Lovin' it...

I only have one left at home exchanging classroom Valentines.

This is what we came up with this year...

 

My little charmer told me it was a hit!  Even with the 4th grade ladies ; )

I mean really, who doesn't love the mustache craze right now!?!

 

Love Day at the Brown home is always wonderful!

We order Chinese take out (but Cooper get a Subway ham sandwich), I make my mom's Cherry Torte Cake, I get a little bit of special attention and treats from my sweetie, my sweetie and kids get a little something from me.  This year is was ties for the boys and a cool owl ring for my only girl.

 

And I added some Valentine decor to my usual set up.

I printed out this *LOVE makes a beautiful ride* print and also a vintage Valentine card.  I framed them up and here you go...

My *tiny heart trio* is simply a red piece of scrap card stock and pale pink tiny hearts punched from some old paint chip samples.

 

And to wrap things up ~ Maddie went to Morp with one of her best friends since the 3rd grade.  It was a 50's theme and they looked darling.  Once upon a time these two had a big time crush on each other.  They even exchanged Valentines with x's and o's all over them.  All that has faded away and now they know the sweetness of a wonderful friendship.

LOVE is a beautiful ride!
 

Love, naturally

So years ago my little boys would bring me surprises they had found along the way. 

Along any way.

Along a walk,
Along a road,
Along a fence,
Along a yard.

But not just any surprise.

These surprises always had a certain shape and they would bring them to me gently (or not so gently) squeezed between two dirty little palms and reveal the gift inside with such excitement. 

This is my collection so far...

 It's my "love" collection.
All made by nature.

Even the little piece of glass Cooper found years ago was naturally shaped like a heart.

 

 

 

My most recent addition was given to me just a couple days ago.

My 14 year old son came home from school and found this along the way and placed it beside me while I was working at the kitchen table.

His hands were not so little or so dirty.  Kinda tugs at my heart strings.

 

Naturally ~ love is wonderful.

 

 

 

 



Young love...

A few nights ago our family was sitting together catching up on a recorded show when suddenly...

Ding Dong!

Cooper jumped up to get the door (he always does) and when he opened it up you could hear a truck load of 4th grade girls screaming...

"Happy Valentines Day Cooper!"

And left behind were a bunch of scattered paper hearts that covered the porch and a red headed darling that just said...

"This is the most embarrassing thing ever!"







Honestly though...I'd fall for this guy too!

 

Playing post at 5' 8"... maybe 5' 8 1/2"

It's really an oxymoron because you normally don't see post players at that size.  At least not if you play for the Highland Lady Hawks basketball team.  No, the girls that play post at Highland are 6' or taller.

 

Except for Maddison and she has done it four years.

A year on the Freshman team.

Two years on the JV team.

And currently on the Varsity team.

 

The season is winding down.

They are undefeated in regular season play and thus far in Regionals as well.  They have the Championship game left to go tomorrow night and then it's on to the State Tournament.

 

Pink game ~ Fight for a cure!

 

And here's a little story about friendship and its true definition.

 

These are the two M. Brown basketball players for the Lady Hawks...

Megan and Maddie.

 

They have played bball together since the 7th grade. Well, Maddie was only the team manager that first year but she practiced and worked out right along side Megan. They were the same size then. Tall for their age and equally athletic. They joined forces on the 8th grade junior high team and became the 8th grade Junior High District Champs that year. The seasons come and go and every year they work hard and cheer each other on. Megan has always been a starter. Maddison has always come off the bench. Maddie debated on whether or not to play her Senior year. She tried out and Coach Webster told her he wasn't quite sure what her role on the team would be. You see, there were 4 other post players (3 being Seniors) that were 6' tall (at least) and quite talented that would get most of the game time minutes. Maddie went back and forth to try and decide if all the time, work, effort, aches and pains would be worth it.  Well, she made her decision and here she is giving it all she has whether she gets on the court or not.  A couple weeks ago as Coach was talking to the girls before a game, he told Maddie "you'll be starting tonight."  Maddie said she just froze, looked at Coach and said "HUH???"  He replied "let's just say you have a really great friend."  And with that Maddie got to start and went on to play her best game yet.  Come to find out Megan had approached Coach before the game and told him "Maddie is a Senior and deserves to start.  She can have my spot tonight."

 

And that is friendship ~ unselfish, kind and motivated by love. 

Senior Night ~ Congrats Sis!

Senior Night ~ Peyton's sign for Maddie is the best!  Flashing lights and all!

