Winter Break

I love Christmas Break. At our house we take the "break" part literally. It is a time of no worries, no rush, plenty of sleep, and of course, plenty of FUN. We enjoy spending time with each other and those we love. Our break after Christmas began with a fun party at Aunt Jen's and then a trip to St. George. These are the highlights from St. George:

*St. George*

Movies

Shopping

Pizza Factory

In & Out Burger

Playing outside

Hot Tubing

Reading

Rest and Relaxation

Memorable Moments:Lizzy forgetting her travel bag. She was so sad until she realized she would need new clothes. Thanks to Target and their $4 shirts Lizzy had something to wear.

Ben dancing on a chair at The Pizza Factory wearing his "Max Hall Hates Me" T-Shirt when he realized the table across from us were BYU fans . Fortunately, no food fight, just lots of smiles.

Kids playing Bop-It in the car on the way home, wanting mom to participate, fortunate I did not participate due to blizzard conditions.

Almost earning my "driving long distance in a snow storm badge" until I reached Bountiful, accidentally went through a red light and got pulled over. The police officer was very friendly and kind. As I apologized over and over he said, "Green is go, and red is stop." No damage done I looked both ways before I went through the light.

Playing Outside

Figuring out the new Christmas Rollerblades.

Waiting for movies, Video Games, Reading, & Favorite Treat.

We returned home to a beautiful blanket of snow covering Bountiful. The trees were glistening with white fluffy flakes, and the streets were glazed with a fresh dose of snow. Lights were , shimmering and reflecting off the brightness of the newly fallen snow. Nights like this are time to wear your cozy, soft, furry socks, and curl up next to the roaring fire, drinking a cup of frothy, delicious, hot chocolate.

Our first day back from St. George we embraced the change in weather and went sledding.

*Sledding*
The cool sledders.

Ben and Lizzy sledding. Ben going off a jump (if you want to call it that).
Ben eating snow, the fashionable sledders, mom deciding she doesn't want to be a spectator anymore (not quite dressed for the snow, oh well).

Iceskating

Snowman

Christmas Day

Santa Came

Ben was much happier than he looks.

Favorite family gifts: The remote control helicopter and nerf guns were the favorite among the boys. Maybe Quinn didn't think so when he got hit smack in the eye with a nerf bullet.

Brunch was a success, especially with Grandma Brown's ableskibers.
Jon and Jodi gave the girl's homemade croqueted purses.

Tyli was happy with the princess accessories we gave her.

Kate and Maddie making Bella's Christmas brighter.

Christmas Eve

Unfortunately, many of the pictures from Christmas Eve have been deleted or lost in cyber space. You'll just have to imagine in your mind two wonderful Christmas Eve parties. The first was at my brother Scott's house. All my siblings and their kids get together for dinner, presents, fun, and a Christmas video about the Savior's birth.

The second party is at Grandma and Grandpa Brown's house with Steve's siblings and their kids. We celebrate Danish traditions by dancing around the Christmas tree singing Christmas songs and a special Danish song. We open presents, and eat Grandma's homemade candy and cookies.

Grandma's homemade candy and cookies.

It's still a tender time for our family.

A Gift From Dad

Thanks to Carrie Bears for making special bears for each of my kids for Christmas. The Bear's were made from Steve's clothing. They were each unique, representing something they shared with their Dad. All the bears had a U of U logo from their Dad's clothing. Mike's was the exception. His bear was made out of Steve's hunting shirt, a hobby that Mike and his Dad shared together. I hope that in some small way these bears can bring them comfort during difficult times. I want them to know that their Dad is always near watching over them. I tied a picture of each child with their Dad around it's neck with this poem:

A small bear made from my shirt,

To remind you of me.

I am with you always.

Though you may not see,

The twinkle in my eye,

As I watch you from above.

I am proud of all you are doing.

And I hope that you know,

My love for you continues to grow.

Love, Dad

We watched a DVD made from Jodi of their Dad, and opened the Bears. The holidays are still very difficult. We miss Steve and love him so much, but know he is spending Christmas with Christ.

A Special Quilt

This special quilt was made with love and care out of squares of Steve's shirts, and jeans. It is a beautiful, sentimental quilt. There are sweet memories in each piece of fabric. It will forever remind us of Steve and the wonderful times we had with him. We will always feel a little part of him with us.

