Guy's lucky number 9

Nine is a special number in our house so I would be remiss to not highlight Guy's 9-month birthday and 9-month check up. The months are flying by and I'm not sure if it's possible for a baby to get any cuter or be any sweeter than our baby Guy. Casey and I probably say, "Man, you are so cute!" to him at least 10 times a day. But more than just his adorable face, it's his sweet little demeanor that just melts us. He is one big sweetheart.

Here are some things about Guy at 9 months:

He cut his two front teeth on the top

Loves the toilet, toilet paper, bathtub, and basically anything to do with the bathroom

He pulls himself up to a standing position and can walk when holding onto things

Loves to walk while holding our hands

Loves swinging at the park and playing in/eating the sand at the beach

Just started pointing. He pointed to a plane in the sky the other day and then looked at me for recognition and smiled really big.

He LOVES to dance.

He smacks his lips together when he is hungry. (He tilts his head back and opens his mouth really big whenever I am spoon feeding him and he wants another bite. Cracks me up because he scrunches his nose and I can see his little teeth on the top coming in. There is a big space between them. His little chicklet teeth. They are simultaneously goofy and adorable. He has now realized this is a funny thing that he does because I laugh every time, so now he does it and then starts laughing after. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day now to feed him and watch him do this.)

Makes big messes. He crawls all around the house and empties things, pours things out, and just scatters things.

Follows Mom around from room to room

Puts anything he can get his hands on in his mouth

He makes this sound that I’m not sure I can even explain. But he does it all day long. That’s the only way I can tell where he is or if he has woken up from his nap. He hardly ever cries. He just goes, “Huh?” over and over again in a questioning tone with a low to high whoop. That doesn’t make any sense. But I love his little nonsense noise.

He loves following Cash around the house and doing whatever big brother is doing. It drives Cash crazy. He touches Cash’s toys, food, sippy cup, books, sword, games, etc. You name it. If Cash is anywhere near it, you can count on Guy being there and trying to get in on the action.
He loves a reaction. He loves a good laugh. He makes me smile all day long.

Potty Training Schmotty Training

I was scared. But it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. There were a lot of accidents. A lot of cleaning. And a lot of surprise potty places. Cash is quite good at improvising when there is no potty in sight. But we came through it and I am so happy and relieved to have only one kid in diapers.

Airborne

Airborne is a trampoline arena that is a blast! We took full advantage of it on our trip to Utah.

My sisters Jacque and Misha

Patterson's in Springvillle

Casey's family moved to Springville, Utah last fall. Another reason to visit Utah!!! We saw their new house and had a late Christmas with them because we missed gift exchanging while we were in Puerto Rico. They boys loved Christmas in February!

We miss having them in California, but it'll be nice to spend Christmas with them in Utah. We love the Patterson's!

Utah Family

While we were in Utah, we got in a lot of family time. Cash made his first snowman with his cousin Cinco. Guy saw his first snow. And the boys bonded with their cousins. I love coming home to Utah and having the boys surrounded by so many Brown cousins.

Cash with cousin Sable Edwards. Six months apart.

Guy with cousin Vaughn Edwards. Two months apart.

We stayed with the Edwards while we were there and the week flew by. I feel like I need a month in Utah to see everyone as much as I want and do everything I want to do. But it's always nice to come home for any length of time. It was bittersweet driving by my Dad's house and seeing a new family live there. I guess life goes on. Just happy I still have so many siblings there to visit.

Celebrating Lori's Life

My dear friend, coach, and mentor Lori Richards passed away on February 4, 2012 from complications from liver cancer. Lori is the mother to two of my best friends, Kristin and Lauren. I have known and loved these women for almost fifteen years. Lori is one of the first people who coached me and taught me the game of volleyball. She is the reason that I developed my talent and the guiding force behind me playing volleyball in college. Lori has always been a role model in my life and she was a second Mother to me after my Mom passed away. Lori was one of a kind. She lit up any room she was in and had a magnetic personality that instantly brought you in and made you feel like her best friend. I always admired her generosity of spirit and her love for our Savior, Jesus Christ. She will be greatly missed.

