Brown Family Team

We were in charge of the annual Brown Family Reunion this year. It should come as no surprise we went with a sports theme. Brant was the camp director

We pulled together a Team Camp. We did headbands for everyone with #’s on them. All 81 of them.  The numbers represented when they came into the family either through birth or marriage.
Grandpa was of course #1.

Our numbers are Brant 11, Jana 48, Ria 52, Heath 61, and Bennett 80.  Some of our super cute nieces sporting the headband!

We had nearly 70 in attendance that we split into teams for circuit service stations.
The Starters (aka the siblings) facilitated the stations. Brant has awesome brothers and sisters. They did a great job. VaNae did the garden with help of course.

McKay did the fire pit, with quite the pit crew :)

Robert did the outside of the church

Natalie did the inside.

Alvin had the station for writing the missionaries (black suiting this season) Tanner and Josh.  Kanani and Kristi did the little Brown’s cleaning grandma’s toys and playing while all the other numbers were doing their part.



Kristi did this even when it wasn't her assignment :)

Matt was going to do the printing of the game day programs but the file was corrupted so we will still have to check on that to get those done. Matt helped in the church and over did it and ended up going to the hospital with pneumonia. Think we can have a reunion when someone doesn't end up going to the ER? Our goal for the reunion was to help everyone feel more like a team, more unified. If we accomplished this it was only through their participation. Everyone was so good to get involved and help.

After lunch we had some FUNdementals and team building drills.

I love how much fun we have when we get together and they were all really good sports

We carbo loaded for dinner and with a little awards ceremony. I provided the motivational speech for the Brown team. It didn’t go as planned but went a little something like this:
I called out a number to come do a task, told him he could have someone else come up and help him with the task: Elephant bowling. I thanked them for doing their best and gave them a reward

For the next task I had 4 volunteers (who were calling out their numbers to be picked) then one I asked who was not hoping to be picked. Their task was "final blow".  I gave them tools they did the task and I thanked them for working together and gave them a reward.

The tasks were challenging but do-able and fair. But fair does not mean equal, fairness means everyone gets what they need. Everyone was capable and some of them wanted to be picked to participate. Some didn’t have any desire to come up and try these tasks, but they did cheer and some cheered even if they wished I had called their number.

So my little spill went like this…Heavenly Father had very specific tasks for you to perform; he has called your number. You are numbered among the noble and great ones but you are not just a number to be counted, but He is counting on you. Some tasks have been or will be challenging, but we are not alone we are on a team. We are capable and these tasks are just what we need. Maybe we didn’t show the same enthusiasm for tasks that would be difficult like, breaking a hip as a teenager or health challenges like pneumonia, neuropathy, or migraines. Maybe we were really scared to try the tasks of financial burdens, weight or fertility problems.

Grandpa once shared that his patriarchal blessing said his posterity would be numbered among the children of God. I think when the task of being a descendant of Marlin Brown, being numbered among the children of God, came up we wanted our number called and we didn’t care what order or when. We just said pick me, pick me oh please pick me!

I felt like we were not done having kids but I was and the Lord prompted us to open our home. I thought countless times, “HOW can I do this task with my an unhealthy body as the tool?" Then we had to find new employment and financially it didn’t seem like a smart thing to do but still we felt such an urgency. So then the call came... Bennett’s birth mother had selected us and we asked for our families help in fulfilling this task and they prayed with us. I didn’t need a baby, I didn’t need to become a mom like so many adoptive couples, but we wanted to fulfill that task and I needed to know he was the spirit, that it was his number being called, to be in our family. That answer hit us with such a peaceful force and he was placed with us. We found out what drew his birth mother to us… her desire for him to be surrounded by family. She even said, "No, this is his family. I’ll be here to sign the papers." What great lengths he went to, to be counted among the descendants of Marlin Brown. The fact is it is the same for Caiden or Ella or all of us Brown’s. We all shouted pick me, pick me!

Grandpa has done so much to help that blessing be fulfilled but it will be up to us to be numbered on His team. It is a task that can be challenging but if we give it our best we will be rewarded for our efforts. Our number has been called, we are not alone, and we are on a winning team! Remember He picked you to be a Brown!

So there is the Go fight win message I'm so grateful to be a Brown and feel blessed to have my kids numbered with Grandpa. 

Then the team captains (Grandpa & Grandma) closed it up.

On Sunday we had a film session watching old home video’s and looking at pictures of past winning moments. We always enjoy spending time with family

and Monday we hiked to the Kanab K hill.

After the hike we enjoyed some local flavor at the Junction.  Kristi does it again :)

I hope our family felt more like a team and had a greater desire to continue being good. They always make me want to be better. Heath really was there but never held still long enough for a picture.  For the reunion we worked together laughed together, played together and like only Brown’s can we cried together. I love being on this team!

The Mother Load

May has been loaded starting with Mother’s Day and loading up for the Brown Family Reunion.
 

Brant asked me what I wanted on the grill I said Pizza, so we had very delicious grilled Chicken ;) It really was good and the company was great. Heath made me a few things from school and I was pleased with how well he knows me in his little book.

 Rianne picked me out a shamrock wind chime from the scout rummage sale which I have liked more than I thought at least the sound of wind is more pleasingish.

Bennett was also kind enough to save his blowout at church while I was teaching and dad had him. My kids are so thoughtful ;)

Bennett also hit 4 months I can’t believe it he is getting so big he can swing in the baby swing at the park and loves it.

