The GramGoo Blog

December in Nepal

2012-01-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Nepal after Thanksgiving to work again with Rakesh Hamal, the Deppong's and the Esplin's to do two trainings, one in Kathmandu and the second in Chitwan to the southwest.

A Class Participant named Kalpana

Gene and Pauline Esplin Debbie and Ollie Deppong

Tyler Huish was the other Trainer.

I'm Delinquent in Keeping up my Blog Reports!

2012-01-16T14:10:00.002-07:00

We did a second training with the Larson's down south in Kuching.

Alan Nybo was the other PT that joined us for these two trainings. Unfortunately for Kim, he got Malaria in Malaysia and had a rough last week of our training and felt pretty rocky on our trip home to Utah where we only had 8 days to spend over Thanksgiving to be with our family and help his recuperate before our trip to Nepal!

Wheelchair Training session In Kota Kinabalu

2011-11-15T01:54:00.000-07:00

Memorable Malaysia

2011-11-04T02:14:00.000-06:00

We have just finished our first training seminar in West Malaysia and have come to love and appreciate the beautiful people of Malaysia. Our partners are Cheshire Homes and the Malaysia Council of Rehabilitation and we had 20 participants in our first course of training. We are learning so much from these people and trying to understand their culture and religion. Elder Barry and Sister Linda Johnson are the Humanitarian couple here and have been so great to work with us and help to plan for this training.

Next week we'll train in East Malaysia with Elder and Sister Larson for a seminar in Kota Kinabalu and then one in Kuching.

These are the famous twin towers in Kuala Lumpur city center.

Matt Beddes, a P. T. from Farmington, has been the other Trainer with Kim and he has been SUPER during this training. The people have loved his teaching style and his warm, friendly, funny personality.

Mongolia Again!

2011-09-27T07:35:00.001-06:00

We are so excited to be serving in Mongolia again, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE WEATHER IS ABOVE 6 degrees (like it was the last time we were here!) It is an amazing and wonderful country full of beautiful and kind people. Our wheelchair trainings are taking place at the National Rehab. Center in the heart of the capital, Ulaanbaatar.

Grandbaby #7 Arrives on the day after we return from Nepal!

2011-06-13T17:03:00.000-06:00

Our 5th granddaughter was born to Clayton and Amanda less than 24 hours after we arrived home from Nepal. We felt so lucky to be here to welcome our beautiful little Baya Maree Brown.

Dusk by the bay in Kota Kinabalu, East Malaysia

2011-06-13T16:55:00.002-06:00

Malaysia and Nepal

2011-05-01T21:55:00.000-06:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62387319@N04/

Malaysia and Nepal

2011-05-01T21:48:00.001-06:00

The Top of the World

2011-04-27T00:53:00.001-06:00

A political rally today has caused the city of Kathmandu (3 million+) to virtually shut down, so it gives me a chance to stay in our hotel room and catch up on our activities of the past couple of weeks. Nepal is unusual and interesting. We've had a once in a lifetime experience as we were invited to attend a ceremony at the Presidential Palace where the international artist, Ranan Lurie, handed over 3 paintings to a Nepali sherpa who will take them to the top of Mt. Everest in May as a symbol of world unity and the Nepal Tourism Year.

The man in the center is the Sherpa.

MALAYSIA!

2011-04-21T19:20:00.001-06:00

We were in West Malaysia for a day and met this most wonderful woman at Cheshire Homes, Katihjah, who we will work with later in the year to do a training session for clinicians in Kuala Lumpur. Then we traveled to East Malaysia (on the island of Borneo) and are working with two other Cheshire homes in the north (Kota Kinabalu) and south (Kuching) along with some Rotary clubs and other NGO's as well as government organizations. All are excited about serving wheelchair users better and improving the level of service to better meet the needs of the disabled here in Malaysia. It's a blessing to work with so many good-hearted and dedicated people.

