot sauce for the top!) The weather was so nice that D ended up taking off his costume (it's a lovely warm hoodie) and knocking doors without it.  When people asked Nut Brown how he could be George Washington while wearing a red coat, he replied that he was dressed as George Washington during the French and Indian War when he was a British soldier.

Eventually Rosebud had to go to the bathroom so she and I skipped ahead to get back to the house sooner.  The big group splintered and people trailed back in pieces.  There was some trading when everyone returned and then we headed home. Happily, the school district was cool enough this year to give everyone the day after Halloween off!

Last photo: 

Nut Brown's youth group at church built a trebuchet this summer.  What use could that be? Well, it turned out to be just the right size for flinging small pumpkins as part of the ward Trunk or Treat.  Awesome!!  I thought this photo of Nut Brown in a powdered wig working the trebuchet was pretty funny.

29 October 2024

 Rose Pink has been involved in a lot of changes over the past few months!  She put in mission papers, received her endowment at the temple, and was accepted to BYU Idaho. She also switched jobs and is now driving delivery for Domino's Pizza. 

Her mission papers submission was quite a journey. She decided back in October 2023 that she wanted to serve, but due to various hangups her papers weren't submitted until June. After a few weeks, the response from Salt Lake was that she could serve a service mission but not a proselyting mission, which was a disappointment. She did go ahead to the temple and received her endowments in September.

She is amazing.  

She decided to apply to BYU Idaho instead, and was accepted and is starting there in January. We have been busy negotiating a ton of paperwork and decisions necessary for college enrollment. It is no joke! But we're making progress and I think all of us are excited for her.

She was really nervous about going away to hang out with strangers, but then she attended a YSA Halloween dance also with a bunch of strangers, and she had a great time. She said it was like her inner extrovert woke up again, and it reminded her how much she enjoys social activities! So now she's more excited than anxious. I'm glad, because the social life is one of the main reasons Mr. Brown and I are excited for her to go to BYU Idaho.

In summary, big changes for Rose Pink recently, and more big changes coming!

27 October 2024

This morning we read in 4 Nephi about the people beginning to be proud and separate themselves into groups, and D said, "Sounds like a civilization." I said, "Hmm?" And he said, "Social divisions. Yup." Sometimes it amazes me the things they learn at school.

25 October 2024

School picture time!

Rosebud making the smile she does when someone tells her to smile. I've never seen this expression on her face anywhere else!  She was very excited about picture day and asked me to do her hair in two braids (which you can see she has carefully pulled over her shoulders towards the camera in the photo). She also picked one of her Sunday dresses to wear to school.

D making the face that says, I wish I were anywhere else. He hates having his picture taken, in spite of the fact that he has the best smile in the family.  

In spite of the high quality of the images, neither of these are very representative of my kids!

22 October 2024

Rosebud wrote this hair-raising Halloween story at school.

10 October 2024

 A note from Rosebud's Activity Days leader: 

Bridey is so smart! Last night during Twister, it was taking forever for anyone to get twisted enough to fall off so I whispered to her "You can just call whatever you want" She seemed surprised at this as well she should be because I just made it up. But a little bit later I noticed she was still spinning the dial and I said something and she whispered to me that she had to pretend she was doing it! Brilliant!

This morning, hot chocolate and a chunk of a giant cookie for breakfast. The mornings after Activity Days are always hard because she gets to bed so late (8:30 pm).

She is so proud of her cookie - she earned it by knowing the references for Mosiah 2:17 and Matthew 7:7.

5 October 2024

 It's conference weekend again!!  I love that everyone in the family looks forward to watching conference all weekend, even if the kids are mostly motivated by the candy rewards for hearing the words on their lists.  Mr. Brown also gives extra rewards if they can give the reference for scriptures that are quoted by speakers.  Nut Brown has been memorizing scripture masteries for the past year or so, and he did really well with that!  D and Rosebud and I have been working on memorizing them in the mornings too, and both of them got at least one as well.  I love listening to the prophet and apostles speak.  Also I love Sister Tracy Browning.  She's been out here twice in the two years we've been here to do trainings, and it's been my good fortune to participate each time.

D's word of the month right now: "just like Buddy Holly". (song lyric)

1 October 2024

Nut Brown is taking Forensics for his science credit this year, and today they have a crime scene investigation. He seized the opportunity to dress up as a detective, and left the house this morning saying, "In a city that knows how to keep its secrets... Guy Noir, Private Eye."