Patterson

New Year. New List.

2012-01-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

My New Year’s Resolutions are getting stale. I feel the needto liven them up a bit. Instead of my go to’s: work out more, be morerighteous/spiritual, learn something new, be a better mom/wife, save moremoney, etc. I’m goingto mix it up in 2012. Not that those aren’t important things to do. Everyoneshould strive to do those things, but I should already be doing them. I want toresolve to do more than what I know I’m already supposed to be doing.

29 things to dobefore I turn 30

29. Get better at tennis

28. Play in a volleyball tournament

27. Perfect an authentic Italian style margherita pizza fromscratch

26. Swim in a hot springs

25. Help someone move

24. Picture collage a wall in my apartment

23. Take a picture every day

22. Learn conversational Spanish

21. Make paper mache piñatas with my boys

20. Clean someone’s house in secret

19. Dance party with my boys at every opportunity

18. Make someone a picnic

17. Kidnap my nieces for a sleepover

16. Handwrite a letter to each of my siblings

15. Begin the process of getting my Masters

14. Surprise Casey

13. Invite someone I don’t know that well over to my housefor dinner

12. Buy a complete stranger’s groceries

11. Give twelve days of Christmas Secret Santa gifts to someonein June

10. Write downsome of my favorite memories of my parents for my boys

9. Bike ride on the beach at sunset

8. Go out dancing with Casey

7. Send someone flowers anonymously

6. Make chicken noodle soup for someone that is sick

5. Learn more about Photoshop and photography

4. Visit my niece in Chicago

3. Read the New Testament

2. Plant an herb garden

1. Take a trip to New York City

After I have accomplished all 29 things, I’m gonna dosomething crazy on my 30^th birthday. Like skydiving or bungeejumping. Who wants to come?

Felicidades 2012

2012-01-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

We started our New Year’s Eve at the movie theater as afamily. We saw The Adventures of TinTin.Cute movie. It was like a younger animated IndianaJones. When we walked out of the theater, it was a ghost town. Everythingwas shut down except for Chinese and Japanese restaurants. We drove around fora while and then decided to go back to Eastfor some more teppanyaki enjoyment. Oh boy do we love tepanyaki. After dinner weheaded over to Beba’s house for some partying with our PR family. Cash and Guylasted until 11:15pm and they were both starting to melt down. Guy finallystarted to fall asleep, but Cash was going crazy.

We decided to head home andbring in the New Year at our house. Guy fell asleep right away and Cash caughta second wind as soon as we got home. We busted out the sparklers and sparklingcider and had ourselves a little New Year’s Eve celebration. Cash was notinterested in holding the sparklers because as he kept saying, “hottee, hottee,owee, owee!” So he just sat on my lap as I forced him to enjoy the moment. Atleast Casey and I had fun with the sparklers.

Everyone goes crazy here with fireworks and gun shooting forany celebration, so the New Year's countdown did not disappoint. Wewere lucky enough to see three different firework shows from our balcony. So wesat back, enjoyed the view, and rang in the New Year in Puerto Rico.

Happy New Year! I’m excited to see what new adventures andchallenges 2012 brings us.

Feliz Cumpleanos a Mi!

2012-01-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

I turned 29 on the 28th and we celebrated my day of birth to the fullest. We jammed packed a bunch of activities into one special day. First we took a trip to the El Yunque National rain forest for a hike to see some beautiful views and waterfalls.

Then we traveled to the public beach in Luquillo for some swimming and sunshine. The water was really calm and shallow making it ideal for swimming with the boys. I'm trying to soak up as much Puerto Rican sunshine as I can while we are here.

We had dinner at a local teppanyaki/sushi restaurant called East. I love me some teppanyaki and I always choose it for my birthday feast. Cash has been a handful of times, but it's been about a year since we have been. He was freaked out by the fire, but was really intrigued with everything the cook was doing. This was Guy's first teppanyaki dinning experience and he was mesmerized. He hardly ever looked away during the whole cooking experience. Teppanyaki is a fun dinning experience for the whole family. It keeps the kiddos entertained and provides delicious substance for the parentals. That's my little promo for you. I should get commission for my marketing. We finished dinner off with a birthday dessert for me. I love any excuse for dessert. Especially when it's a well deserved one like my birthday.

After dinner we dropped the kids off at our house with our friends, Vivi and Crissy, and headed to the movies alone. I love date nights with Case, so it was the perfect ending to my really great birthday. It's hard for us to leave the kids behind and go on dates because Guy's still young and we love going everywhere as a family. Whenever we do get babysitters and go out though, it reminds me all over again why I first chose to spend the rest of eternity with my handsome big kid. We need to do it more often. I feel like a giddy teenager every time we get the chance to go out without the kids.

I'm feeling pretty good about 29. I'm nervous to enter my thirties, but I still have one more year to live it up and accomplish a bunch of stuff. Right now I'm just happy that my kids, my husband, and our lifestyle keeps me feeling young. I'm pretty excited to age with this group of boys that I call family. They make every wrinkle and pound feel pretty important, well earned, and beautiful.

Feliz Navidad 2011

2011-12-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus came to our house last night with a few gifts for our boys. They deserve them. Cash (2.5 years old) is a sweet little boy who is getting fonder of his little brother and starting to become his protector. He loves his Daddy so much and copies everything he does. He is currently obsessed with Spongebob, balls, swords, and cars. Guy (7 months old) is a good baby. He is calm, loving, smiley, and such a little sweetheart. He is also very active these days and keeping us busy. If he isn't pulling the Christmas tree down, he is trying desperately to crawl head first down the stairs. Guy loves his binky, blanket, and Mommy. They are both special boys who are going to do great things when they grow up. I'm so priviledged to have a front row seat to all of their life experiences.

Casey and I were pretty good this year too. Santa gave us each a shopping spree in early December. Generous guy. Casey's volleyball team, Plataneros de Corozal, is currently in the semi finals. He is hoping to repeat and win the championship. He misses beach volleyball and is looking forward to getting back home to train for the summer 2012 season. Our family loves living in Puerto Rico and exploring the island. We miss Huntington Beach, our family, and our friends. But we are having so much fun meeting new people and building our Puerto Rican relationships. We are so blessed to have our two little beautiful boys in our lives. We are grateful to our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us so that we could have the gift of eternal families. That is the most important gift we will ever receive. God bless us, every one!

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-25T13:23:00.000-08:00

Our household has been attacked by the winter season sickness. Cash started the whole mess by throwing up in the car on the way home from Casey's game on Monday. (Note to self. If you think you cleaned up all of the throw up, don't be so sure. Always take the car seat out of the car, completely take it apart, and hose the entire thing off. Otherwise it will pool in hidden cracks in the bottom and days later when you emerge into the light for a trip to the store for more medicine, your car will wreak. And when you remove the car seat from the car, the hidden vomit will leak all over you.) Casey got a fever later that night and started feeling the usual sore throat, cough, ear ache, body aches, etc that come with the flu. Then Guy woke up with a fever. My boys were seriously a mess. Somehow I never got sick due to either righteous living, healthy living, or a miracle. Fingers crossed. After a week of being shut in vampires, we started living again.

On Christmas Eve, we made Cash's first ever gingerbread house. And let me tell you. It was a disaster. The icing wouldn't dry because of the humid heat, so we had a less than stable house to work with. Cash kept pushing too hard to put the candy on, so it started cracking. And the icing was a hot mess. It wouldn't come out of the tiny hole at the end of the bag without pushing so hard that the bag kept busting at the seam. I had it all over me. It was definitely an experience. Cash loved it.

Our adopted Puerto Rican family (Morales, Rodriguez, and Lopez families) always get together on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts. Cash's first Christmas present ever was opened at this party in 2009 and here we are again with our new baby Guy in 2011. We are so fortunate to be included in their family fun. They make the holidays so joyful and we don't feel so far away from home when we are partying with them.