We also moved him to his crib, he looks so tiny in it. He is getting to be quite the little grabber too.

The kids had their talent show and both did well.

 I was very nervous for Rianne’s performance but she was very animated and had great stage presence.

Then Brant and Heath took off to Father and sons. Heath has been counting down, he was so excited for their outing. Rianne got it in her head that we should have a girls night party too. A girl’s night would have been ok except the talent show went long. We did head over to do some crafts with a friend and then Ria stayed up until midnight to watch a chick flick, Anne of Green Gables. She is such a nut but I really do enjoy our girl time.

The boys had a good time camping although they got pretty cold they did get to play, and next year maybe I’ll let them take Bennett. They also cleaned the cars when they got back, good father and son bonding time.

We enjoyed a Kindergarten graduation. Bennett got a hold of a frosted sugar cookie after the performance and enjoyed sucking his sweet fingers, little grabber :). Heath with his church buddies. Quite a primary class huh?

This picture with his teacher is monumental because he asked to be homeschooled more than half of the year, most days he likes his teacher but despises coloring and more than once has described his day as lame.

He is a good little reader, loves math and science. He is very smart but high spirited and busy which sometimes gets him into trouble.

We also finished up our plans for the Brown Family Reunion which we were in charge of this year. We loaded up and headed for Kanab. We were able to go to the temple on Friday thanks to our niece Amanda watching Bennett for us. Brant surprised me with a quick visit with Natalie who was going to Mesquite for the weekend it was so fun and fast but we enjoy any time we can get together. We got Bennett ready to meet more of the family so Kristi gave him a haircut, he was looking sharp.

 He has 8 more too meet on the Brown side. Then we thought we had everything loaded onto our computer but the file was corrupted when we went to get it and I was just sick that we lost all our reunion planning. The reunion will be another loaded post to come soon.

Floating on the talents of others

My super talented friend who made this…

plus I have to have Bennett in this post too!

She taught me about ARK Acts of Random Kindness. Usually during the month of April we tell the story of Noah’s Ark and talk about how serving others helps us build our protection when life’s storms come. Well with conference this year the Noah of our day (Thomas S. Monson) quoted the 13th article of Faith and our goal to have a stronger testimony of him, would we get on the boat with him? Our family decided to SEEK after things that would be PRAISEWORTHY or Of GOOD REPORT. 2 by 2 we gathered our ideas and brought them to the ARK. We did after school treats for a friend, made dinner for friends, helped someone with car troubles, we picked up litter etc. Heath’s favorite was putting quarters in vending machines, he is still taking spare quarters with him everywhere! When we got in the car he said “we just made one little boy so happy”. I think he was as happy as a very surprised kid will be.

trash clean up

We had root beer floats for our FHE treat to end the month of April. I feel like it is everything we can do to keep our heads above water right now with everything. We have been making plans for so many Summer events. When I let 2 people in from the parking lot at the pickup line at school and Heath said “mom that was a good report”. Little random moments are the ones I enjoy the most. No matter how busy, poor, stressed etc. we are we can still Seek after the good things in life.

The School held talent show tryouts. Rianne and a group of friends were going to do a dance but the girl thing happened and feelings were hurt, Rianne will avoid contention at all cost so she came home and said, "I want to be in the talent show but I don’t want to deal with all this, I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but what can I do by myself." I suggested reading a book (monologue) So she tried out using the book Hip Hip Hooray for Annie McRae. She did a great job.

Rianne is a self-assured kid so we were a little surprised when Heath wanted to try out too. I don’t mean to be a mean mom but Heath is more like me lacking your typical talents that get displayed in a talent show, I thought what is he going to do? Argue, pretend to be a Spy? He decided he would do dribbling a basketball he can go between his legs and so he practiced. Rianne showed no fear in preforming at tryouts Heath on the other hand was very nervous and only dribbled a few times and afterwards blamed his nerves on something else like the fact that they called him Keith.

I was supportive but I admit Raising a kid who is so much like me is really hard. Well the good and surprising to me news is they both made it.  Rianne still favored us with a dance made us tickets and everything. She is one sure of herself girl.

My kids have athletic talent. They participated in the track team’s fundraiser kid track meet. Rianne earned a few ribbons.

 Heath did not, he is a competitive kid, the kind that if he isn’t going to win he doesn’t want to play. The first track meet with age groups 6-10 he was racing against bigger, faster more talented boys and once he realized he wasn’t going to win he just jogged to the end.

We talked about how it isn’t important what everyone else is doing, it is about doing our best no matter what. He did better at doing his best at the second one, but again the excuses or blaming (I’m sure not having a snow cone did affect his performance, SHEEESH).

So then it has made me think a little deeper and it is not that he is competitive as much as play not to lose not really playing to win. It's a fear of failure situation. Did I mention he is like me so this is hitting a little too close to my heart. So all my holding back because it won’t really turn out right is staring me in the face. On my knees in prayer for this little boy came a prompting. I don’t know what each day will bring but I need to do my best with it and with God my best will be enough. I’m going to express gratitude for Heath’s efforts in doing his best even if he isn’t THE best at something. I have a talent for surrounding myself with very talented people. I tend to float through using their talents because they can do it better anyway. Well they can, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I may never be the BEST at anything but just because someone is more talented doesn’t mean I’m not good. I need to jump back into life and do my best, It takes faith to get out of the boat!