Happy Easter!

During conference, Mitch kept closing his eyes. Every time I'd give him a loving nudge, he'd open his eyes and say, "I'm awake, I just have my eyes closed..." Sure you were! Last time we drag the mattress into the office for conference! ;)

SWIFT RETALIATION: Within less than an hour of me posting this, Mitch devised a plan to get me back. He put my cell phone out on the deck. When I heard it ringing outside, I knew it was a trap, but I had no idea it involved more than just trying to lock me out! I finally went out to get it-because I was dying to see who called me-Mitch locked me out of the house. NO surprise there... The surprise came when he poured a bunch of water on my head from the window directly over the back door where I was banging to get back in! Clever boy-he ever changed my special ringtone for him on my cellphone to the generic one so I wouldn't know it was him calling to lure me outside! URGH!... And so the war began.....

FHE: Looking on the Bright Side....

After two amazingly inspiring talks by the Barclays last Sunday, I decided I knew exactly what we were going to do for our FHE. I could tell my wonderful hubby has been feeling down & overwhelmed lately & I thought the exercise Brother Barclay mentioned in his talk would be an uplifting one for the both of us. Brother Barclay challenged, "Write down 20 things you're good at in 5 minutes.... If you can't make it, maybe it's time to reevaluate yourself." (Not a word for word quote, but pretty close!)

So, Mitch & I grabbed pens, paper, set a timer and started writing away! When we started the activity, I had imagined it ending like this- The timer would go off: I would have my whole list done & Mitch would only have 10 things. I'd tease him a little, then I'd help him finish his list.... Not because my hubby doesn't have 20 things that he's good at-he just sometimes has a hard time recognizing his talents & giving himself rightful credit for them.

How did it really end? I thought I was off to a great start. I very thoughtfully wrote out #1-2 and then Mitch said, "Only 1 minute 20 seconds left." Then I scrambled and only made it to #13... Mitch finished with 19! Then HE helped me finish my list! Believe it or not, I'm glad I didn't finish first. Mitch reminded me of a lot of my positive attributes that I consistently overlook myself. I told him I was going to put the list somewhere I won't lose it & read it when I'm having a tough day to remind myself who I really am & what I'm really capable of:

1. I am someone people can call in their time of need & feel comfortable doing so.
2. I love the Lord and have a profound testimony of the gospel & its ability to heal people and families.
3. I am an awesome Mom!
4. I'm an even better wife!
5. I can cook well... with recipes
6. I am a leader who cares
7. I support people others might not believe in
8. I have pride in my home and family
9. The glass is always half full
10. I have a compassionate heart
11. Service is my middle name
12. I'm a faithful friend
13. I have extreme patience...with my husband! Mitch amended this one to "I am patient to a fault"
14. I have a great capacity to love
15. I'm an excellent student
16. I'm a "jack of all trades" (from patching holes in the wall to organizing messy closets!)
17. Good with animals & kids
18. Dedicated to whatever I choose
19. I can motivate people
20. I'm a great hostess!

Thanks for the help hubby!

Ward Talent Show

Inspired by Rachelle, Brendon & the Brown Boys at the family reunion, Mitch and I decided to showcase our talent at the Ward Talent Show yesterday. With the help of our friends Alex & Linnie, we put on a show-stopping skit!...... We even won "Best in Show!"

The video was a taking way too long to post here, so I uploaded it to YouTube:

Click this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJDgR9Uj8zc

It's also on my facebook page! Enjoy!

Bexley's Baby Blessing

Bexley Belisaria Brown received her baby blessing on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 in the Westerville 2nd Ward of the Columbus Ohio East Stake from her Papa, Mitch Brown.

Bexley was blessed with:

• A compassionate heart, like her Mother's
• A sense of humor- to help her overcome challenges she encounters in her life.
• To have empathy towards her brothers & sisters (fellowman)
• The gift of tongues- to speak to members of her family who speak different languages
• To honor her heritage-spiritual and cultural-both pioneer and converts of the church
• A desire to marry in the temple and lead her family with a worthy man
• A love for the commandments and a desire to follow them
• To "waste not a moment" in life and pursue an education
• To have a sense of accountability and integrity
• To have a personal relationship with the Savior

I wish I could have remembered every word, it was a very inspired blessing. Her grandpa, Papa Garcia, was in the circle, along with many close family friends from our loving ward.

She's a real talker-just like Mom & Grandma!

I absolutely love the dress she wore! After searching for weeks- and finding nothing-I stumbled across this dress with my Mom and sisters when we were holiday shopping! Thank you Ivee, for being constantly thirsty! Without you, we would have never gone to the food court and passed the store that had this dress! I knew it was the dress the second we saw it-especially when we all started screaming and running for it! This is my favorite face!