2011-03-22T04:41:00.002-06:00

AMAZING MONGOLIA

2011-03-22T04:38:00.000-06:00

Mongolia is so cold and desolate but the people are warm and wonderful. We have loved working with the Lasson's (Humanitarian Couple) who have done such a fantastic job of juggling such a variety of humanitarian projects and have taught us so much.

We look forward to returning in a few months to do a wheelchair training with the National Rehab. Center here in Ulaanbataar.

Our Final Day in the Philippines

2011-02-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

After three busy weeks of Wheelchair Training in four different cities, we got to spend the morning at the beautiful temple in Manila. It was a little slice of heaven! We love the Philippines and ESPECIALLY the wonderful people we've met.

Loving the Philippines

2011-02-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

We are doing 4 Wheelchair trainings on four different islands of the Philippines. We love these beautiful people and are finding much success with the quality of participants that are coming to the training sessions.

BACK FROM GUYANA

2011-01-17T17:43:00.001-07:00

We've just returned from a Wheelchair Training project in Georgetown, Guyana, South America. Guyana happens to be the only country in South America with English as their primary language so we were blessed to be able to conduct the training without the use of interpreters! We had 18 wonderful local participants who did an excellent job of learning the fitting skills and then demonstrated their knowledge by actually fitting 18 disabled recipients and sending them off to lead a more productive and comfortable life in their new wheelchairs.

We had the privilege of working with some incredible team members: The Angus' who are the full-time Humanitarian couple in Guyana, the Cullimore's who are a wonderful and experienced Development Couple for the Wheelchair Initiative and Steve Spencer, a Physical Therapist from Eden, Utah. The class participants came from 5 different health clinics from around Georgetown and were eager learners that we believe will be a great asset in helping disabled Guyanese to get appropriate, well-fitted chairs in the future.

OH HOW WE ENJOYED THE HOLIDAYS

2011-01-03T12:52:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful holidays season we've just had and are so grateful to friends and family who helped make it that way. The year ended a little on the tense side when our Annie totaled her car on her 32nd birthday, December 30th, but she was just shaken up and not seriously hurt. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR HER SAFETY. Then we spent New Year's day with my sweet dad in the Emergency Room as he had a bloody nose that just wouldn't stop! Anyway, everything turned out OK and we're anxiously preparing for 4 big mission assignments that we'll do over the next four months. Highlight of our holiday season was our visit via SKPYE with our "Mitchionary" in Edmonton, Canada. Each family member got time to talk to Mitch and we even got to watch him open his Christmas presents. It's wonderful to live in this day of technology!
My 88 years old parents at our Ottley Family Christmas party.

All our grandkids in their Christmas pj's.

My cute preschoolers on our visit to Santa

Mitch, looking like a tough guy, and his companion Elder Blake in sub-zero Edmonton!

First Assignment COMPLETE and now preparing for the next!

2010-10-31T21:46:00.000-06:00

We are grateful for our first opportunity to serve with the LDS Charities Wheelchair Initiative in west Africa and have just returned from three wonderful and EXHAUSTING weeks of training and evaluating in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana.

We worked with many wonderful clinicians and technicians and also met many incredible wheelchair users who are doing amazing things with their lives in spite of their disabilities. We were certainly lifted and inspired by their courage and determination to move their lives forward in positive ways.

The struggles of these good African people are a stark reminder of how blessed we really are and how much we take these blessings for granted on a daily basis. The beauty of the people and their unwavering faithfulness are graphic reminders of God's love and concern for ALL His children throughout the world.

Sierra Leone, west Africa

2010-10-13T16:39:00.001-06:00

Our first missionary experience "in the field" is turning out to be harder AND better than we could have imagined. We spent today assisting another team member with his training of local interviewers who can interview former recipients of the LDS Charities chairs. Tomorrow we'll start our real work as Kim begins to evaluate Clinicians on how well they are using the skills of Assessment and Fitting that they were trained to do 6 months ago and I will be evaluating the wheelchair assembly and adjusting skills of the Technicians. Internet access is poor and the weather hot and rainy even though the Rainy Season is over, but the PEOPLE are beautiful and wonderful. We feel blessed to serve them.

