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.

Mint Making

Have you ever tried Fernwood mints? Do you remember Fernwood's ice cream parlor/candy store? Fernwood mints were always one of my favorites. My sister-in-law, Michelle, has learned how to duplicate these delicious mints. It is quite the process. Steve's sisters, me, and his mom get together to make our "Fernwood mints" for Christmas.

Leslie, Grandma & Preemie, Michelle

New Tradition

Gingerbread houses have now become a new tradition at our house. The Ashton's introduced us to this great activity last year. As you can see in the pictures, the younger kids love it, and the older kids....well, let's just say they tolerate it.

The process.
The end results.

Mike loves his hot chocolate and prefers it to making gingerbread houses.

Winter Showcase

Lizzy and Ashlyn

The winter showcase is an opportunity for the ballet classes to preform. The competition team preforms later in the season. Lizzy and Ashlyn are some of the youngest in their ballet class. They enjoy dancing with the "older" girls. They preformed to Jingle Bell Rock. The girl's did a fabulous job. After the recital Santa makes an appearance, which adds to the excitement of the show and makes it tolerable for some of the young siblings who made it through the recital (Ben).

Christmas Dance

Christmas music

I love listening to the violinists preform at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The sound is enhanced with the wonderful acoustics, and seems even more fabulous with the beautiful surroundings. This is one of my favorite Christmas performances. Katelyn
Beautiful music