it's a boy

my long time friend amy is having her second baby in 4 short weeks. this time it's a boy so of course we had to have another shower.  i can't wait to meet him!

two of my very best friends 

trish, the mommy to be and me

i wish i could take credit for the pizza 

but it was all my italian chef sister. 

zucchini, tomato, garlic, delizioso!

decorating cupcakes...my new joy

so cute! all different, all delicious. 

i even made cream puffs from scratch.  

quite delightful.

frost yourself

my dear friend and jerusalem roommate jana is going on a mission.  her farewell was on sunday so i wanted to make something special that i knew she would like.  colorful cupcakes is what came to mind. my good friend erin came to my rescue. she helped make my cupcakes a hit! we had so much fun and jana loved them. 

little blue ball

once upon a time there was a little girl named kristy. she had always dreamed of playing racquetball.  one day a princess named dawnell came from a land far away. dawnell told kristy she would love to teach her all she knows.  the princess was very nice.  the princess told the girl she has a lot to learn like hitting, ducking, rules, and most of all to always keep moving. this sounded very daunting to the little girl but she agreed to try.  the princess showed the little girl the very fashionable goggles she got to wear.  the little girl didn't want to wear them.  but, the princess insisted.  after a few hits the little blue ball hit the little girl right in the face.  the little girl decided to listen to everything the princess said and to do everything the princess did. the little girl wasn't very skilled in this game but the princess was very patient and helpful. when the clock struck midnight and the girls had to leave the court the little girl thanked the princess and begged for more lessons.  the princess agreed.  the little girl is excited to learn more from the princess. maybe even next time the princess will teach the little girl how to make her famous chocolate chip zucchini cake...then the little girl will live happily ever after.

up in her grill

this post is the reason i love having a blog.  i laughed so hard but it might be one of those "you had to be there" moments.  jess and i were eating lunch after our saturday cleaning and antique store shopping.  the movie save the last dance was on so we watched it for a sec. jess used to love this movie (her love now goes out to the step up movies).  while we were watching the dancers in da club the girl leaves because her boyfriend is dancing with another girl.  jess said, this is the funny part that I am still laughing about, well, he is all up in her grill. apparently i don't go clubbing enough to know the dance lingo.

deer

my brothers jason and ammon got together with their high school friends and of course jess and i were nominated to babysit.  it ended up being such a fun night! after we played pass the ball to someone and say what you love about them (absolutely endearing with 5 kids under 6) we headed to the cemetery to look for the deer my dad sees each night walking.  when we got there we saw a bunch but they ran off.  so we played on the stage, visited my mom's headstone, and chased birds.  only the bott's can have this much fun at the cemetery...

abby, avery, lincoln & lukas

abby, lincoln, carson, avery, lukas on grandma's headstone

avery

abby, lukas, avery

lincoln

me & linc

jess & carson

see you later...

ish

i guess i say ish a lot. funny-ish, finished-ish, running-ish, singing-ish, scary-ish, pretty-ish etc.  my students have started saying it too. one of my favorite children's book is ish by peter h reynolds. it is an adorable little book about a boy who draws but his pictures are never good enough for himself. he finds his little sister pulling a crumpled up drawing from the trash. he chases her to her room where he is surprised to see his art hung all over her walls. he says they are supposed to be flowers in vases. she says they are vase-ish. after my kids pointed out that i said ish a lot i decided to read them the book. they loved it so i decided to do an art project with it. they painted all sorts of ish things. butterfly-ish, flower-ish, lemon-ish, etc. we talked about how it doesn't matter how things turn out but what matters is they do their best and that someone (especially teachers and parents) will love their work. i think their paintings are amazing-ish. 

ish

our tree of ish

flower-ish

dinosaur-ish

color-ish

rockstar cowgirl

for the long weekend my family made our annual trip to cody wyoming.  we had lots of fun. here's what we did...