Assignment Agenda

2010-09-23T10:13:00.000-06:00

Looks like Kim and I will be seeing lots of the world during our missionary assignment with the Wheelchair Initiative. More specifically we'll be seeing a lot of the insides of airplanes, airports, medical clinics, and classrooms! We'll never be in one place long enough to really see the country, but we are grateful that our assignment includes working with natives of each country as well as wonderful Church Humanitarian couples.

So far our assignments for the next six months include:
Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana (west Africa)
Guyana (South America)
Philipines
Cambodia

Hope our energy and brainpower hold up OK!
Keep us in your prayers.

My Wonderful Preschoolers

2010-09-03T16:57:00.000-06:00

Noah Gardner (son of Aaron and Ann) and Gwenyth Brown (daughter of Kirk and Brynne) are now in their 2nd year at GramGoo Preschool. Now that Mitch is serving his mission in Canada, his old bedroom has been redesigned as our official Preschool classroom complete with puppet theatre, library, work station, homework corner, etc. We meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9-noon. Grampy drives the "school bus" on Monday mornings and picks the kids up for breakfast at McDonald's before delivering them to class. Once a month, we have "Mini-preschool Day" and our little two-year-olds, Bonnie Brown and Lincoln Gardner, join their older siblings for preschool fun.

What a blessing for this old Grandma to have my darling grandkids so close that I can watch them grow and help them learn on a regular basis!

We're on BRAIN OVERLOAD!

2010-08-30T20:18:00.000-06:00

Kim and I have had the opportunity to make trips to the Church Office Building several times and are currently on brain overload trying to understand all the responsibilities that go along with this Church Service calling. We have our first trip out of the country scheduled for October and will do evaluations in 3 west Africa nations. We go for additional training to Salt Lake tomorrow and then have a meeting with the other four Development Couples next week.

We welcome your prayers in our behalf so that we can understand our duties and have the faith, energy, and mental capacity to carry them out!

Humanitarian Service Mission

2010-07-26T09:53:00.000-06:00

Kim and I have been officially called to be Humanitarian Service Missionaries for the LDS Church for the next 2 1/2 years. Our mission began on July 12, 2010 and we will serve as a Development Couple as well as a Trainer/Technician team for the Church Wheelchair Initiative. This "journey" began almost 3 years ago when we were asked if we would be a Trainer/Technician team. After saying "yes" to this opportunity, Kim was called shortly thereafter to serve in a Bishopric in a Weber State University Young Adult ward. We called the Wheelchair office and said we would need to be put "on hold" so that Kim could serve in the Bishopric and still work his full-time job. Little did we know that a year and a half later, he would retire from his Physical Therapy practice AND be released from his Bishopric call. We were immediately called again to serve as a Trainer/Technician team and received additional training during a 3 day seminar this past March. In June, we received a call from the Wheelchair office and were asked if we would submit our official mission papers to accept a call as a Development Couple! We are thrilled with this opportunity to serve a mission especially because we are serving at the same time as Mitch is serving his mission in Canada!

Our mission is unique in that we travel for 2-4 weeks at a time to third-world countries and then we come home, travel again, then come home, and on it goes! Our first assignment will be to travel to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana in West Africa in October to learn how to evaluate previous wheelchair projects that have been done by LDS Charities. Our second assingment, in December, will be to go to Guyana on the northern border of South America to do a Training session. The Phillipines is on the docket for 2011 and who knows what else?! We are grateful for this wonderful opportunity to use Kim's professional skills and talents, as well as my past travel experience and work with Reach The Children and other NGO's.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-05T21:27:00.000-06:00

Last minute good-byes and he's off!

