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!)

Ice, Ice Baby - Winter Formal 2011

 Winter Formal was held this past weekend.

Not only was the theme "Ice, Ice, Baby", but the weather was frigid by AZ standards!

 Ashlynn took Clark and they had a blast!

Their day activity was held last week at DeWitt Farms in Lehi.

The couples competed in different activities...Clark & Ashlynn won the egg toss.

So cute in their matching shirts!

As Senior Class President, Cassidy was responsible for Winter Formal...

theme, decorations, refreshments, DJ, etc.

She started planning months ago and did an awesome job on a shoestring budget.

The center pieces were twigs that she spray painted silver and then hung snowflakes on

She assigned, in advance, the other student council members

to make a hundred or so big tissue paper balls.

She was super organized and had each student assigned to a different section to decorate.

These guys did a fabulous job hanging the balls from fishing line

attached to the basketball hoops that ran the length of the gym.

The entrance to the gym...

Student Council already had the trees, she just added lots of white tulle to add fullness

Curt and I were so impressed with how well these kids worked together.

They had the gym set up and decorated in two hours...a RECORD for sure!

 The giant snowflakes were taped to the tarp covered bleachers.

Good job, Cassidy!!  Way to get the job done!

 Cassidy and Clark before the dance

 Cassidy and date David...don't you love the foot and a half height difference!

 Clark was lucky enough to go to his first dance with Ashlynn

Cassidy and Katie with their darling friends

 

Clark's entire group!

Now the mad dash to ask to Sadie Hawkins in February!

Last night Cassidy asked her date and Clark was asked

 by two different girls within a matter of 45 minutes.

Let the craziness continue!

18 Seconds of Awesome!

Since it is basketball season once again, I thought I would share this exciting moment...

In a basketball game two years ago, Clark's team was trailing by two points.  With just seconds left in the tournament game, Clark made this unbelievable shot to win the game at the buzzer!  

Click here to watch Clark's "Shot Heard 'Round the World".

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!