Five Brown Kids

Christmas was fun. But I'm still campaigning for some family to come visit us next year. Christmas eve we took cookies to our neighbours and sang a bit of a "We Wish you a Merry Christmas". We are world's worst singers so just the chorus was plenty. It took a long time for the kids to get settled down and they woke up very early so Tyrone and I did not get much sleep at all. Christmas eve the boys made this stack out of all the presents that were already out. They were all very good about enjoying them without opening them. The kids loved unwrapping presents - and got great new books, games, sports gear, money for bank accounts and a Wii! They've been busy boxing and bowling ever since. Canadian Smarties from Aunt Naomi The Cleverlys came over for supper. They are the closest thing we've got to family around here and we enjoyed a pleasant evening eating and Wii'ing while the girls played dolls etc. Merry Christmas!

This is Tyrone's recipe for the perfect holiday breakfast 1 can of jumbo size grande cinnamon buns 1 bag of grapes 6 eggs 1 gallon of OJ or other tasty juice Cook buns according to directions. Wash grapes and put in bowl. Scramble eggs. Serve all with a glass of chilled juice. Perfection!

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas day!

On Sunday both my counselors were out on vacation so Tori and I were toughing primary out by ourselves. We had three teachers who didn't show so that made it very chaotic. I was conducting opening exercises and sitting up front, with the Bishop on one side and his second counselor on the other (they'd both shown up for the bishopric message) it must have been in the middle of a song or scripture when the primary door banged opened and I heard yelling, "Get in there, I told you to ....." I jumped up and ran to usher the kid into primary safety with one arm ("welcome, rough morning?, so glad you’re here") and push his mother out of the room with my other arm while simultaneously shutting the door. Whew! No drama quite like church drama. Once in primary J was safe and happy. Here are my boys at the ward Christmas party sitting on Santa's lap. Scotia will stand next to him, but that's it.

We had a fun Saturday afternoon celebrating Jaxon's big five! (There has got to be an easier way to make ginger bread houses than graham crackers and icing. We were on the edge of insanity. )

Today was the first day of Christmas "vacation". Which means I now have two wonderful weeks of kids home all the time, everyday. And we have no company coming so no distractions or possible babysitters either. To add to my season of joy, I found this lovely letter (instead of some cute Christmas cards) when I checked the mail today. I am a stay at home mom, I take care of my children, I help my neighbours, I pick up litter and put it in the garbage, I'm friendly to everyone, I'm busy trying to send good vibes out into the universe and in exchange the universe gave me a big kick in the pants. Apparently on my way to church two weeks ago I failed to come to a complete stop before making a right turn out in the middle of nowhere at 8:54 am on a Sunday morning. The universe taped me doing so and then sent me this lovely bill. As a stay at home mom and a primary president, I walk a thin line between sanity and a mental hospital - they should have a rule against this. (...

This is a family favorite and should provide a much needed break from all the Christmas treats! Hearty Country Minestrone 1lb italian sausage links cut into half inch pieces 1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup sliced celery 1 cup drained corn 1 cup water (i just dump in the whole can of corn, liquid and all, and then leave out the water) 2 (14.5 oz) cans beef broth 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil etc. 1 cup uncooked small pasta shells 1. cook sausage pieces, drain fat, add veggies (carrots, onion, celery) and cook and stir for 2 minutes 2. add remaining ingredients, except pasta, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook 5-6 minutes 3. add pasta, return to boil. cook 5-10 minutes until pasta is tender. Leave time to cool off a bit and serve with yummy bread.

Jaxon turns five today. But I am no poet, so I'll just say it like it is: He's fast and crazy! He arrived in a big hurry, just 15 or so minutes after I got to the hospital, he took his first steps at the end of 6 months and was running when most babies his age were still perfecting the crawl. He talked fast and furiously and could swim a pool length at 2 and a half. And now he runs so fast playing football that he scares grown men. You can only imagine the size and intensity of headache a kid like this provides. Three blessed things - he's sweet and kind, has a killer smile and he still takes a nap (which, as you can only imagine, a man of his energy level needs) Happy Birthday Jaxon Brown! You amaze us!

According to Scotia this is a "ladybub". "Bubs, bubs, bubs." There are lots of them around these parts. And anything brown and stick like on the ground is a "nake" and requires close scrutiny. Nakes and bubs. That's my Scotia.

We aquired this nice little gem at a Christmas party white elephant exchange over the weekend. Before we regift it to some poor unsuspecting fool we had to find a home for it. Shall we place it here? Or here? Or maybe Tyrone's nightstand?!?!

My neighbor brought some of these over the other night and while we devoured the whole bag I begged her for the recipe. It’s the simplest holiday recipe I’ve ever seen – perfect for putting bored kids to work. You will need: Large bag of small twist pretzels Bag of semi sweet chocolate chips Bag of red and green plain, regular size M&M’s Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil, preheat oven to 225. Place pretzels on the cookie sheet and fill each hole (3 per pretzel) with a chocolate chip. Place in the oven for about 6 minutes. As soon as they come out stick an M&M on each melted chocolate chip and as they cool they will all mold together to form this perfect little treat. You will need lots of time for cooling, or lots of space in your fridge - so don't rush it! It's easy but takes some time. A few trays of these should keep your kids busy for a long time!

Here's proof that Taye is an absolute angel at school (why not at home?!?!) Taye is middle row, far right This school has small classes and great teachers and Taye's class worships their teacher - when she says jump they only ask how high? (On a random note I think that is the second grade mayor sitting on his teachers lap:-) A great school is a wonderful thing... And to think that Jaxon will start in just seven short months.... Ahh it warms my heart.

Last night the kiddos and I went to the neighbourhood Christmas party just to see this wonderful man(and his darling wife)! Today after one long run, one tennis lesson, one game of basketball, two birthday parties and some covert Christmas shopping we headed out to find the perfect tree! We'll show you the finished product tomorrow.

After we visit the library we always go to the Fresh Market next door to pick treats from the plentiful candy bins. On Thursday Taye walked in and told me he had decided he wanted sushi instead, and then he picked out the spicy shrimp rolls. Mmm! That's my kind of kid! Of course Jaxon could live off of pretzels and buttered bread and Scotia can say chocolate loud and clear but one out of three isn't bad....

This recipe comes from the Orem, UT Park 6th ward cookbook and suprisingly it's tator tot and cream of chicken free. In fact this recipe is so good I would request it for my last dying meal. It's pretty ugly as far as soups go, but if you like cilantro and lime it's the bomb! Spray a large soup pot with Pam and saute: 1 clove of garlic, minced 1/2 cup chopped onion Add: 1 tsp chicken oxo 2 cans of chicken broth 1 4oz can green chilies, undrained 2 8oz cans white shoe peg corn, drained (Hominy) 1 tsp cumin 2-3 tbsps of fresh lime juice (or much more :-) 2 14oz cans of white/ northern beans drained Simmer gently and finish with: 2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken Serve topped with: crushed tortilla chips lime wedges fresh cilantro Mmm, mmm, mmmm...

So Naomi is having a.... You'll have to click here to find out! Due date is March 10.