2010-06-02T19:28:00.001-06:00

Enjoying Memorial Day with the Fam

2010-05-31T20:56:00.000-06:00

It's always such a treat for us to have Grandma and Grandpa Great around to celebrate with us. Maura, Noah, Gwenyth and Bonnie coax them to visit the Playhouse!

HAPPY 19th Birthday Mitch

2010-05-30T21:23:00.000-06:00

Mitch is officially in his last year as a teen! His celebration
on Thursday included a POWER RANGER birthday cake and a trip with the fam to NICKLECADE. It was the last big hooray of childhood before he enters the MTC this coming Wednesday.

PRESCHOOL GRADUATES

2010-05-30T21:18:00.000-06:00

Noah and Gwenyth officially "graduated" from their first year of preschool last Wednesday. Noah could hardly wait to show his mom his "diflowma." They'll be back for their second year at GramGoo Preschool in September!

Mitch will serve in the Canada Edmonton Mission

2010-05-09T21:37:00.001-06:00

He speaks in our ward on Sunday, May 23rd at 1:00 pm. and will greet family and friends at our home directly after Sacrament meeting. He will enter the MTC in Provo on June 2nd, 2010 and fly to Edmonton on June 23rd.

Taking our "baby boy" to the Temple

2010-05-02T19:15:00.001-06:00

Mitch will be serving in the Canada Edmonton Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. He will speak in our Ward on May 23, 2010 at 1:00 pm and will enter the MTC in Provo on June 2nd. We had a great day with him yesterday at the Bountiful Temple.

My Cute Easter Bunnies

2010-03-30T16:21:00.000-06:00

Oh how I love my little Preschool bunnies. They are the smartest and most darling 3 year olds I know. I'm the luckiest Grandma in the world to have them two days a week and be able to watch them learn and grow.

Girls Getaway in St. George

2010-03-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

I spent 3 days in St. George with three of my most dear friends, (Gwen, Liz, and Cathie) just talking, laughing, eating, hiking, and "recharging"! The four of us served together as the Stake Young Women Presidency for almost 3 years and we became forever friends.

Our Hawaiian Christmas

2010-01-15T13:48:00.002-07:00

All 15 of us, including kids, spouses, and grandkids packed up and flew to Oahu, Hawaii on Christmas Day. We had rented a beautiful house on the North Shore and spent one week visiting the Dole Pineapple plantation, the Polynesian Cultural Center,Pearl Harbor, the LDS Temple and Visitor's Center, snorkeling, sea kayaking, swimming and LOUNGING. It was absolutely heavenly.
The trip was a celebration of Kim's official retirement from Physical Therapy. We are now looking forward to new and exciting adventures in our life!

October Birthday Celebrations

2009-10-19T21:46:00.001-06:00

We had lots to celebrate this past Sunday when my sweet mom turned 87 years old and my oldest Granddaughter, Maura, celebrated her 6th Birthday. Maura had drawn a picture of herself and GrandmaGreat and presented it to my mom as a birthday present. LOVE IT!

We also partied to celebrate my sweetheart husband who will turn 59 years old this coming Wednesday. These are definitely three of my most favorite people in the whole world!

OFFICIALLY: Empty Nesters!

2009-08-21T21:13:00.005-06:00

On Wednesday we went with Mitch to Cedar City to help him move into his new dorm room in Cedar Hall on the SUU campus. He is the first occupant of this brand new apartment and has 3 great roommates..one from Las Vegas, one from Castledale and the other from Bluffdale. I have to say I was honestly jealous of his opportunity to begin his college career in such favorable circumstances, and it caused me to reflect a lot on my fun college years which began in the fall of 1972.

I was feeling very melancholy on the ride home and my heart sank a bit as I entered his empty room to clean up the last remnants of his late night packing spree last Tuesday! Just as I was feeling really sorry for myself, the front door burst open downstairs and in came the GRANDKIDS....hooray for a bustling "empty nest."