Baby Guy's first Christmas

I bought this Santa hat for Guy at the store while he was napping and when I got home I realized that it was clearly too small. I almost like it better that way. You can see his ears and he looks like a little Christmas elf.

Feliz Navidad & Merry Christmas

Puerto Rico 2011

The Patterson Family

A Puerto Rican Wedding

2011-12-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

We started off the Christmas weekend with Marivi and Jose's wedding on the beach. Casey had a game the same night, so he couldn't come with me. Cash stayed at home with a baby sitter because I didn't want to be chasing him around the beach during the ceremony. Guy was my date. I'm a lucky girl. It was a beautiful wedding and Guy and I were so honored to be a part of their special day.

The attire was semi-formal with men wearing Guayabera's which are traditional wedding shirts in Puerto Rico. Guy's guayabera is a knock off from Old Navy, but it looked almost exactly like the traditional ones. He's so Puerto Rican.

Christmas in Old San Juan

2011-12-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

Our friends, the Butlers aka long lost Mexican cousins, left town to go home for Christmas break and we are missing them dearly. We made a trip to Old San Juan with them before they left. We ate at this little place called Cafe El Punto. We had baked empanadas, chicken stuffed avocados, churrasco mofongo, and fresh mango juice. It was so yummy. Then we walked around downtown to look at the Christmas lights. Here are some pictures from the square.

Cash and Carson have become the best of buds here in PR. People always ask if they are twins. Below shows just how much they love each other.

The best part is that they were both laughing really hard the whole time that little devil Cash was putting sweet Carson in a headlock and pushing him to the floor. Boys...

Seven months in the sun

2011-12-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

Baby Guy turns 7 months old on Christmas Eve. He startedcrawling last week. I put Cash's food down on the floor so I could wipe off his hands. The next thing I know, Guy is crawling towards the food as fast as he could. He still scoots after a few crawls, but he is already crawling! I’m happy for his milestone, but sad that he is mobile. This means he is going to be getting into everything and that he's not my little newborn anymore.

Guy recently discovered his tongue. He sticks it out and blows raspberries all day long. And just the other day he went from cooing to talking gibberish and squawking. He is using his voice more and more these days and I love hearing him. I'm happy to report that he is also laughing now. Before it was a lot of grunting and little giggles here and there. But you had to work hard for it. Last night I was tickling him and he was laughing so hard that Casey and I lost it. It was youtube baby laughing funny. Too bad we didn't catch it on video. Guy is a sweet baby that loves to eat, watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, pull Mommy's hair, get stuck under tables/chairs, stare at his brother, laugh at Mommy, and put everything in his mouth. He is just the best thing since sliced cheese.

This is Guy with his girlfriend Mia Butler. He kept trying to make out with her. It was so funny. She was not having it.

I'm head over heels for the boys in my life. They might drive me crazy on occasion, but no one can make me laugh harder or smile bigger.

Christmasing at church

2011-12-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

We attended the annual church sponsored Christmas party with the Metro ward. There was a feast, a Christmas story written by President Monson, caroling, sugar cookie decorating, and me trying to keep two kids happy. Casey had practice, so he only came for the first 20 minutes of the party. The rest of the time I chased Cash around while Guy cried. It was a happy time for all. Guy and I enjoyed the caroling the most and Cash loved frosting the sugar cookies.

Santa Claus came to town

2011-12-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

We took the boys to Plaza Las Americas to get their pictures with Santa. It was not as joyous a moment as I had built up in my mind. But real life usually isn't, right? We could not get the boys to smile if our life depended on it. They were both so stoic. And Santa wasn't helping much either. He didn't have any candy to bribe them with, didn't ask Cash what he wanted for Christmas, and wasn't doing much to try to get them to smile. They were all just kind of there. So we took a picture of it.

Plaza is the biggest mall on the island. And it is always crowded. Even more so at Christmas time. They have a lot of Christmas things going on, but one of my favorite is the fake snow fall that happens three times a day. We caught one of the snowings (get it?) after our joyous visit with Santa.

Cash waiting for the snow to fall.

Cash mesmerized by the snow falling.

One of the coolest things they have for Christmas season is a Burger King explore area for kids. It has musical instruments they can play, slides, playhouses, free crowns, and free face painting. We stop by there every time we go to Plaza. Cash loves it. He went from experiencing face painting for the first time to obsessing over it. He always wants both cheeks painted, checks to make sure they are doing a good job, wants to watch, wants to help, and then always grabs the mirror and checks himself out after. He cracks me up. Such a funny little boy.

Captured moments brought to you by Instagram

2011-12-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

My friends introduced me to the iPhone app Instagram this summer and I instantly fell in love with it. Lately Casey and I have been chronicling our lives through this application. As I was going through our pictures to upload to this blog, I realized that I need to start doing a tribute to Instagram every few months. The pictures we post there are the moments that I want to remember and capture our day-to-day lives better than anything I can write. So here is my first of many posts that show the Pattersons through the eyes of Instagram.

Casey and Cash caught a huge moth. This is Cash's cheese face. I have no idea why he does it, but I love it.

Casey grew out a mustache in support of cancer research and in honor of my Dad for Movember. His teammates said he looked like Chuck Norris. Proudest moment of his life.

Face painting at the mall does wonders for a cranky little boy. Here he is portraying Spiderman's serious side. I can hardly get him to look at the camera these days, but he wanted to see what he looked like in the picture so he was concentrating.

Guy was just hanging out with Daddy on the couch and he looked like such a little man.

We took a last minute trip to Old San Juan and the museum we were headed to was closed, so we walked around and took pictures instead. I love these two little boys so much. I can't believe they are all mine.

This picture makes my heart soar. Cash gives us kisses every night before he goes to bed, but he is not very forthcoming with them at other times. While we were in Old San Juan, I randomly asked him for a kiss and he obliged. Luckily Casey was already going to take a picture of us, so he snapped away. I am so happy we caught this moment on camera. He's such a sweet little boy at times. This is also the day before I chopped off my hair.

I told my Puerto Rican friend to tell the Dominican hair dresser to just cut off a few inches. I should have known that I was just a pawn in her masterpiece when she started with chopping off half of my ponytail. I was shocked, sad, and slightly relieved.

Finished product. It was shorter and redder than I asked for, but I love it. I have always wanted to be a redhead and the shorter hair with lots of layers is way easier to manage in this humidity and heat. Casey keeps referring to me as his Russian mail-order bride, Svetlana. And I quote, "I've always had a thing for redheads."

We make quite the pair with his freshly shaved face and my new spicy hair.

The first time that Guy really sat up by himself for a longish period of time was at the beach. I had to capture that moment. And it just so happened that it was after he munched on a fistful of sand too. Too cute.

Cash saw me taking pictures of Guy and wanted in on the action too. I love going to the beach in December.

Cash loves trying to sit in Guy's car seat and bumbo. I gave in one morning and he insisted that I put the tray on for his popcorn and sippy cup. What a life.

I looked down from my phone and saw Cash sitting on top of Guy just like this. Guy was just smiling and laughing. And Cash looked like he knew he wasn't supposed to be sitting on him, but he was going to do it anyways.

Guy recently discovered his tongue. He blows raspberries and sticks it out all day long. This day I was trying to get a shot of his "Guy" shirt and he was going crazy with his new trick.

Guy started crawling soon after he turned six months old. He was rocking back and forth on all fours for a while and then just bit the bullet and went for it. He still scoots occasionally, but starts off crawling

Have I mentioned that I love going to the beach in December? Cause I do. And I love capturing Guy's first experiences on camera. He was playing in the sand with Daddy. Sitting up like a big boy.