Senior Night ~ Maddie and Valoo, campus security beast and every student's friend

 

 

 100 % free throw percentage for the season!

 

waiting to take the court

 

Coach Webster and his girls after his 700th win.  Players past and present.

Maddie and the other six seniors.  She is on the left side of the second "0" in the 700.

 

Coach Webster reaches an amazing achievement. 700 wins makes him only the 2nd girls high school basketball coach in Arizona to reach this mark.  The 4th coach, girls or boys.  Everyone wants to play for Webster.  He's a big deal here in high school basketball.  He loves his girls and gets the very most out of them.

 

Let's keep on rollin' Maddie!

Preparing...

 We are getting ready for an Eagle Court of Honor for someone pretty AWESOME...

 

That would be this guy.

 

 

He completed the required 21 merit badges to earn the rank of Eagle but went a bit above and beyond.  Davis has 45 merit badges (I have yet to sew the 45th on his sash as it's my least favorite part) and he is already waiting the required time to receive his first Palm.

 

He is scouter extraordinaire!!

When pressed to name is favorite and least favorite merit badges, he told me that earning the Canoeing merit badge at his last Scout Camp was a lot of fun.  Hard work but definitely fun.  Then he said, in almost a whisper, that earning the Citizenship merit badges was probably his least favorite.
And that's totally okay by me, my boy!

a few days in Vegas was enough...

The Lady Hawks had a basketball tournament in Vegas over the break and so we made a little road trip.

We stayed at a Station hotel about 20 minutes away from the lights and noise and ummmm...all that other stuff that comes with the Strip.

The girls played two games each day - morning and afternoon.  That's a lot of basketball.
But that also makes for a lot of time to kill.

So one afternoon we ventured out and found the Gold & Silver Pawn shop.
You know...the one from TV.  We were hoping for a Chumlee sighting, but no.  The line of people waiting to go inside was crazy!  Guess we aren't the only ones that watch the History Channel.



We tried to visit the Strip on another afternoon because Maddison wanted to see the Bellagio fountain show and the boys wanted to visit the huge M&M store.  Fail on both accounts.  The crowds were hard to maneuver, the temperature was unbearably cold, the fountain show never went off and at every glance there was filth staring my family in the face.  Call me naive or tell me "you live in a bubble", but I honestly thought that during the middle of the day we could make our way a short distance down the Strip without too much distraction.

Now that being said...
 I am not without understanding
and
I am totally aware of the Vegas environment.
Before we started off on the afternoon adventure I did warn my kids, my boys specifically, that they would likely see things that we do not condone or support or encourage or seek after or any of that stuff but they would have to avert their eyes the best they could. I knew they would see it, I just wanted them to be prepared and be ready with the courage to do their best to avoid it.  I wasn't ready for what we saw in broad daylight. I felt I had let my boys down.  I had thrown them to the wolves and it hurt my heart.  But I noted their silent courage to look away and do what they could.

Goodness, all we wanted to do was see some fountains and buy a treat. 

Sooooo...
We spent most of our time inside the hotel and passed the time bowling, relaxing, snacking and watching lots of basketball.

 These boys love their big Sis :)
 

 The girls ended up 5 and 1 in the tournament.
Way to go Hawks!

It was fun to follow them to Vegas but I was ready to get back to my comfortable bubble.
 Thank you very much.

Traditions are worth it...

Christmas with the Slade family goes together like...
peanut butter and jelly,
biscuits and gravy,
chips and dip,
fish and chips,
cherry coke and popcorn,
(I must be hungry...)
hugs and kisses,
Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl,
Winnie and Piglet,
Barbie and Ken,
Aragorn and Arwen!

Well, you get the idea :)

So it's only fitting that Elliott's first ball and glove should come from the Brownies.

 Traditions are sooooo worth it!

It was lovely...

Celebrating Christmas with my little family is one of my favorite things.
We are blessed and I'm filled with gratitude.
 

I couldn't be happier...

I don't know who was more excited for this semester to end...me or my kids.

But it is finally done.

Can I get a Hallelujah?!?!

Brent and I took the kids to lunch for a congratulatory round of rootbeer and pizza :)

 

And then the "jumping for joy" pictures for mom...

(my clever editing of bare tummies is great, huh??)

 

 

Time for relaxing,

laughing,

hanging out-ing,

good food eating,

italian soda drinking

and good ol' celebrating!

Another season under way...

Maddison is playing on the Varsity Lady Hawks basketball team this year and doing so gives me the honor of hosting a team dinner for the girls before one of their games.

