Lunch is Served

Most of our best memories are spur of the moment, made up along the way. Conrad and Phoebe were over and Conrad wanted to cook something all his own. He loves to cook. Conrad cooked noodle soup and grilled cheese. Phoebe cooked Ramon Noodles with Larry. Conrad set the table and announced to everyone at home that lunch was served. We were all seated and that is when Conrad started to describe the food as he ate, like in the TV show Chopped. It honestly was the cutest thing ever! Afterwards, he helped cleanup...lucky for us, he likes to do that too!

Ashlee's Birthday Dinner

Ashlee's choice of birthday dinner went back and forth in her head the week before our family dinner ... cold cereal or roast? Roast surprisingly won out. Followed by a game of four square and chocolate malts made by Ransom... yes to fill in the cracks. It was the perfect almost feels like summer kind of evening. I think about life sometimes and the bucket lists that are made. My life is right here at home with my family and I know I am blessed. All of the rest of my 'want to do's' someday things just don't matter so much any more. Home is where your heart is. Mine is here and Tennessee with Becky.

My Birthday Brunch

I woke up at 4am on my 54th birthday. I have been reflecting a lot lately, but will save that for another time. I could tell that my being up was not what Ashlee was expecting when she got up about eight and finally Larry told me I should just go back to bed for a while. Phoebe woke me up with a 'Hello Grammie! Time to wake up for your birthday, you don't want to sleep this beautiful day away!'

I heard their voices before stepping into the kitchen. Everyone was there except for Kelsie & Josh who both worked all night. It was so beautiful! Mountain Man Casserole, French Toast and Caramel Muffins, Bacon, Fresh Fruits and Orange Juice. I felt like I was stepping into a warm hug and felt very loved... Larry, my daughters / sons and every bit of noise and chaos that each grandchild brings.  I feel so blessed beyond words and thank my Heavenly Father each day for each one of them. God is good.

Becky Time

My sister Becky is here for a week after the wedding and once again, life completely stops. Life is perfect. Today is our rest day from the wedding: We got a new bishopric at church with brother's Axelguard, Huish and Kidman. They will do a great job, though we will sure miss Bishop Brown muchly. We watched a movie, quick naps, crock pot roast, walk to the park, doughnuts (of course) and a good card game of Canadian Salad.  Larry surprised me and got me the set of Downton Abbey and we watched our first episode, leaving me to believe it may be a Downtown Abbey kind of week... it's that good.

I think they call this the spider. Conrad loves his Aunt Becky!

Becky has a new friend in Phoebe

cooling down

What to do on a hot Saturday afternoon? Thoughts of going to the park quickly went away when we thought how hot those slides would be. No one wanted to sit in the car for too long to go anywhere. We took a picnic lunch to Larry's Mom and Dad's and swam for a few hours to cool down... Conrad and Carter had chicken fights with Becky and I, then played Colored Eggs. The guys threw a football around and some just enjoyed reading. It was a good idea to go... then we had J Dawgs for dinner and Cold Stone for dessert. Heaven in a hotdog and the ice cream filled in the cracks nicely. Becky is going home tomorrow.

-Brenda

i'll have mine with an egg

Saturday night we invited Larry's parents over for a gourmet hamburger bbq for Father's Day... grilled onions, bacon and for those who wanted... topped with a fried egg. Apparently, they must have been good because it was pretty quiet until tummies were full. Then we talked for hours after outside around the table just being together. They are such a blessing in our lives and raised an incredible son for me to share my life with. Happy Father's Day!

-Brenda

father's day breakfast and home from camp

The girl's planned a yummy breakfast for all of the men to start off Father's Day Weekend with full tummy. Homemade French Toast with Caramel Sauce [like Kneaders], Breakfast Casserole and Fresh Fruit. I don't think we were hungry the rest of the day. The guys went off on their day and the rest of us were pulled into a water fight that Katie started until we were all wet, some more reluctantly than others. It was a perfect time. A tired Abby just got home this morning from girls church camp... her sixth and final year. She had a great time and will probably spend the weekend getting caught up on sleep.

-Brenda

Mikayla, Abby, Melanie and Madi