I kept putting off Christmas not knowing whether we would still be in Puerto Rico or not. Then one day I just bit the bullet and decided to go all out celebrating the holiday season here. We borrowed a tree, bought tinsel since it's the cheapest way to ornament a whole tree, bought winter wonderland scented candles, wrapping papers/bows, a few presents, and turned up the Christmas music. All of a sudden it really felt like the Christmas season. This is Cash helping me frost the tree with tinsel. He always requests that we turn the tree lights on and the rest of the lights off as soon as it starts getting dark. Then he oohs and ahhhs at how pretty it is. Followed up with a "Ho ho ho. Santa Cause. Kissmas." I think he shares his Mother's love for the warm glow of lights of the Christmas tree at night. This will be his second Christmas in Puerto Rico and Guy's first ever. It's going to be a special one.

Casey's team won in the quarter finals and advance to the semi final round of playoffs. We celebrated by hitting up the local kids waterpark, Aqua de Sol.

Casey captured this joyous moment at church. This Guy makes me smile.

Happy Thanksgiving from PR

2011-11-25T11:10:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday (yes, passing up even Christmas, Halloween, and Independence Day) due largely to the fact that my family celebrates the crap out of it. We do Thanksgiving right. It's a week-long celebration filled with way too much family time and obscene amounts of good food. And the best part of all is that we get to sit around and talk and talk for hours. We play games. Get into fights. Watch too many movies. And it's always the best time I've ever had. I could go on and on about how much I love my family and how cool I think we are. But I'll spare you. Just this once. Needless to say, I have been a little depressed that I am the only one out of my 10 siblings that wasn't partying in Utah over Thanksgiving break this week. I thought about skipping Thanksgiving all together and going to a remote island with my boys. Basically pretending that the holiday just didn't happen for anyone this year. But Casey didn't have enough time off from practice to make any trip really worth it. And to tell the truth, I was sad at the thought of skipping my now favorite holiday. So we stayed and we ate and we partied.

And you know what? We had a great time. We started the holiday off celebrating with friends from church. We gathered at the church building in the afternoon and began our long day of feasting. We had two tables filled with all of the traditional food that Thanksgiving time makes me crave plus way too much pie and egg nog! I love our ward here in Puerto Rico. It's a small ward made up of people from all different walks of life. Smaller wards give you the opportunity to get to know more people on a more intimate level and offer more opportunities to serve. I've already taught a Relief Society lesson and spoken in sacrament. And I was in charge of the Thanksgiving party. It was a hit. Cash started off his first meal with whipped cream and three rolls and ended it with pie and two cupcakes. Within an hour of eating he had run himself ragged and was ready for a nap. After all three of my boys took naps to recover from turkey comas, it was time for round 2 of our Puerto Rican Thanksgiving.

We gathered at Beba's house with our Puerto Rican family. I showed them how to make green bean casserole (my favorite Thanksgiving side dish). And I watched them make all sorts of traditional dishes with their own spin on them. Cash actually mixed in some turkey for dinner with his cupcakes this time. And Guy had a bowl full of his first sweet potatoes (double layered with marshmallows, lucky baby). We finished off the dinner with turkey cupcakes and a hilarious game of Guesstures. I'm not sure if Casey and I are just terrible at that game or if it's the fact that they are yelling out guesses in Spanish and we have no idea what they are saying, but then someone standing by us will tell us if they got the right answer. It's makes it hard to feed off what they are saying and turn them in the right direction if it all sounds like they are shouting gibberish at you. Either way, we were the weak links of our teams, but it was so funny to watch and listen. We love the Morales and Rodriguez families that have adopted us. They love our boys like their own and always make us feel at home here in PR.

I'm grateful that there is an English speaking ward that we can attend and that we've quickly made good friends in that ward. I'm grateful to have a family to be with on holidays when we are so far away from our own families. I'm grateful that they love us and our sons as much as we love them. I'm grateful to be in tropical weather this holiday season. And I'm grateful to be with Casey, Cash, and Guy on a new adventure in our life together.

Casey said he was showing off his mustache in this picture. He grew it out for Movember. Sexy beast.

Baby Guy' First Thanksgiving

P.S. I'm grateful for all of my family and friends who read this too. hugs and kisses.

It's already been half a year?

2011-11-22T10:57:00.001-08:00

Our baby Guy is six months old. Where did the past sixmonths go? It feels like a blur of newborn snuggling, kissing, loving, crying,sleepless nights, milestones, diapers, more diapers, more snuggling, completeinfatuation, love, endless smiles, and exhaustion. And what do I have to showfor it? A beautiful, yummy, sweet, smiley, cooing six-month old. I guess that's a pretty good deal.We feel so blessed to have Guy in our little family. I am completely obsessedwith him. I smother him in kisses whenever I get the chance. I just love thisstage. He smiles whenever I look at him. I remember when Cash used to dothat. It melts my heart. Casey calls Guy the silent laugher. When he smiles,his whole face lights up and it looks like he is miming a laugh. We only get afew giggles out of him, but his smile is the best thing in the whole world andhe gifts us with it all day long.

All Mom’s probably feel this way, but Icould stare at my babies all day long. Whenever I change Guy's diaper he looks up at meand starts cooing and grabs my face to bring it closer. It’s like the bestthing ever. I always wondered if a second baby would get as much attention asour firstborn did. The answer is yes. I feel like I understand how fast it goesnow, so I soak up all his babyness as often as I can. All I have to do is lookat Cash and it instantly makes me want to snuggle Guy closer. Cash doesn’t wantme holding him close unless he’s super tired or sick. And once upon a time hewas my baby. Luckily I have my little baby Guy to hold close and I'm not letting go. I asked my Mom one time why she had so many kids. (I’m theyoungest of 11.) She responded, “As soon as my babies grew up, I would misshaving one, so I had another. I love babies.” I totally understand how shefelt. My love affair with my babies starts from day one. The newborn stagecomes with a lot of changes, healing, and exhaustion, but holding a perfecttiny baby on your chest while they sleep is the closest thing to heaven that Ican imagine. Then when they start sleeping more at night, staying awake duringthe day, recognizing you, smiling at you, and reaching for you, it’s bliss.When my little baby smiles at me just because I’m his Mother, it feels like everything Ialways thought Motherhood would be.

So I guess all it takes for me to forget the past is sixmonths. Remember how I have bad pregnancies and I always say that everypregnancy is my last? Well just today Casey said to me (like he always does),“Good job Mom. You sure do make cute babies. Let’s have another one.” And foronce, I replied, “Okay. Let’s do it.” Here I am. Completely in love with myhusband and two boys. So happy that I can hardly stand myself. And I’m ready todo it all over again so that I can expand our little family that I love somuch. Gone are the terrible memories of nausea, back pain, labor pain, laborissues (and all that implies), healing from birth, breast infections, etc. Allthat remains is joy and love for this perfect little angel that makes me feelcomplete. How could I not do this again? It is more than worth all of the pain.I’m not saying we are going to start trying to get pregnant any time soon. I’mjust saying that my mind is now open to the idea. I’m with my Mom on this one.As soon as my little baby isn't my little baby anymore, I guess I’ll have tostart over with another one.