thursday-drove to our cabin in star valley

friday-yellowstone, saw some buffalo, ate dinner at the proud cut saloon (one of my dad's favorites), swam in a very small heated pool with 18 bott's, slept in the best beds in the west

saturday-cody, the guys fished, the girls shopped (the best store in cody is the rockstar cowgirl where they make and sell jewelry), swam, read, went back into town and to dinner (the proud cut again with dad and jess, one of the highlights of the trip), mini golfed, played at the park

sunday-back through yellowstone to jackson in the rain, shopped in the rain, drove from jackson to star valley in an amazing night rain storm

monday-left beautiful star valley where we saw the first snow of the season (i'm so excited for fall and winter), back to bountiful and the real world

pictures to come...be excited

go utes!

i spent 5 years of my life at the university of utah.  3 years getting a bachelors degree in sociology, psychology and social work.  the next two were spent in graduate school getting my masters in education.  (i know that only adds up to 5 years, i spent my first year at weber state)  i no longer have to study, fight for parking or study a ton. i just get to enjoy the games.  the first game was this saturday and we won by 2!!!  take a look at the schedule. i can't wait for the last game of the season! 

life

i am in  a student ward at the university of utah.  i have the most wonderful bishopric.  last night one of the counselors had a heart attack and passed away. he is young. he has a wife and 6 kids from elementary to college.  i am continually reminded of how precious life is and how i need to enjoy and appreciate every moment i am alive.  brother steve brown will be missed.  keep his family in your prayers.  

Stephen Wayne Brown 7/15/1958 ~ 8/25/2008 Stephen Wayne Brown, beloved husband, father, brother and son passed away suddenly Monday, August 25, 2008 of a heart attack at home. Steve was the first child born to Janet Pehrson and Wayne C. Brown in Salt Lake City, Utah.He was an active and faithful member of the LDS Church in which he served in many capacities. He served as a faithful missionary in the Anchorage, Alaska mission, was a bishop in the Mueller Park 5th Ward, and was currently serving as a member of the Bishopric of the University 13th Singles Ward. His energy and testimony blessed the lives of many, but particularly the youth he served. Steve graduated from the Olympus High class of '76 and later the University of Utah with a BS in communications. He was also a member of the Crimson Club. He was a partner at the Summit Group since 1986, President of the firm, and instrumental in the firm's growth to the largest locally owned communications firm in the state of Utah. He had a great sense of honesty and gave the truth whether you liked it or not. Many people came to work at the Summit Group because of their interactions with Steve. His personality was instrumental in the companies' growth. He was married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple to Cindy Fagg on June 20, 1986. Steve loved hunting, fishing, camping and the "Runnin' Utes." But his greatest accomplishment and love was his wife and children, whom he served with all his heart. The most enjoyable part of his life was spent attending his kids games, concerts, and recitals. He was their coach, cheerleader and friend. He is survived by his parents, Janet and Wayne Brown; his wife, Cindy who he loved dearly and his children: Meagan, Sarah, Katelyn, Michael, Elizabeth and Benjamin; also his siblings, Jeffery (Chantal) Brown, Michelle (Joe) Hanna, Jennifer (Scott) Brown, Leslie (Brian) Paul; father and mother-in-law, Don and Lavell Fagg; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. Preceded in death by grandparents, Paul E. and Ruth Pehrson, Emeral and Clara Brown. Funeral services will be held at 12 noon, Fri., August 29, 2008 at the Mueller Park Stake Center, 1800 E. Mueller Park Road (1800 South), Bountiful. Friends and family may call Thursday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Russon Brothers Bountiful Mortuary, 295 N. Main and Fri. morning 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment-Salt Lake City Cemetery. Online guestbook at www.russonmortuary.com

always learning

i am going off track in two weeks and have three weeks off. that's when i plan to really get my blog going. i'm excited to learn.

tomorrow is my good friends (amy and john pilkington) daughters first birthday. i decided to learn how to make something for penny. i made a frame. my first craft. it turned out pretty cute. jess said she could have made it in at least 1/3 of the time i made it in. i'm still learning.

learning to blog, learning to craft, learning to control my obsessive purchases from just be. i love learning. i guess it's good i'm a teacher.