Our Super Six

2009-06-28T22:25:00.002-06:00

Here's the first photo of all our six grandkids together since the birth of little Brooklynn Brown. She was one month old this week and we celebrated by taking photos of the kids in their 4th of July outfits.

Our Last High School Graduate!

2009-06-06T15:50:00.002-06:00

After 32 years of parenting, Kim and I have finally graduated our last child from High School. Hooray...no more PTA, no more Parent-Teacher conferences, no more carpooling! Mitch officially graduated yesterday in a ceremony held at the Dee Events Center at Weber State University in Ogden. His graduating class of 778 was full of great kids who've accomplished so much in their young lives. We are especially proud of Mitch who graduated as a good student but a FANTASTIC young man. He received the Sterling Church Leadership Scholarship and will be attending Southern Utah University in the fall to study Accounting for one year then head off on his LDS Mission. Mitch has been a blessing to us since the minute we found out we were expecting him. He is a boy full of joy and brings such happiness into our lives and all those around him
.

WELCOME #6...Brooklynn Marlee Brown

2009-05-27T10:17:00.002-06:00

Brooklynn was born to Clayton and Amanda on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 7:45 am via c-section in the Logan Regional Hospital. She weighed 6 lb. 7 oz and is 18" tall. She is the first baby for Clayton and Amanda and our SIXTH grandchild. She is a carbon copy of her darling mom but DOES have one trait from the Brown family, which is her crooked pinky fingers! We feel so blessed to have another beautiful little child of God to add to our family.

My Grandkids are the Greatest Blessing

2009-05-20T09:21:00.003-06:00

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I love these darling kids more than words can tell! Gwenyth Jean is my Beauty Queen, always the perfect little princess. Bonnie Mae is my WILDene. She is only 11 months but is a girl who loves danger! Lincoln Brown Gardner is the little Cabbage Patch boy in the middle. He's the sweetest, happiest little 8 month old in the world. Noah Wayne is ALL BOY. He loves to make messes and to be outside exploring. Maura Grace, Pretty Face, has just graduated from Pre-school. She's 5 going on 15!

Two 3 year olds in April!

2009-05-03T21:17:00.003-06:00

We were happy to celebrate the birthdays of our two 3 years olds this past month. Noah Gardner had a fun Thomas the Train birthday on the 18th of April and Gwenyth Brown had a fun Princess party a few days after her birthday which was on the 26th. We love these two energetic little people so very much and look forward to a great year of progress in their lives.

Gwennie Jean, My Beauty Queen

2009-03-08T20:51:00.003-06:00

Gwenyth Jean Brown is almost 3 years old. I have the incredible privilege of watching her and her darling little sister, Bonnie Mae, on Mondays and Wednesdays now that their cute mom, Brynne, has gone back to work part-time at a new hair salon in west Kaysville.

Gwennie is a perfect little lady with impeccable manners and a smile that melts my heart. She calls me "GlamGloon" which is her special verbal version of "GramGoo". Kim asked her to say the blessing at our Sunday family dinner a couple of weeks ago and it ended with us all busting out in laughter when she closed with the words, "In the name of Jesus Pies.....AMEN!"

This girl has me totally wrapped around her finger and she is certainly wrapped around this grandma's heart!

Brooklynn has a nursery!

2009-03-08T20:40:00.004-06:00

We are greatly anticipating the birth of our 6th grandchild, Brooklynn Marlee Brown, daughter of Amanda and Clayton. We went to Hyrum a couple of Saturdays ago and helped put some finishing touches on the darling nursery where little Brooklynn will spend her days and nights gazing at flowers and butterflies! Isn't Amanda a cute pregnant girl?