Back to Guy. Here are some things he is doing at six months.

scooting
goes up on all fours and rocks
sitting up with a little help
eats rice cereal, pear sauce, apple sauce, and bananas
puts his own binky in (one of my favorite milestones!)
sleeping through the night from 7pm to 7am (a littleblessing to Mom and Dad)
smiling smiling smiling
cooing (and it’s just the most adorable thing I’ve everheard)
torturing his brother whenever he can get his hands on him (The other day I made Cash a sandwich and put it on his mat on the floor for himto eat. I put Guy in the bumbo on the floor farther away so he wouldn’t bugCash while I ran downstairs to the kitchen. Within a few minutes Cashstarted screaming, “No, no, MINE, Nooooo!” I ran back upstairs and Guy hadflopped himself out of the bumbo and scooted his away across the floor toCash’s plate. He had one half of Cash’s sandwich in his grasp and he wasgnawing on it as fast as he could while Cash ran to the corner to scream and escape hiswrath. What a bully. I told Cash to calm down and just move hisplate away next time Guy comes after him, but I’m not sure he could payattention. He kept eyeing that sneaky Guy. I was just mostly impressed with howquickly Guy made it all happen.)

Our baby Guy is growing up and our little Cash is getting so big. Casey always says the next thing we know, they'll be going on their missions. Realistically, I know that day is far away and when it's close I'll probably be shouting for joy. But right now it makes me heartsick for the day I'll have to say goodbye to them. For now, I'll just keep changing their diapers and appreciating these special times I have with them. I feel so blessed to know that I'll always be their Mother.

Happy 6th Month Guy Smiley!

El Morro Fort

2011-11-17T16:48:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite places in Puerto Rico is Old San Juan. It might be one of my favorite places I've ever been. I think it's the familiarity I feel with the European roots of this old city. On the northwestern-most point of Old San Juan is the Fort San Felipe del Morro, or El Morro to locals, named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. It was designed in the 16th century to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay and defend Old San Juan from seaborne enemies. I have been here many times and each time I learn something new and then take a bunch of pictures to make the memory last forever.

My favorite thing about El Morro is the vast greenesplanade in front of the fort. There are always people enjoying the esplanadewith picnics, kites, tours, field trips, or most recently karate classes. Ourgoal for this trip was to fly the Buzz Lightyear kite that we bought for Cash.The parking that day was especially busy, so Cash and I jumped out of the carto get started while Casey and Guy found a parking spot. I couldn’t take apicture without letting go of the kite and risking Cash letting go of thestrings, so I don’t have pictures of our first kite flying adventure. It’s justas well because Cash lasted about 10 minutes before he got bored and wanted togo inside the “tassle” (castle). Cash and I explored the whole fort while waiting for Casey and Guy to find parking. Cash loved the cannons, cannon balls, and the waves crashing up against the outer fort wall.

Once Casey and Guy joined us, Cash was cranky and hot, but that didn't slow us down. I was on a mission to get some pictures whether he wanted to cooperate or not. As always, Guy was a happy camper and just along for the ride.

I really wanted to get a family picture but I was not in themood to ask anyone to take one for us, so we attempted to get our own. Not very successful,but definitely memorable.

A commercial was being filmed while we were there, so we couldn't get great shots of the whole fort. You know what that means? We get to visit El Morro again and take more pictures. Heaven for me. Torture for Cash and Casey. It's all for the memories boys.

Sharing is Caring

2011-11-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

Guy has been sleeping in our room since he was born. After we moved to Puerto Rico, I started feeling like there was no time like the present to move him into Cash's room and get them accustomed to sleeping together. The first step was getting him to sleep through the 4am feeding. That took a while because most nights I was too tired to deal with the process. Eventually I got him sleeping through the night until 6am. Cash usually wakes up at 7am, so I thought that was close enough. We bit the bullet and put them both to sleep in Cash's room one night. The next week was a blur of sleepless nights and the boys taking turns waking up and crying.

After that first week, it started working out okay. We are now at the point where they will both sleep until 7am, most nights. Oh blessed day! I love having our room back. I love having them share a room. And I love the things that are happening because of this transition. One morning I checked on them and found Cash reading books on his bed while Guy was just playing in his crib. My favorite was when I heard Guy crying one morning and I went in to get him only to find Cash in the crib with Guy. Not sure I want to know how he manage to get himself into the crib, but I loved that he wanted to be in there with baby Guy. Guy wasn't loving it probably because Cash landed on him on his way in. But that's what brothers are for right?

El Churry

2011-11-16T09:36:00.001-08:00

Casey and I love watching the show Man vs. Food with Adam Richman on the Travel Channel. We were watching it last year when Adam visited Puerto Rico and ate at the famous food truck, El Churry. I made a mental note to eat there when we came back here. I had totally forgotten about it until our friends wanted to meet us there for dinner one night. And it did not disappoint. The bread was soft, the meat was savory (and well cooked, I have chewy/rubbery meat texture issues and this meat was good), and the mayoketchup (PR version of fry sauce) was the perfect addition to it all. We also added bacon, cheese, and potato sticks (mini french fries) to the sandwich just to take it up a notch. It was greasy goodness. We will definitely be going there again.

The family we went with are the Butlers. We met them in our ward here in PR and we have so much fun hanging out with them. They are living here while Jake is in dental school. Their son Carson is 3 and their little girl Mia is 4 months. And we just figured out the other day that Heather and I are distant cousins! My Dad would be so proud. We even pulled out the genealogy books and tracked down our common heritage. My Great-Uncle on my Mom's side is married to her Great-Aunt on her Dad's side. Such a small world. I love finding out about about my genealogy. I wish my Dad was still alive because he would have gotten a kick out of me finding a cousin in PR.

Mexican cousins

Love for Cash

2011-11-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been blogging about Guy a lot lately. I don't want to leave my little Cashman out. He is such a funny little boy. He is still the king of making faces. All about testing limits. Loves movies, balls, bubbles, play-doh, cars, books, arcade games, guns, swords, and pretend fighting. Loves playing volleyball with Dad. Refuses to catch a ball, but can put his arms out in a platform and pass. He is getting better at swimming and would spend all day long in the pool if it were up to him. Obsessed with animals of all kinds. Always runs in the opposite direction of Casey and I. He's a big boy who shares a room with his little brother. He usually ignores Guy, but every once in a while he smothers him with attention. He recently decided that it was okay to shower. He used to scream unless it was a bath, but now he thinks it's fun. His favorite foods are cucumbers, cheese, chips, cereal, pasta, edamame, apples, protein shakes, french fries, and chicken nuggets. He would choose cucumbers over all of those all day long. He eats at least an entire English cucumber every day. He's all about my turn. Whenever he wants something he always says, "my turn." And more than anything, he loves to dance. When he hears a beat, he's just gotta groove! And the thing he loves more than anything in the world (besides his Daddy) is his green and zebra striped silky blanket that Aunt Renee made for him. He is most often seen pictured with it, takes it everywhere he goes, and can't go to sleep without it.

Here are some funny things that he says:

"moomie" (movie)
"beentet" (his silky blanket)
"coo-cutters" (cucumbers)
"tayntoo" (thank you)
"bob bob" (Spongebob square pants)
"pat pat pat" (Little Einsteins)
"no wanteee or wanteee" (I don't want it or I do want it)
"holdeee" (hold me)
"oh oh oh, okay" (when we are trying to tell him something and he's acknowledging us while nodding his head.)
"mommy" (means Mommy or Daddy. Used to only call us both Daddy, but switched to only calling us both Mommy now. I like that better.)

Me: Cash how old are you?
Cash: Two!!! (and holds up his fingers while trying to make the peace sign.)
Me: What's your name?
Cash: Two!!! (still trying to make only two fingers stand up)
(He always answers "Two!" when I ask him his name. Refuses to say Cash. When he does say Cash, he calls himself "Dash".)

When he does something good or is excited about something. He looks at us and says, "Up high!" Then wants a high five. Makes us laugh so hard every time.

We love our Cashman.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween! I'm actually obsessed with most holidays. They give me a chance to act like a kid, eat fun specialty foods, and party with friends and family. And I guess you could say I like dressing up. I was going through my old pictures that I scanned and I found some great examples.

