It's All About The Trophy

When we got back into town, I got an email from Brody's soccer coach filling us in on what we missed when we were gone, which really wasn't anything.  Apparently, our last game was rained out, so it was okay'd to have teams come back the next week and play one more game.  We were so excited that Brody would be able to play one last game with his team.  We showed up on that next Saturday morning to mostly empty fields.  Evidently, they cancelled the games because they couldn't book the field, but not everyone got the message.  A few teams did show, so we played against one of them.  Before we started though, Piper had fun practicing her kicks to Daddy.

Great kick Piper!  It was also freezing that morning and she was excited that she could wear her snow mittens and hat one more day.  She refused to put on her jacket though,  that's Piper for you.

Just a few more years and it will be your turn Piper!

It was a crazy game.  The boys were all over the place.  No one was really getting it to the goal.  The other team was pretty much dominating us, but not one of those boys could care less.  They were having so much fun just being out there playing together.  It was a great time.

And at the end he got the best prize of all. . . .  his very own first trophy!  This kid was beyond excited.

It was a great first season and we are sad to see it go.  Already looking forward to next year and hoping to reunite with our team!

Brody's Thanksgiving Feast

Brody, luckily, got over his fever just in time for him to come back to school and attend his class' Thanksgiving feast.  Piper and I came to watch and help out.  Here comes his class all dressed as pilgrims. 

Ready for the feast!

Posing with his teacher Mrs. Landresse.

Here are all the kids from Mrs. Landresse's class and Mrs Crilly's class.   The other two kindergarten classes did theirs the day before.  The kids ate and then sang a few songs.  Seemed like everyone had a fun time reenacting the first Thanksgiving.

Fevers, Fevers All Around

November was the month of fevers, or so it felt.  The night we got back from Utah, Brody got a mysterious fever that lasted for 3 solid days.  It was more annoying than anything as we couldn't be around anyone and had to miss school.  Then, the next week Piper got the same fever, no other symptoms, just before her birthday for the same amount of time.  Luckily, she felt better by then and we could party.   So, we spent a lot of time inside, picked up a few Redbox movies, popped some popcorn, and had some fun in our tent.

Brick Oven, Bowling, and BYU Game

On Saturday morning, we visited with my family and had a great breakfast before heading out and meeting up with John's family.  We all met at Brick Oven for lunch with his siblings and parents.  This is a tradition for them.  Every time they would come visit BYU they would eat here.  Since it was game day, it was pretty crowded.  Good thing we called ahead and got the party room!

 

Lunch was great and I even got to see my old roommate Jennifer Powell as she was working that day.  After lunch, we all split up and we went back to my parents house until it was time for the game.  It started to snow by their house in Highland and Brody was so excited.  He threw on his coat and was out the door before we knew it.  It was pretty freezing out there with not much to do, so it didn't take long before he was back inside.

Wishing the snow would stick and he could go sledding.

Awe, love this boy!

My parents watched the kids while John and I went to the game.  It was so nice not to have to worry about the kids and just enjoy it all.  We left in the late afternoon so we could miss the awful game traffic.  Since we were really early, we met everyone over at the bowling alley in the Wilkinson center and played a game.  That was so fun.  It had been at least a year since John and I played and we stunk.  I was expecting much of the same for this game.  They had the bumpers up since Lili was playing too.  I am not sure if I have ever played that way before.  I am proud to say that it only helped me out on two occasions and gave me spares both times.  Other than that, it was all me.

We also had an LDS celebrity sighting and he was bowling right next to us.  I had to take a picture. :)  Does anyone know who the man sitting down in the white shirt and tie is? 

That's right, it's Elder Tad R. Callister of the Seventy.  Thanks to my brother-in-law Mark for recognizing him.