2009-02-15T21:22:00.004-07:00

Mitch competed in the Utah State High School Swim Championships at BYU on Valentine's Day. He had qualified to swim the 100 Backstroke as well as the 200 Freestyle Relay. He got his personal best on his backstroke and finally broke the one minute mark with at time of 59:23 His relay team got 5th in State. It was a terrific way to finish out a great four years of hard work and dedication to a sport that has taught him a whole lot of wonderful lessons about teamwork and endurance.
We are so proud of our boy! This a picture of him with his terrific Coach, Craig Bjorklund.

END OF AN ERA FOR MITCH

2009-02-01T21:25:00.005-07:00

Here's my 6 foot 3 inch tall BABY BOY in his teeny tiny Speedo suit at his very last regular season swim meet this past Friday. It has been such a joy to watch him over these past four years. He has served as the Swim Team Captain for Davis High this past year and has made lasting friends and lasting memories. We are so proud of his accomplishments and even more proud of the fine young man he has become!

He qualified to swim at the State Swim Meet in the Freestyle Relays and will compete on Valentine's Day at BYU.

WHAT A GLORIOUS HOLIDAY SEASON

2009-01-06T21:26:00.004-07:00

I can't remember a Christmas season I've enjoyed more than this one that has just passed- maybe it's because my memory is slipping and I just don't remember any others! We had so much fun and enjoyed our kids and grandkids so much that I can't really express the joy I felt. Heavenly Father has blessed our lives in so many ways. Kim and I just can't get enough of our 5 darling grandchildren and are anxious for the new little grandDAUGHTER that will arrive in June.

Having two new babies in the family this year was especially fun. Kirk's 2nd daughter, Bonnie was a special delight this Christmas. Even though she's only 7 months old, she has so much personality and just lights up the room whenever she's around. Here she is in the new hat I crocheted for her. Annie's baby Lincoln is a chunker at 3 months old, but what a sweet and happy little fellow!!! I just can't stop kissing his chubby cheeks and pouty lips. Lincoln also seemed content to pose in his hat with Grampy Kim.

We are indeed blessed.

FUN AT THE FESTIVAL

2008-12-15T21:29:00.003-07:00

Ann, Brynne, the kids and I visited the Festival of Trees and had a ball. The kids lasted for about an hour but we got to see a lot of the trees and the kids enjoyed choosing a treat at the gift boutique. This is the best picture I could get of Jodi's Tree.

2008-12-04T16:17:00.002-07:00

Our holidays began with a wonderful Thanksgiving at our house with our kids, grands, my parents and Amanda's brother and niece. This week has been filled with the Festival of Trees where we donated a tree in memory of our Jodi. It got auctioned off to benefit the Primary Children's Medical Center and was purchased by the Greek Orthodox Church. It was a tree called Winnie Wonderland.

MORE GOOD NEWS

2008-10-29T15:56:00.003-06:00

Clayton and Amanda just announced that they are expecting a little one in June! We couldn't be more thrilled. Here's the happy couple at our family Halloween party!

University 7th Ward

2008-10-23T20:16:00.003-06:00

Kim was recently called to serve in the Bishopric of the Ogden University 7th Ward with Bishop Scott Conlin. We are enjoying our new associations with these young people so very, very much. This past Monday we held Family Home Evening in our yard and had about 60 kids in attendance. We feel so blessed by their enthusiasm and love.

My Thoughts about Pool Parties

2008-09-27T21:57:00.004-06:00

I was recently informed that I will soon be released from my church calling as the Stake Young Women President. This is a calling that I have LOVED for the past 3+ years and, as we closed our backyard swimming pool for the season this week, this analogy popped into my head:

Serving in this calling has been a lot like hosting a Pool Party. When I first got called, I JUMPED RIGHT IN and encouraged everyone else to jump in and join the fun! For the past three years, I've felt the joy AND responsibility as Hostess, to make sure everyone felt included and safe at the party. I enjoyed the laughter, the fun, the friendships, and the opportunities to see others "learn to swim" on their own. I've reveled in the individuality of each guests' prowess or inexperience in the water. I observed as some hovered near the steps, a little afraid to join in but then later, were seen diving gleefully into the deep water, and waited anxiously as others ran about recklessly on the pool deck and prayed they wouldn't hurt themselves before they decided to join in the fun of the invigorating and refreshing water.