Pretty incredible, right? This Halloween offered me all of the things I love about holidays and more. We celebrated by carving a pumpkin, watching marathons of Halloween movies, making caramel apples, dressing up, hitting up the ward trunk-or-treat, and eating way too much candy!

Cash loved carving the pumpkin but as soon as we put a candle inside of it, the pumpkin became "Scawee" and then he would make his scary face. Now he has a fear of jack-o-lanterns. Oh yeah and ghosts. I think we watched too many of the scary movie marathons on TV. Guy was just along for the ride. The one thing that Cash did love was trick-or-treating. He would walk up to each car and say, "Twick o Tweat" and then "Tantoo" (thank you) before he would even get candy. He was addicted as soon as we started. He made the loop in the parking lot two times and then he ran off to do it some more on his own. He kept running back to us and yelling, "Tandy!" And after we acknowledged him, he would say, "Yeah!!!" and nod his head. He is in such a funny stage right now. He's talking more and more and he's really expressive. Halloween is so much more fun with a kid that enjoys it as much as I do.

La Marquesa Forest

2011-11-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

We took a day trip to La Marquesa Forest in Guaynabo on Casey's day off. After you park, there is a little train that drives you up the hill to a lookout point and a waterfall. We stopped for pictures and walked around. Then the train goes farther up the hill to a playground/picnic area. We stopped here and got out to eat lunch and play around. The last part of the hill is too steep and narrow for the train to go, so we hiked on foot up the rest of the way. At the very top is a tall tower with a 360 degree view of Puerto Rico. It was goregous. Only problem was that it was a very hot day. We were all sweaty and tired by the end, but La Marquesa made for a fun day trip.

Plataneros de Corozal

2011-11-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Casey is playing for the Plataneros de Corozal volleyball team again. They won the championship last time we were here, so we're hoping for a repeat! This is Casey's fourth season playing in PR and he has a lot of die hard fans. It's fun to watch how into the games they get. They call themselves the BOOM squad. They come to all the games and are obsessed with our little boys. We have that in common. The boys and I love going to his games and cheering Casey on. Cash is a handful at the games because he just wants to be running around or with Daddy and the volleyballs. He managed to run out onto the court during one of the games the other night. Casey caught him and the referee had to stop the game. I was mortified. He now knows that he isn't allowed out there, but he still likes to test me now and then. Cash's favorite thing at the games is the team mascot, Bompy. He is fascinated with him. Bompy comes over and dances with Cash and gives him fives periodically. You can see it in Cash's face how much he loves it. I can't wait until Cash is a little older and can actually sit and watch Casey play. I love watching him in his element. I hope he gets to continue to do what he loves for as long as his body will let him.

Our baby is growing up...

2011-11-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

Guy turned 4 and then 5 months while we have been in PR. He is now the proud owner of not one, but two teeth! He rolls all over the place. He started eating solid baby food. And he is still fascinated with everything that Cash does. Our Guy Smiley continues to put a smile on our face with his sweet demeanor and huge open-mouthed smile.

Life in PR

2011-11-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

We made it safe and sound to Puerto Rico after two long flights. We are living in Guaynabo in the guest house of our Puerto Rican family, Cristy and Jorge. Their family adopted us last time we lived here in 2009/2010. We have missed the Morales and Rodriguez families and we're so happy to reunited with them. Plus Cristy has chickens, rabbits, fish, and turtles at her house. Basically it's Cash favorite place ever. Guaynabo is much closer to San Juan, church, Costco, the biggest mall, and metropolitan life. That makes me very happy. We used to have to travel at least an hour to go anywhere when we lived in Vega Baja. Now we are out and about all the time. It is driving Casey crazy that I want explore the island every day, but I don't want to miss any opportunities for family adventures. We're making memories people.

Our life here has been idyllic so far. Every day we either go to the beach or swim in our pool. It's so hot and humid here that this is not only fun, but also just a break from the heat. Then we take a trip to any place that's air-conditioned. Usually Costco, Plaza Las Americas (the biggest mall on the island), K-mart, or any store/restaurant that we find along the way. Followed by nap time for all. It's a pretty simple life, but my favorite one because we spend all day together as a family. Casey goes to practice at night and we go to the games with him on the weekends. And the rest of the time is left for fun-filled day trips.

Are you having fun Cash?

Puerto Rico Part Dos

2011-10-31T20:15:00.002-07:00

Summer is over. It's been a big summer for the Patterson household. Casey started playing for the FIVB and traveling internationally to play beach volleyball. Which meant that Cash and I had a lot of one-on-one time to bond before the new baby came. We celebrated the birth of our second son, Guy Philip. And the next few months were a blur while Casey was jet-setting around the world and I was doing my best to get accustomed to life with two bambinos. We spent way too much time indoors and way too many hours in front of the TV. We eventually settled into a new routine and then summer came to a close. As soon as Casey was done traveling, he signed a contract with his old team in Puerto Rico to play indoor in the fall. And just like that, we were packing up and getting ready to move our little family to PR for four months. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the summer that haven't made past blog posts.

Motherlode 2011

2011-10-31T20:15:00.001-07:00

Casey wanted to repeat his championship at the Motherlode tournament in Aspen, Colorado over Labor Day weekend. And I was tired of being cooped up and left behind on all of his adventures, so we rented a minivan and took a family road trip. To get from Huntington Beach to Aspen requires 17 hours of driving and we weren't about to do that in one day with two kids. We stopped half way and spent the night at my brother-in-law's cabin near Brianhead, Utah. It was fun to see family and take a little break from driving.

The tournament director put us up in a two-bedroom condo and we enjoyed Aspen to the fullest. Cash couldn't get enough of all of the fountains/ponds and dogs. And I couldn't get enough of the yummy food. Plus it was great weather the whole weekend.

Casey and his partner, Sean Rosenthal, ended up winning the tournament after a long weekend of grueling volleyball. I have a feeling this is going to be a tournament that Casey will play in for the rest of his life. Annual family vacation in Aspen over Labor Day? Sounds good to me.

The winners get their name on the post every time they win. Casey will be on there for 2010 and 2011. And hopefully more times if it's up to him.

Patterson Family Pictures

2011-10-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

In August, we drove up to Ventura to take family pictures with Casey's immediate family. It was long overdue because we haven't taken a family picture all together since our wedding in 2005. Also, the Patterson's are moving up to Utah and leaving their beautiful farmhouse in Ventura. We had to take advantage of the beautiful scenery the old house provides before they left.

We. Are. Family.

Two Big Boys

2011-08-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Guy Smiley turned three months old on August 24th! He is getting so big. Guy has a smile that is so infectious and he wears it constantly. All you have to do is make eye contact with him and he'll reward you with his million dollar smile. It gets me every time. He is a very sweet baby and loves the presence of his big brother Cash. He quiets down and stares whenever Cash is near. Just hoping for some interaction with him. Cash is so sweet with him. He loves giving him hugs, sometimes a little too roughly, and loves to come over and act like he's taking care of Guy. "Oh, da beebee," he says. And then he'll pet his head, rub his foot, attempt to put the binky in, or give him a toy to play with. I caught him going in while Guy was sleeping and putting toys in the pack n play just in case Guy wanted to play with them. I love seeing those two interact.

Here is what I've learned about Guy in three months: He has a very impatient side when it comes to feeding time. He wants it and he wants it right now! Otherwise he is a very good baby. He can roll from his belly to his back and then back to his belly from both sides. He coos all day long. He just started laughing a little bit. He can grab toys and hold on to them a little better. He smiles more than any other baby I've ever seen. Still has red hair, although it is growing in strawberry blond on top. He is strong for his age. And he drools like nobody's business. Most importantly, he is such a sweetheart. On days when I feel like I just can't do it anymore, he gives me a big ole smile and makes me instantly feel happier. I just love him to pieces.