So, here was our final score for that game.  I couldn't help it, I just had to take this picture.  When you end up creaming the rest of your group, that's just what you have to do.  So yes, I am Pitta Fan, thanks to Meredith and my old BYU shirt that says PITTA on the back.  149 baby!  The best score of my life!  If you can't tell that is 3 strikes.  I never get strikes!  I was pretty excited, as you can tell, and owe it all to my crazy unorthodox way of holding the ball. :)  It at least worked for me this time.  It was a very fun game.

Once we were done with bowling, it was time to get bundled up and head over to the field.  It was a beautiful night, no snow or rain as previously forecasted, but still pretty freezing.  John and I were prepared for anything, the most prepared for any game I have ever been to (we have been through some brutal ones, i.e. Las Vegas bowl, where the wind was the worst!).  BYU was playing Idaho that night and as the boys ran on the field, Max Hall carried the alumni flag out.  It was kind of weird being back and not seeing Denny playing.  We haven't been to a BYU game since he played.

We missed you Brian, Amy, Becca, and kids!

Good ol' Mark :)

It was a fun game, though.  You could really feel the spirit of the school and the game.  We won by a lot.  Can't remember how much, but I remember feeling bad for Idaho and hoping we wouldn't score anymore.  I always feel bad for a team that is losing bad and can't score.  In my perfect world, we would always have close games.  They are more exciting anyway. :)

We got home pretty late that night, but managed to sleep in a bit as my parents' church meets late in the afternoon.  It was a nice relaxing Sunday and by the end it was time to pack up and be back on the road the next morning.  The time flew by, but every moment spent was great.  We woke up very early the next morning (2:30 AM since John couldn't sleep anymore) and made it back home at around 10:30am.  Crazy huh!  That's John for you. :)  It was nice, though, since I had time to unpack, get laundry done, and have life back to normal.  It was a great weekend and one we won't forget!  Now, when is our next Brown family reunion. . . . .

Grandpa Hamnett's 80th Birthday

We all woke up early Friday morning on Veteran's Day and drove to Utah for an extended weekend.  We were going up to attend John's grandpa's 80th birthday party that night.  The drive was good; we stopped only a few times.  Brody was dying to see snow, so at the first chance he got, he was there admiring it all and throwing a few snow balls. 

Once we arrived at my parents house, it was off to get ready and head over to the party.  They had it at the old Alpine church.  It was where the family remembers attending way back in the day.  After Brody and Preston reunited, they were off to get into trouble.  They were pretty close to snatching some pie, but the ladies were watching them very closely, as was I.

 

"Hello uncle Steven! Now let's hit your buns!"  I guess that is a form of endearment along with lots of entertainment.  Brody has a real problem with this, but it is usually in the form of punching grandpa's/ men's tummies.  Sigh.

Piper was extremely cute, but very shy.  She wouldn't talk to anyone, even Grandma, for a while.

She did get a little goofy with the boys though.

All of John's siblings were able to be there, which was great.  It was a reunion for all of us too.  Our family and Tyler's family were the only ones to have the whole family there only because we live the closest.

Piper preferred the safety of Daddy for a while.

Here's a classic Brown picture.  Thanks Tyler :)

Cousin Lili was able to come with Mark.  It so fun to see her.  She is so grown up now almost ready to get baptized!  We just don't see them enough.  I guess a MN trip is in order. :)

What a good looking group!  Grandma Brown, Tyler, Mark, and Liliana

Trying to keep them preoccupied with some punch.

This is only about half of the group that was there.  Both the Carlisle and Hamnett sides were there.  We don't know many of the Carlisle side of the family since we don't live close like the rest of them, but it was fun getting to know them better.

Here is the man of the hour, Grandpa Hamnett and Loucille.

He opened his gift from everyone.  John's cousin Jackie worked many hours on this book she put together with everyone's memories and pictures of Grandpa.  It was really beautifully done and now we all wish we had a copy.  Amazing job Jackie!

A sentimental thank you to all.

Remembering the old times.

Lastly, it was picture time and that is always fun to do with kids.