We made lots of food and by the time it was all said and done, there wasn't even a lettuce leaf left.  These girls can put away some food!

 

They are a great group of girls...fierce and unforgivable on the court (12 -1 this season so far) and kind and beautiful and absolutely hilarious off the court.  The ringing of uncontrollable laughter that filled my home that afternoon was so fun.

The day after Christmas the team is off to compete in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.  We are having lots of fun following the team around and cheering them on. 

Let's go Lady Hawks!!

My Marvelous Middle child...

Davis breaks the mold.  Or at least the stereotypical one.

He is definitely NOT the typical middle child.

Although I have often thought "does he get as much attention as his older sister and younger brother?" he manages to ease my worries.

Heavenly Father blessed him with quite confidence and a sense of value that makes him stand taller.

And I'm really enjoying his subtle sense of humor.  He makes me laugh and who doesn't love that attribute!

 

 

Davis played 8th grade football and once again was the go to guy to hike the ball. He also played just as much on the defensive side of the ball and was a co-captain.

He was fun to watch but I have to say I'm not sure about Freshman football next year.  He's really excited and so is his dad and little brother but as the mom, my stomach is already churning.

 

At the end of the season the team gathered together for recognition and such.  They give an award for athletic performance and another called The Hurricane Award.  It goes to a player who shows leadership on and off the field, who respects his teammates, classmates and teachers, who achieves academically and who represents the school well. Coach handed the award to Davis and said that when Davis was on the field, he felt he had a coach on the field as well and thanked him for all he brought to the program.

 

My heart was bursting!

 

 

A couple weeks ago Davis turned 14.

Getting a shotgun was about as awesome as it gets. (apparently)

 

 

When we asked D what he wanted to do for his birthday all he said was, "shoot my new gun."

 

So that's what we did.

Our very invested Home Teacher took us out to a remote location and let the boys have their way with a box of clay pigeons, countless rounds of ammo and a tailgate off his truck.

 

 

On our way to dinner there was a gorgeous sunset full of unbelievable color that spread across the sky.  I mentioned it to my car full of boys (maddie had to work) and Davis said it was the perfect way to end his birthday.  To myself I said it was a gift to me, to remind me of the incredible son I was blessed with 14 years ago.

 

Happy Birthday big D!

I made a great decision last year.

Two trees!  Two trees!

One real and warmly adorned in the family room and one fake and standing regal in the living room.

 

I love, love, love that we have always had a real Christmas tree.

Nothing beats it.  The smell, the look, the nostalgia.

I grew up with real trees ~ sometimes flocked, sometimes not, and sometimes with lots of tinsel.

When I was little OH! how I loved the tinsel.

 

When Brent and I were married, I was adopted into the tradition of going up to Apple Hill in CA to find and cut down our tree. 

 

These are such happy, warm memories that are mostly about our kids being little again and the magic and wonder of the season shining in their innocent eyes.  And Grandma Joyce...passing around the hot cocoa or snuggling up with a grandchild to keep away the shivers.

 

Getting the tree from CA to Utah or Arizona was always an adventure.  One year, as we were speeding down the freeway, our tree flew off the roof of our van and bounced along the road.  Branches breaking free and poor, unsuspecting travelers luckily (and thankfully) dodging the 7 ft. green mass of pines and cones.  Another year, at a Utah tree farm this time, we cut our trees down in massive amounts of snow.  There was so much snow, if fact, that you couldn't tell what shape or condition the tree was actually in.  We would shake the snow from the branches as best we could and the little cousins would shout "that one looks good" and we'd let the axes fly.  Uncle Tom's was so bad that year that he had to take carpenter nails at least six inches long and pound the tree stand through the carpet and into his floor boards just to keep the thing from toppling over!  I laugh now at the sight : )

 

Although our trips to Apple Hill have diminished, we still keep the tradition of finding and bringing home a real tree.  It's a favorite part of Christmas for me. 

 

 

So we found our tree for Christmas 2012.

 

It is a fragrant bundle of noble branches with warm golden lights and all of our family ornaments collected and handmade over the years. There is even one that Joyce kept.  A handmade little drum that Brent made in 1974 and he proudly places on the tree each year.

 

 

 

 

And the other...

 

One of my vivid childhood memories is the Christmases of blue and silver.  It's what Mom loved.

At sometime in my life I promised myself I would have a Christmas of blue and silver.

 

And that sometime began last year...

 

 

 

Have yourself a very merry Christmas!