He was cooing and talking like crazy in this picture.

Cash is sleeping in his big boy bed! He slept in a bed part of the time that we were at the homestead, so we decided to try it out when we got back. We put the twin bed in his room on the floor and hoped for the best. It hasn't been easy, but it's going a lot better than I expected. In the beginning, we had to lay down by him for a while before he would be okay with us leaving or he would fall asleep. After a few weeks, he just needs a bedtime story and then he is good to go. Naptime has been a little bit tricky, but it's been okay. He cries when I shut the door for naptime, but only for a little while. He plays with his toys for a while and I have no idea where he ends up, but he sleeps eventually. One morning I walked in to check and see if he was even on the bed and snapped these pictures. I can't believe how big my little Cashman is. Next step...potty training.

My two big boys.

Remembering Dad

2011-08-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

It's the one-year anniversary of my Dad's passing and I spent the day doing nothing. Casey was in Norway and the boys and I weren't feeling great. So we just sat around the house. I had a lot of time to think about my Dad. Man, do I miss that guy. I wanted to pick up the phone and hear his voice. Or tell him about all the funny things that Cash is saying/doing and how cute Guy is. I can just hear him making a joke about Guy's name. He had a great laugh. For me it wasn't a sad day. It was a day to remember him and what a great Dad and Grandpa he was.

My Dad was always very supportive of my athletic career, but it was after my Mom passed away that he became very involved in my day-to-day life. He worked really hard to make sure that he was there for me in ways that my Mother would have been. We worked together to figure out dinners, laundry, cleaning, and family time. He was always there to help me solve a problem when I went away to BYU. He reassured me that he was only a phone call away. I spent most of my college life calling him for advice on everything. He never missed one of my home games at BYU and missed only a few of my away games. We were a team. We were as close as a father and daughter could be. And I miss that. But I'm grateful that he was there guiding me, encouraging me, disciplining me, inspiring me and supporting me over the past ten years. I have a great amount of respect for my Dad and such a deep love for him. He is missed, but always remembered.

Brown Reunion 2011

2011-08-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

We traveled to the Whiting Homestead in Northern Arizona for my family reunion on my Dad's side in August. Casey surprised me by coming home from his world travels to road trip with us. I was so happy and relieved to have him there not only for his help, but also because it meant we were spending time as a family. The road trip felt longer than it actually was because our little Honda Accord was packed to the brim with camping stuff, baby stuff, and clothes. We are quickly outgrowing our little car. To break the trip up, we stopped half way and stayed the night at our friends Erica and John's house. We had a little bbq/swim party, and then danced and karaokeed the night away to Michael Jackson on the Kinect for Xbox 360. It was uh-mazing. I love hanging out with the Crismon's. Also, my friend Carrie was visiting from Australia so she joined in on the fun too!

The Whiting Homestead goes back generations in my family to my Great-Grandpa, Edwin Marion Whiting, and my Great-Grandma, Anna Maria Isaacson, who started it as a place for their family to gather. Now four generations later, Cash and Guy are visiting the homestead and playing with their cousins. Growing up in Mesa, we spent summers there to escape the heat in the valley of the sun. Some of my earliest memories are of exploring the woods, building forts and swinging on the rope swing with cousins. It is one of my favorite places on earth. I am so happy to be passing this tradition on to my little family.

Cash had a blast just being a boy. He was totally in his element. Getting dirty, exploring, making new friends, and following his cousins around. Here are some pictures to show how much fun we had.

We were there for six days and I wish we could have stayed there longer. I know I say this a lot, but I really love my family. They are just the best. I have the best time with them and it doesn't matter what we are doing.

My time at the homestead rejuvenated me. It's always a difficult transition with a newborn and having a second child is a lot of work. I've felt deflated lately. Casey is gone traveling a lot and being a single Mom is hard. This trip was a breath of fresh air for me, literally and figuratively. It felt good to get out of California on a little family vacation to the mountains of Arizona, and it felt good to breath some life back in to me. I feel like I get stuck in the daily grind of Motherhood and it's nice to escape that every once in a while. We always end our family reunions with a testimony meeting and this year we doubled up. After the main meeting, our immediate family circled together around our campfire to have our own Phil Brown testimony meeting. It was such a special time that I don't want to write too much about it. But I will say this. It was one of the most spiritual and healing testimony meetings that I have ever been apart of. It's the first time we have all been together since my Dad passed away almost a year ago. It gave us a chance to talk about him and celebrate him in his favorite place on earth, his family homestead. That gathering lifted me up and really strengthened me. Helped me to remember the legacy that my parents left for us. As we sat there and talked, I just had the most overwhelming feeling that my parents were really proud of us for being there. Family was everything to them and they have passed that on to us. It was moving to sit there and talk, some people told stories, some bore their testimony of a myriad of things. But the common theme was family. And I'm so grateful to be a member of the Brown family.

I can't wait to spend the rest of my life taking my kids to Brown family reunions at the homestead and helping them create lasting memories with their family.

Sister Patterson Comes Home

2011-07-28T01:00:00.000-07:00

Casey's sister, Jessie Kate, came home from her mission in Korea last week. She hasn't seen Cash since he was five months old and had never met Guy. Casey was in Canada, so me and the boys made the trek up to Ventura to attend her homecoming. It was so great to see her and hear her stories of her 18-month mission for our church. I love visiting Ventura and letting Cash run around. He has so much fun with Casey's family and especially exploring the farm. I'm so grateful to have Casey's family in my boys' lives. They are so good to us. It's a great experience to have the only grandkids on the Patterson side because our boys get so much attention and love. Cash runs around like he owns the place and they get a kick out of him. I know Guy will be the same way. I'm lucky to be a Patterson.

Cash, Grandpa Patterson, Grandma Patterson, Guy

Aunt Jessie, Cash, Aunt Sarah, Guy, Aunt Erin

Welcome home Aunt Jessie!

Guy at Two Months

2011-07-27T23:24:00.000-07:00

Guy turned one month old on the same day that Cash turned two years old. They are exactly 23 months apart to the day. I can't wait for Guy to get bigger so they can play together and be best friends. They are already so aware of each other. Guy settles down anytime Cash comes near him to comfort him. And Cash is always checking on him. He looks for him first thing in the morning when I get him out of bed and checks in on him throughout the day. I love seeing Guy react to Cash's presence. He instantly turns towards him and just watches him. These brothers make me really happy.

Guy is two months old now. Time is flying by with this little babe. At his two-month checkup, he was 13 pounds 10 ounces (87%) and 25 inches long (97%). I have learned a lot about this little man in his two months of life. Guy loves to take baths or rather to be bathed. He is very relaxed and calm unless he is hungry or tired. His scream can go from zero to sixty when those two times come into play. He loves his brother. He still furrows his little brow a lot which makes me feel like he's judging me because it's usually when I'm acting a fool trying to get him to laugh. I bet it's because he's a deep thinker. Don't all mom's think their kids are geniuses? Well, I'm no different. He's got a lot on his mind. Like, where's that tall guy that takes me from this nice lady with the milk? And when am I going to get that milk again? He loves cuddling in bed with me. That might be more a projection of what I love, but he falls right to sleep every time I pull him in close, so I'm running with it.

Guy loves his Mama. I know this because he follows the sound of my voice and smiles every time I smile at him. Even if he is mid-cry, he will give me a little smile. It's almost like he can't help it. I must have that great of a smile, it's contagious. Or he's just a really smiley baby. Which brings me to his new nickname, Guy Smiley. You may remember him from Sesame Street. Well our little Guy sure is smiley, so I think it will work perfect. And his smile lights up his face. You can't help but beam right back at him.

I sure do love this little man. He is perfection in my eyes. All two months of him.

