Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season!

To see our family's past Christmas cards go here.

Christmas Caroling...Brown Style!

Every December 23rd is the Brown Family Christmas Party.

This year we combined the annual Family Dinner Party with our Caroling Party.

Grandma and Mel generously paid to have dinner catered as their

Christmas gift to both the Brown and Stradling Families.

A FABULOUS idea, in my book!

Carolina's Green Chili Burritos, rice, beans, chips and salsa were the menu for the evening.

 Brian and Curt manned the cheese crisp station for the little kids.

 We had seating for almost 100 and every seat was filled!

After dinner, we loaded up Chuck's semi-truck with a huge trailer.

 Caleb, Clark, Cassidy

 Bennett and Naaman were our skaters...

they would skate ahead of the trailer and ring doorbells,

so by the time the truck drove by, people were at their doors.

 our awesome driver, Ron

(the rig is so big that only special licensed drivers can drive it)

 the whole gang singing, visiting,

and just waiting for the hot chocolate and donuts after the cold ride!

Here's the guy who helped haul the hay for the trailer,

ordered and picked up the food,

helped with the song playlist and sound equipment,

and a gazillion other little details to pull this night together.

We could not have done it with out Clint and Debbie and their family

who spear headed this great party!

 The MVPs of the night...Grandma and Mel

 Brett, Tia and Breckyn

 Isaac and Cassidy

Our main caroling destination was to Great Grandpa Breinholt's home.

We brought him outside to sing to him and let him see his posterity.

 Love that so many of Curt's siblings could be there.

We missed Chawna and Celeste!

LOVE this picture!

Until next year...

Whew!

We have 6 of the 8 birthdays in our family

between November 13 and December 17.

I like to think I planned it that way!

(Thank you Clark and Brett for being born in August and October!)

 Cassidy turned 18 in mid November.

For 3 weeks each year Haley and Cassidy are the same age.

(I planned that, too!)

 Curt was actually born on November 28, Thanksgiving day a loooooong time ago!

5 candles for ALMOST 5 decades!  yikes!



 Bennett joined our family 14 years ago, December 6th.

Haley turned 19 on December 10th and is going to live up her last year as a teenager!

Hang on because I thought she had already lived up her teen years!

Curt and I took Tia to lunch on her birthday, December 12th.

No candle blowing picture for Tia...I'm sure Brett took care of that!

And me, by the time my birthday rolls around on December 17th,
we are done with birthday cake.

Curt unfortunately was sick on my birthday, so I'm going to take a raincheck on 

the promised German Chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting

that will officially mark the end of the birthday season at the Brown abode. 

Bennett's Big Week!

Sunday, December 11th,

Bennett was ordained a teacher.

It was a special day for him and our family.

(We missed Brett, Tia and Haley who all had responsibilites
 in their own wards that conflicted with the ordination and
Mel and Grandma Charlene, who was sick from chemo)

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma for always supporting our family!

All these awesome guys!

Clark was able to stand in the circle for Bennett's ordination...

another family first!

And to top it all off,

Bennett gets to come home to this little guy every day!

There is something rather endearing  seeing a boy with his

LONG AWAITED DOG!

Then on Monday, December 12th, the big day!

Just to reminisce for a moment...

This was Bennett on his first day of braces in January 2009.

After 35 long months of palate expanders, adjustments, rubber bands,

wisdom teeth extractions, and patiently waitng for 12 year molars to grow...

Bennett got his braces off!

 Bennett before with the BEST ASSISTANT in the office...Haley!

 They are almost off!

 Yucky impressions for the retainers

 and AFTER!!!!

I couldn't believe how much older he looked!

One happy boy!  (not to mention cute!)

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving this year was with the Brown's.

Clark started the morning running the 10K Turkey Trot.

(sorry, no pics)

Grandma Charlene and Mel were awesome hosts!

 The food never disappoints!

Curt claimed himself the winner of the "Mashed Potatoes War"!

 Brett & Tia

 Great Grandpa Breinholt could not wait to get his food!

He was eating before we even got him pushed up to the table.

Clark not really appreciating my picture taking!

 The cute teenage girls!

 Curt, Celeste, Matt, Dan & Courtney



 Ally, Kinzie, and Madison

 Just a few of the adorable GREAT GRANDKIDS!

 The fabulous host and hostess!

These two are amazing...Grandma had just had a round of chemo a few days before Thanksgiving.

She looked wonderful and when I asked her how she was feeling,

she said "a little bit awesome".

Although not feeling well, she insisted on having Thanksgiving and Mel is always so supportive

of Grandma and our entire family!

We love them both!

 Celeste and Bennett plotting their strategy for the Black Friday shopping!

They scored some great deals at Walmart during the wee morning hours.

the turkey coma

Yummy, yummy pie!

Hot off the Press!

I have to brag...

My brother David has just had his first book published!

It is AWESOME!

To me a book is good if it keeps me entertained.

A book is GREAT if I find myself thinking about it days after I have finished reading it.

This book did just that...and then some.

It is clever, laugh out loud funny, tender, and real.

I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD!

Click here to read an interview with the author, David Clark

Click here, here, or here to order your copy.

and if you don't believe me...here are a few reviews:

"Clark vividly captures the perils and joys of early adolescence in the 1980s.

By turns heartbreaking and hilarious, this novel is a meditation on the meaning of sacrifice

and the transforming responsibility of familial love."

                                              —Angela Hallstrom, author of Bound on Earth

"Clark perfectly captures the torture and hilarity of navigating adolescence

and the perpetual change of family ties. Simply beautiful."

                                        —Bridget Verhaaren, cofounder, theliteratemother.org

"Funny, poignant, and hopeful. Clark takes Mormon literary fiction another big step forward."

—Richard Cracroft, emeritus professor of English, BYU

Never Say Never

You would think after all this time that I would learn...

I said I would NEVER have a December baby...I had 3!

I said I would NEVER have babies less than a year apart...

Haley and Cassidy are 11 months apart!

I said we would NEVER have a dog...and then this child came along!

He loved every kind of animal!

So, we bought him the giant bucket of plastic animals to play with.

We subscribed to Kids National Geographic.

We watched Animal Planet and every special on PBS that referenced wildlife.

We bought the documentary "Planet Earth" and watched all the animal sequences.

We read "Where the Red Fern Grows" and he couldn't understand why I cried.

But none of it was enough!

 So, we let him play with the neighbor's puppies.



We told him to enjoy the baby chicks in his Kindergarten class.

We let him participate in a rodeo.



We took him to the ranch...several times.

He was chosen to hold the lamb in the Easter Pageant,

STILL...it just wasn't enough and I was getting tired!

So, we let him get chickens,

 

 and more chickens,

 

 and a tortise named Ned.

He started a little business taking care of the neighbor's dogs while they were out of town.

He lovingly cared for Oreo, Zeus, Sundance, Barkley, Red Dog and Winston.

But, it still wasn't enough...and I am now OLD AND TIRED!

So, after hours and hours of research, begging and bartering,

 

WE HAVE A DOG!!!!

an 11 week old Goldendoodle named ECHO...

and this boy couldn't be happier!

Haley encouraged and paid for this little guy

because this boy NEEDED a dog!

Thanks, Haley for your love and generosity!