Lisa Monson's GREAT assistance with the quilt. She spent MANY hours during the busy Christmas season assisting me with the quilt. What a sweetheart!
Tender moments, giving the quilt to Steve's mom and dad for Christmas on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Shopping

Christmas shopping can be a little overwhelming. You want to find the perfect gift for the perfect person. Fortunately, I had assistance from my helper Sarah. Sarah took two kids, (the older ones), shopping one afternoon and was done with their Christmas shopping within 2 hours. The speed in which their mission was accomplished might have something to do with the kids showing her what they wanted, and Sarah being a very decisive person. Whatever the case, they were all happy, and all had a couple surprises as well.

One day while I was working on homemade Christmas gifts, Sarah took the girls and Ben shopping. What a great break for me, I thought. Little did I know one of the stores on their list to shop at was Victoria Secret. The girls had to have perfume, and other necessities from that particular store. Being a smart college student, Sarah DID take into consideration that Ben was with her. She told him to close his eyes and sit in the corner until they were done. Ben surprisingly, did as she requested. However, like any 7 year old, he got bored and began to wander. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he wandered around with his eyes covered and closed. He had just ran into a display, when the girls saw what was happening and were able to catch the arrangement right before it hit the floor.

Ben assured me that the ONLY thing he saw in Victoria Secret was flip flops. Hmm.....I think had I known one of their stops was Victoria Secret, I would have had Ben stay with me.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Steve!

Yes, that is a picture of the kids in their "Max Hall Hates Me" shirts.

I think Steve would have liked that.

Temple Square

The stunning temple at night. Nativities, having fun,

the lights, family, Temple Square.

Happy 20th Sarah

~1989~

Sarah Ann Brown was born December 20th, 1989, at 12:19 a.m., weighing 6 lbs. 7oz.

Sarah's birth came as a big surprise. I had been admitted to the hospital for double pneumonia, and ended up having a baby. It was a little stressful, therefore, we have no pictures from the hospital. She spent a day in the ICU as a precaution since her temperature was a little low at birth. The nurses put her in a big Christmas stocking that was made for the new babies to be sent home in. What a delightful Christmas present. Two years old.
Adorable 3 year old.

~2009~ Decorated birthday room. Funfetti cupcakes in an S for Sarah (her request Si).

Grandma and Grandpa
Sarah with "the boys".

The girl's.

This is Sarah's golden birthday. The kids wanted to know why I couldn't have waited until 12:20 a.m. to have her. Then she would be 20, on December 20th, born at 12:20. What's one minute when you are having a baby anyway? We have celebrated Sarah's birthday for days now. She has been to lunch and dinner with several friends; her and I went to dinner at Market Street (our favorite); we went for pedicures; we made her a special dinner on her actual birthday (which was on a Sunday); we decorated her room; and she got lots of fun presents. Sarah is a delight to have around. Her quick wit, and great sense of humor makes our home a happier place.

More Candy Making

One of our favorite Christmas treats is pretzels dipped in Carmel and covered in chocolate. These are hard to keep around our house when we make them for Christmas. Fortunately, we only make them once a year, and we give some of them out as gifts or we would all weigh two tons.

Meagan and Mom making candy.

Santa Party

Santa made his appearance at Grandma and Grandpa Brown's house. He brought his naughty and nice list, and fortunately, all the Brown kids made it on his nice list. We are not sure why cute little 4 year old Audrey didn't make it, but we love her anyway. We had dinner, sang Christmas caroles, and Santa brought each youngster a present. Santa knew just what to bring this year to make everyone happy! Max Hall hates me shirts for all.
(Thanks to some very kind elves.)

Cousins
Santa, with his naughty and nice book.
Ben was very happy...Santa brought exactly what he wanted!

Boy's

I love watching my boy's together. Mike was fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with his Dad, and has been taught many things by him. Mike quietly takes care of all the snow removal and anything else that he sees that needs to be done. I never have to wake him up, or remind him to remove the snow. He sets his alarm, gets up, and gets it done.

Mike teaching Ben how to remove the snow from the driveway.

Mike wanted our "garage" cat to be warm. Snowball now has a heated igloo to keep him warm.

Christmas Party

The Heath's hosted a Christmas party for "the hunting friends". Dan, Warren, Justin, and Steve, have spent many hours, days, weeks, months....well you get the picture.....together pursuing their love of nature; love of the wild; pursuit of their trophies; or just enjoying one another's company. These are friends that we have known for years. They warm my heart with their continual kindness to my family. They have fondly included Mike in their hunts, and I must say he couldn't be happier about it. They have GREAT hunting stories, but I'm sure I don't hear them all. I heard that the adage, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", still applies in the world of hunting.

The adorable kids.