One Little Blessed Guy

2011-07-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Casey blessed our little Guy on Sunday. He did a great job keeping it simple and sweet. He blessed Guy to live up to his full potential, to be an example to his family and friends, and to always be worthy of his priesthood. Guy is such an important part of our family in just seven weeks of life. Cash is always making sure that I don't forget about Guy, very aware and at ease with him, and concerned when he is crying. Guy rounded out our little family unit and we are so blessed to have his sweet little spirit in our home.

Casey's family, my family, my best friend Kristin, and her boyfriend Tyler joined us for Guy's special day. I'm so grateful to live near family and friends who support and love us. Thanks for helping us make Guy official.

6th Wedding Anniversary

2011-07-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Casey and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary after he got home from Switzerland. On my actual anniversary, I went swimming and ate sushi with my gal Kristin and my two main squeezes, Cash and Guy. It was a great day, but we missed Casey. We celebrated in style when he got back. We got babysitters and went to a restaurant that I've been dying to try for a while, Bandera in Corona Del Mar. It was divine. We will be going back for other fancy occasions. Then we ended our night with the final installment of the Harry Potter movies. It was bittersweet. I was so excited to see it, but devastated that it was over.

I'm so happy that Casey and I were able to have a date night. He has been traveling so much that I want him to spend as much time as he can with the boys when he is home. But I really miss him when he is gone, so when we get the chance to have some alone time, we take it!

I couldn't decide which picture to put up. I look better in the top one, but he looks better in the bottom one. So you get both. Six years of marriage and we still can't compromise. Totally kidding. I love this man very much and I think six years has gone by pretty quickly and smoothly. We have great memories, grand adventures, moments of greatness, lots of imperfections, and most importantly a love and passion for each other and our family that will last a lifetime. I love you kid.

Independence Day

2011-07-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

We spent 4th of July weekend at my sister Nikki's new house in San Clemente. Casey was in Switzerland for the week and we wanted to do some celebrating with our family down south. We had a great holiday weekend. We started the day off at the beach, went swimming in their hot tub, made banana cream pie and homemade vanilla ice cream, barbequed, and played with family. I was too tired to make the trek down to the pier to watch the fireworks, so we watched them from the house in our pajamas. I love this holiday so much, but this year was dampened by Casey's absence. Hopefully next year we will get to do something really fun as a family and the boys will get to see the fireworks. This year I was just happy that we were with family. I love my family and I'm so glad Cash has cousins his age that live close by. He loves his cousins.

We didn't get a long nap in because we were having too much fun. Unfortunately, this affects Cash's picture posing abilities.

Guy seems unfazed.

Happy Independence Day 2011

Cash Turns Two

2011-07-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

My little Cashman is two years old. Time is flying by and now he's my big boy with a little brother! We celebrated a full day of fun for this funny little boy. We started the night before with red velvet cupcakes from scratch. Cash loves helping me in the kitchen. Anytime I start to cook anything, he grabs a chair and pushes it over from the table. He's my little helper.

We started off the day with oatmeal pancakes and a few cupcakes. Then we planned an impromptu party at Frogg's Bounce House for kids. Cash loved bouncing around with Dad, but did not want to stop for a picture. They had a little room for karaoke and he was loving it. He loves acting embarassed when I call attention to him, but at the same time he loves putting on a show. He is so funny. Cash loves to dance more than anything. He hasn't caught onto singing just yet, but he kind of makes noises and holds them which might be his version of singing. He's such a ham. And he knows it. He likes to look around and make sure people are watching him before he does something. Like father like son.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Cash, Happy Birthday to you! He loved it when everyone was singing to him. He heard the song probably about 6 times that day and he would smile, laugh, clap, and try to sing along. I could tell he knew it meant something special.


Evidence that Guy and I were there too!

After Cash took a nap, we opened up his presents. We gave him puzzles, some wooden toys, coloring books, sticker books, and a tricycle (that we bought a few months ago and he doesn't really like it unless we push him. Lazy). The Patterson gang got him some sweet BYU gear, mini volleyball included, plus some toys and clothes. He loved opening the presents, but he does it very carefully and slowly. We finished the best day ever at the premiere showing of Cars 2 with all of Cash's California cousins. Hank and Lily were having trouble staying put in the movie theater, so Nikki and Darren took them home. Tim and Heather's kids are pictured below. They gave him some cars for his birthday that he immediately threw into the fountain. Casey rescued them and sacrificed his dry jacket in the process. Anything for Cash.

Phoenix, Lexi, Guy, Kiki, Dev, Casey, and Cash

My sweet little Cash is such an adventurous, curious, funny, bright, strong-willed, laid back, and spunky boy. I love spending time with him and feel honored to be his Mom (or Daddy as he calls both Casey and I).

Happy Father's Day

2011-07-06T23:53:00.000-07:00

To the best Dad in the world,

Happy Father's Day.

We love you Daddy!

I'm amazed by the kind of Dad that Casey is to our boys. I know everyone says that about their husbands, but I guess for each person it's true. The moments that really get me are the tender way he kisses them, the automatic protective instinct he shows for them at all times, and the sweet way he talks to them when he doesn't know I'm listening. He is a gentle giant. I hope my boys grow up to be just like their Daddy. He's one of a kind.

Work it Guy, Work it Cash

2011-07-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

My amazing sisters, Debbie and Jacque, came to help me with Guy while Casey was in Japan for a week and then China for a week. I am so grateful to them. I really needed the help. So much so that I couldn't even pull out my own camera and take one picture of them with Cash or Guy. I'm terrible. But I was fighting off breast infections and sleep deprivation. I have the best sisters in the world. I owe them big time for filling in for my Mom since she passed away. I'm one lucky little sister.

While Jacque was here, she took Guy's newborn photos. We had Cash get in on the shoot too because he is just so darn cute. She did an excellent job of capturing my sweet little boys.

Look at that size difference!

The only way we could talk Cash into kissing Guy's head was by putting a cheerio on his head and telling him to eat it. Can you believe how great that is?

My Boys

2011-07-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

Guy turned one week old on Tuesday, the same day that Casey left for Japan/China again. He has been such a good little baby this week. We had to get him tested for jaundice and by some miracle, he didn't have it that badly. Probably because he was a week overdone. I'm so grateful we didn't have to do the lights with him. He is a great breast feeder and a sweet little baby. He makes us so happy.

Things I've noticed about Guy:
He must have a lot on his mind because he furrows his brow a lot. He has amazing dreams because I have never seen a baby smile so much while sleeping. His favorite spot to sleep is on my chest. It's my favorite spot for him too. He responds to my voice. He doesn't like to sleep at night, but he loves to eat at night. He has red hair! I hope he keeps it. Casey's beard grows in red and my Dad was a redhead when he was young. He's very alert and calm for a newborn.

I don't think there is anything better in the world than this right here.