I did my best not to mess things up too much by pee-ing in the pool which would have offended EVERYONE!!!!

Now that a new Hostess is being called to replace me, I will step out of the pool....and for just a few seconds, my ripples will continue behind me, but then all that will be left, are the wonderfully comforting memories I've created for myself and my increased ability to hostess the next big event.

Then the new Hostess will arrive and jump right in to carry on. AIN'T LIFE A GREAT PARTY! I feel so very blessed.

ANOTHER NEW ARRIVAL

2008-09-27T15:29:00.002-06:00

ANNOUNCING little Mr. Lincoln Brown Gardner, our 5th Grandchild. He was born on Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 9:01 am at Davis Hospital in Layton, Utah to Ann and Aaron.

Bonnie Mae Brown

2008-09-13T13:56:00.005-06:00

Our little Bonnie is three months old and such a joy to our whole family. Her mom and dad (Kirk and Brynne) are pretty much "bustin' their buttons" with pride. The family picture was taken on Bonnie's blessing day. Her big sister Gwenyth was not too happy about Bonnie's arrival but has evolved into a loving and caring pal and helper to her mom. We feel so blessed by the life of these beautiful little granddaughters.

Park City Vacation

2008-08-06T14:15:00.001-06:00

2008-07-27T21:19:00.000-06:00

STAKE GIRLS CAMP

2008-07-21T09:47:00.003-06:00

How much fun can you have for four days camping with 185 girls and 50 leaders? A TON OF FUN!!! Our Stake Camp was planned and carried out by a terrific committee of 21 girls. I loved being their "coach" and mentor. Our theme was Eternalympics and each ward was a different 'country'. We, as Stake Leaders, represented the country of CANZANIA which had an Africa theme of course. I feel so blessed to have been a part of the Young Women program for 26 years of my adult life. It energizes me to be around all that youth and enthusiasm PLUS it gives me a chance to be my goofy self without being too embarrased!

We Certainly Adore our Number 4

2008-06-29T22:13:00.003-06:00

Bonnie Mae Brown is three weeks old and such a little beauty. We are having so much fun watching her pull funny baby faces and listening to her make her sweet baby grunts and groans. We feel so blessed to be grandparents to another darling girl.

INTRODUCING MISS BONNIE MAE BROWN

2008-06-25T18:32:00.004-06:00

We are so excited and grateful for the safe arrival of our 4th grandchild, Bonnie. Her sister, Gwenyth is not too interested in the new baby yet but we know they'll be great pals in time!

Gwennie was most excited about the balloons that were awaiting Brynne and Bonnie as they came home from the hospital.

New arrival coming next Monday, June 9th!

2008-06-05T14:44:00.003-06:00

Here's cute picture of our sweet Brynne with her darling little Gwennie roasting marshmallows in our back yard on Memorial Day. Brynne is hunched over her very round belly which will disappear on Monday when she delivers our new granddaughter via c-section at Davis Hospital in Layton. We are so excited!!! Sure wish they had a name for this new little gal.

We'll just call her beautiful baby girl Brown!

THE BROWN FAMILY IS GROWING AGAIN!!

2008-05-05T20:20:00.005-06:00

Last Friday Ann and Aaron announced that they are having a baby boy in October. Ann is almost halfway through her pregnancy and gets the medal for hiding her secret for the longest time! We couldn't be more thrilled! Brynne and Kirk will have their second baby girl in June and Annie's boy in October will bring our Grandkid Count up to FIVE. YIPPEE!

Grandparenting is the best job on the planet. We love our Maura, Noah, Gwenyth, Baby Girl Brown and Baby Boy Gardner.