While she was in the hospital, I sent her a letter to help lift her spirits while she battled for her life. Here are some excerpts from that letter.

"How can I begin to thank you for changing my life 14 years ago when you came to my high school and asked me to join your team at Players? I didn't know it then, but that decision to play for you paved the course of my future. You gave me two of the best friends I've ever had. You helped mold my talent into something I was proud of. You took me under your wing when my Mom passed away. You helped me get a scholarship to BYU, a place I had always dreamed of attending. And that decision helped me find my husband. That's quite an influence you've had on my life. And I am ever so grateful.

Your two daughters have blessed my life immeasurably. Thank you for raising them to be kind, loving, graceful, compassionate, fun, passionate, and stalwart. In short, thank you for raising them to be like you. Their lives are a testament to the woman, Mother, Grandmother, daughter of God, and wonderful coach/instructor that you are. I'm forever blessed to have known the Richards family."

I was fortunate to be able to attend her funeral, or Celebration of Life, as the family referred to it. And it was truly a celebration of the life of a woman that touched so many lives and gave meaning to the phrase, "live life to the fullest."

My ELK girls. We were missing our E, Erica, who couldn't stay for the funeral. I got a glimpse into our future seeing all of Lori's teammates gather to honor their best friend. I look forward to the years of friendship and memories with these girls.

While we were all in Utah, we gathered at BYU for some playing time in the Smith Field House. Brought back so many memories. Here I am pictured with Lauren's daughter Merit and my son Cash who are future Cougars. Hopefully.

This picture makes me happy for so many reasons. I spent most of my college life in this gym and surrounded by most of these people. And I love that six years later, we are still there for each other. We have each expanded our lives with significant others and children, but we are still one big happy volleyball family.

Grandpa Patterson is a superhero in our house

Casey’s Dad came for a visit in February. The Patterson's moved up to Utah right before we moved to Puerto Rico, so we aren’t able to see them as often as we would like. He was in town for a job, so we were lucky enough to have him for a sleepover. Grandpa Patterson is considered the next best thing to Dad in our household. And that’s saying something. Daddy is the best. Grandpa is the second best. And Mommy falls somewhere after that. At least in Cash’s mind. I think I am still at the top of the list in Guy’s eyes. But I’m sure he’ll soon grow to admire his Daddy and Grandpa as much as his older brother does. Cash spent every second he could either in Grandpa’s lap or following him around the house. And if he didn’t see him for a few minutes he would say, “Where Grampa go?” I am grateful that my boys have these two wonderful Patterson men to look up to. Superheroes have nothing on them!

Home again home again jiggety-jig

Here is how we celebrated being home in good old Huntington Beach. It feels good to be home. Life at the Mora Kai is grand.

We missed carpet!

Guy started pulling himself up to a standing position.

Both boys got sick soon after we got back, so we had to keep ourselves entertained.

We miss the PR sushine, but we are loving the HB weather.

Guy is always longing to be one of the big boys.

My sister Nikki celebrated her birthday and it was so fun to be around family and party! (That's my brother Tim in the middle. These are my only siblings that live in CA too.)

Cashman

Adios Puerto Rico

We have to once again bid farewell to the people and places that we have come to love on the island of Puerto Rico. We love living in Guaynabo with Jorge and Cristy Rodriguez. We love spending time with the Rodriguez and Morales families. We love attending the Metro Ward and making lifelong friends. We love traveling around and seeing more of Puerto Rico. We love the food. We love the besos. We love Corozal and the passionate Plataneros fans. We love the tropical weather. We love the huge iguanas. We love the beaches. We won't miss the crazy driving or the mosquitoes. But we will miss the parties. Puerto Ricans party hard. Besos to all of our Puerto Rican friends/family.

 Hopefully we'll be back again soon.