Take two

Having a few laughs.

The kids with their Grandpa.  Tyler, Steven, Grandpa Hamnett, Mark, John, and Meredith.

Brown/ Hamnett family minus a few kids.

Meredith and Grandma were Piper's new favorites, after they bribed her affections with a pink balloon, candy, and a cat notebook.

Kirby trying to win her over too, keeping his distance and with talk of dollies and pink.  This was so funny to watch.  He would ask her questions and she would answer him so matter of fact, like we are all the dumb ones.  She cracks me up sometimes.

It was a great start to the holiday weekend.  We're so glad that we were able to be a part of this fun celebration, reunite with family, and make lasting memories.  More fun to come!

Last Game

The first Saturday in November was going to be Brody's last soccer game.  The season was going to end that next weekend, but we were heading to Utah that weekend and were missing it.  It was a great game.  Everyone played hard and did their best.  The other team played just as hard and it was a pretty well matched game.  Here is Brody practicing just before the game started. 

Piper decided that watching shows on my phone was much more entertaining.  This was her way of avoiding any glare from the sun.

Our team's sidelines.  We had some really nice parents on our team.  Everyone was very friendly.  We got to know most of the grandparents too that would come on a regular basis.  Kian's parents always brought coffee and croissants for the parents/grandparents to enjoy.  Too bad there wasn't any hot chocolate; there were a few games we had that were just too cold.  It great to get to know everyone and make some new friends.

2-4-6-8 who do we appreciate!  Yeah dragons!

Here's some video of him practicing.  He has come so far from the beginning of the season and really moves the ball well now.

Here are some from the game too.  So close, he almost had this one.

There's that goal!

A Little Girl's Dream Come True

In the beginning of November, Piper and I enjoyed a fun day at Disneyland together.  I wanted to take her one last time with me before she turned 3 and while she was still free.  John came home early from work, picked Brody up from school for me, and helped him with his homework.  All the while, Piper and I rode lots of rides, met many princesses, and ate yummy food.  It was the best Mommy/Daughter date!

 

Pretty in Pink!

Of course, we had to meet Rapunzel again.

Piper was still very shy, but she loved every minute of it.

We stood in a very long line at the Princess Academy to meet the princesses there.  Piper fell asleep just before it was our turn to go in.  I luckily got her up and she was ready and excited.  We first met Snow White, but Piper was too scared to get too close.  Snow White was so nice, so she felt a little bit more comfortable.

Next up was Jasmine and Aladdin.  As we waited for our turn, she says to me, "I don't want to meet Aladdin".  She was pretty scared of him, so we only talked to Jasmine for a bit.  We didn't get a great shot of all of us together.  My battery decided to die just as we were talking to her.

Lastly, we met Tiana from the Princess and the Frog.  I luckily was able to quickly pop in my other charged battery to get some shots of Piper with Tiana.  Piper, still shy, surprisingly walked right up and went to give her a hug.  She was a very nice princess and Piper wouldn't let go of her.  It was too cute. :)

The merry-go-round is still one of Piper's favorites.

Once we met everyone and went on everything we wanted to at Disneyland, we walked over to California Adventure.  Piper wouldn't leave without going on the Ariel ride and Toy Story, but we also tried out something new.  We met Russell from the movie Up, which was really fun.  Piper was in awe since she loves that movie.  The whole area around is like an outdoor camp.  There were a lot of things that Brody would have loved to do like a zip line and lots of things to climb on.  They were all little bit too old for Piper, so we didn't try any of those.

We ended up spending the whole day there, which I didn't expect to do.  We also shared a corn dog together.  My favorite food in the park.  I hadn't had one in a long time, so it was a nice treat and kind of like a last hurrah for a long while.  So sad!  It was a wonderful day, though, and I am really glad that Piper got to meet some princesses while they are her favorite thing right now.  So looking forward to the many more fun times we can share together!