Mitch's Junior Prom

2008-04-27T20:36:00.003-06:00

Mitch had a glorious Junior Prom on April 19th and was especially pleased to have his beautiful friend, Chelsie Johnson as his date. They had fun at the GoCart Race Track early on Saturday, then later enjoyed dinner at Tepanyaki, the dance at the Capitol rotunda, and then late night movie at a friend's home.

HAPPY EASTER

2008-03-19T18:23:00.002-06:00

These three beautiful kids are the delight of my life. Gwenyth and Noah will soon be two years old and Maura is a darling 4 year old. I feel so blessed to live close to them and see them often. Their giggles and mischief keep life interesting and fast-paced! Can't wait to add another little beauty in June to our bunch!

MY SWIMMER MITCH

2008-01-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

Mitch is ending his 3rd season as a swimmer for Davis High. He has Regional Finals on Friday, January 25th at the Bountiful Recreation Center at 10:00 am. Then the only thing left is the State Meet on Feb. 8th and 9th in Provo. At the moment, he has qualified to swim in the State Meet unless someone knocks out his time before that date! I am so proud of his great efforts and endurance. The swim season runs two hours a day, five days a week from September to February and requires tons of dedication!

Gingerbread Tradition

2007-12-06T16:27:00.001-07:00

Every year at Christmas time for as long as I can remember, I've been involved in making a Gingerbread house with my family. When my kids were little, we got together with my mom and sisters to do this activity, but then it just got too big and overwhelming. Now my own kids and grands are enjoying this fun holiday tradition. This year, I have had each of my married kids plan a FAMILY ACTIVITY for the whole bunch of us instead of exchanging gifts. I figure that the time we spend together will be much more valuable than any gift we could exchange. This past Sunday night we made gingerbread houses together and it's the first year I haven't actually got my hands into the sticky mess...I just took the pictures and happily supervised!!! Kim and I provided each family with their own kit, which took lots of the mess out of the project but still provided loads of fun.

My Twin- My Soulmate

2007-11-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

My darling twin sister, Fay, is the inspiration of my life. She can do anything and everything and DOES IT every day. She sings in the Tab Choir, is an amazing mom to 4 and grandmom to 4, works at the Temple, teaches voice lessons, sews, lovingly attends to our mom and dad's every need, keeps an immaculate and beautiful home, has learned to "Photoshop", collects pop-up books and shares her love for them by doing lectures and demonstrations for local schools, is a talented speaker, has endless energy and uses it to help everyone around her, AND still finds time to be my soulmate and confidante. I love and admire her more than words can tell.

2007-10-30T17:56:00.000-06:00

My practically perfect parents will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on November 3rd. I think that's pretty incredible. I love and admire them so very much.

Mom and Daughter

2007-10-01T10:50:00.000-06:00

Here's me with "Beautiful LuRee", my almost 85 year old mother. I am so blessed to live only 5 minutes away from her and my sweet dad. They enrich my life in so many ways by their great examples and zest for life.

My Boy....My JOY!

2007-09-21T21:35:00.000-06:00

It feels great to be able to honestly say that my TEENAGE son is an absolute blessing in my life!

Mitch is 16 and is so fun to have in our home. He keeps Kim and I thinking "young" and making an attempt to keep up on what's hot and what's not with today's teens. Mitch is a great swimmer (backstroke is his fave), a good student, a member of FBLA, a caring Uncle to his 2 nieces and one nephew and an all around terrific kid.

The Persuasive Power of Grandkids

2007-09-21T21:11:00.000-06:00

Who else but our beautiful Maura Grace Pretty Face could get Grampy to sit down and have a tea party using her pink polka-dot tea set? Notice the appropriately positioned pinky fingers!

2007-09-19T16:30:00.000-06:00

These children leave me breathless!

2007-09-19T16:27:00.000-06:00

My friends have lifted my soul and gladdened my heart.