Welcome Guy

2011-07-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

Guy Philip Patterson
05/24/2011 at 6:56AM
8 lbs 5 oz
22 inches

Our second baby boy is finally here. He is a week late, but so worth the wait. Casey and I dropped Cash off on Monday night at my sister Nikki's house for a sleepover. We headed into the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Irvine at midnight. I was 41 weeks on Tuesday, so that is the soonest that my doctor would let me be induced. Casey was only going to be home for one week, so we needed it to happen right away. I would have preferred going into labor on my own, but I didn't want to take the chance of Casey not being home for the birth. I was in my bed and all hooked up to the pitocin by 1AM. The doctor checked me when I got in and I was dilated to a three. She told me that I could get the epidural at any point. I decided to wait until I was feeling the contractions because I wanted to be able to get up and go to the bathroom and move around if need be. I just remembered feeling so helpless with numb legs and I wasn't in any pain yet. By 3AM I was starting to feel the pain. The contractions were about two minutes apart and lasting for a minute. I was breathing pretty heavy and struggling through the pain a bit. I called the nurse and let her know that I was ready for the epidural. She said that she needed to talk to the doctor first. The doctor came in and checked me again and said I was at a four and a half and I could get the epidural right away. Apparently this memo didn't get to the nurse because she was very reluctant. First she said that I needed to wait until a bag of water was emptied into my IV because I was dehydrated. For 30 minutes I watched that bag of water empty and prayed that it would go faster. By this time my contractions are one minute apart and over a minute long. I am really struggling through them and seriously feeling the pain on pitocin. Then the nurse informs me that my blood work hasn't come back yet and they can't do the epidural until they get it back. Why wasn't all of this done right when I got there and the doctor told me that I could get the epidural anytime I wanted? The nurse turned off the pitocin because I was in so much pain (and she kept mentioning that I was only at a level 4 of pitocin, like I was a big wimp for responding so quickly to a low dose.) So for another 30 minutes I almost blacked out from the pain while we waited for the lab to finish my blood work. Casey was pretty angry at this point and I was just breathing heavily through tears and telling him this was the last baby we would have. I'm so dramatic in the heat of the moment. I just forgot how painful contractions are on pitocin.

At 4AM I finally got my epidural. Casey held me while I grunted through contractions and hoped the needle didn't accidentally paralyze me. Always a nerve wracking process. By 4:30AM I was feeling amazing. Pain free and numb. The doctor came in and broke my water and said that it would probably be a while before the labor because the epidural slows everything down. Around 5:30AM I was feeling a lot of pressure down south. I told the nurse who didn't believe me and said it was probably my catheter. Another nurse had come in to take over her shift and the new nurse checked me out. She instantly said, "Wow, looks like we are going to have a baby. You're dilated to a 10 and ready to go." I was so relieved. They let me labor down for another hour. I brushed out my hair and fixed my smeared mascara from the painful events of earlier that morning and got ready to welcome this baby into the world. At 6:30AM they were finishing setting everything up and the nurse had me do a test push. After one test push she immediately stopped me because she could already see his head. I pushed three more times and he was out. Pushing is the only thing I do well apparently.

As soon as he was out and placed in my arms, I just knew how much this baby was going to mean to me, to Casey, to Cash, and to our family unit. Casey and I were instantly emotional. It almost feels like an out of body experience. Watching the baby come out of you and then hearing him cry and holding him in your arms. It is so miraculous. It was love at first sight. The nurse cleaned him up on my stomach and we immediately had our golden hour. Just me, Casey, and our new little Guy. He was so little and soft all curled up on my chest. Casey and I were just mesmerized by him. Another sweet angel to join our family. What a blessing it is to be able to bring life into the world and be a steward over another child of God. He was just so beautiful. I could imagine him standing up in Heaven with my Mom and Dad while he waited to be sent down to us. They were probably the last angels he saw before he became our little baby. I felt like they were there watching over us. It was such a special moment.

Visitors

Grandpa and Grandma Patterson

Aunt Sarah and Aunt Erin

Great Grandma Apperson


Aunt Nikki Harris

Kristin Richards

Uncle Tim and Aunt Heather (cousins: Skylar, Kiki, Phoenix, Deveraux)

I was anxious about how Cash was going to react when he first met Guy. He walked into the hospital room and was instantly happy to see Casey and I there. He was in Casey's arms within seconds. Then he wanted to get in the bed with me and drink my juice box. And finally he saw the baby. We let him hold the baby and he was really sweet. He kept saying OOoooh and baby. He even gave Guy a little kiss on the forehead. Then Guy started crying and Cash was really upset. He did not like his baby crying.

Casey's parents took Cash home with them for four days to give Casey and I some alone time with Guy. That was probably the best gift they could have ever given us. It was so relaxing to just cuddle with Guy and hang out with Casey. It was very peaceful and great bonding for us. Cash came home on Saturday and I was so happy to have him back. As quiet as our home has been, I missed him a lot. At first I was blown away about his size. I couldn't believe he was my baby before Guy came. I changed his diaper and it felt like I was changing a grown man. He seems like such a big kid now. He isn't my baby anymore. It was kind of a hard transition at first. I had to keep reminding myself that he is not even two yet when he acts up. He is pretty soft with Guy. He mostly just ignores him and then every once in a while he pets his head and says baby. He is only jealous when Casey holds Guy because that is his Daddy. But Mommy can be shared.

I love my little Guy so much. I swear I wish I could bottle his scent and keep it forever. He's just so yummy. I forgot how wonderful it feels to have a newborn sleep on your chest. Just a little nugget. I'm smitten with him. I love my boys and the daily joy they bring me.

And now we are four.

40 weeks and counting...

2011-05-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm three days overdue and Casey is in Baltimore, Maryland playing in the season opener NVL tournament. I'm grateful that our sweet little baby is being patient and waiting for Daddy to come home before he makes his debut. However, I'm also impatient and nervous. Is it Sunday yet?

The next post will be all about this little guy in my belly and his special day of birth. Until then...

6.5 Months


9 Months (on my due date)

Farewell to the Harris Family

2011-04-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said that my sister Nikki lives across the sidewalk from me in our same apartment complex? Well, she did. Past tense. The Harris family just bought their first home in San Clemente, CA. They moved out yesterday. Nikki and I spent the last few minutes before they left hugging and crying. I know it sounds ridiculous. San Clemente is only 45 minutes south of here, but it seems longer when you've been used to a few steps distance. I'm so happy for them, but I'm devastated for me and my little family. I have been so spoiled these past two years living so close to them. I saw them every day. Cash ran to their door and knocked every time we were outside. He considers Aunt Nikki his best friend. Their apartment was his second home and favorite escape destination. He loves their twins, Hank and Lily, like they are his own siblings. We had a great thing going here. And now they're gone. Cash has no idea that they aren't there anymore or how this will affect him. But I do. I'm tearing up as I write this. Sure, I'm pregnant and hormonal, but this really is a sad day. I depended on my sister across the way so much. I'm just realizing how much I took it for granted. I keep looking out our window expecting to see them across the way. This morning Cash ran out the door and ran straight for their apartment and knocked. I just cried. I'm just feeling a little lonely these days. Casey left us for 19 days and Nikki left us for good. I'll miss seeing cute little Hank and Lily every day. Miss having my sister within a stone's throw. And Casey will miss having his buddy Darren around. We sure do love the Harris family. Here's a look back at the good times at the Mora Kai.

Aunt Nikki visiting baby Cash at Hoag Hospital

Aunt Lexi visiting baby Lily at Hoag Hospital

The twins helped Cash celebrate his first birthday

The twins on their blessing day in HB at our ward

Aunt Nikki and Cash doing best friend stuff

Lily, Cash, and Hank enjoying their first wagon ride

Hank and Cash being boys in the pool

We'll miss you guys.

Bye Bye Daddy

2011-04-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Casey has started the beach volleyball season. This year he is playing with Brad Keenan and competing in the international league, FIVB. He started off the year with a trip to Brazil. They went through the qualifier and made it into the main draw ending up in 9th place. Pretty good for Casey's first showing internationally. He came home for Easter weekend and then left four days later for Japan and China. He will be in Japan first, then China for a tournament, then back to Japan for two tournaments. His return date is May 15th. I'm due with our second baby boy on May 17th. Oh boy. We're praying that I'll be late and everything will be okay. I'll be in shambles if I think about it too much. I was already emotional enough about him leaving for so long. Whenever I start to think about him being absent for the birth, I start panicking. I just keep reassuring myself that everything will be okay. Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay. You get the gist.

Before he left, we spent a lot of time just cuddling and hanging out at home. We had a great four days.

Casey has only been gone four days and we already miss him so much. I started pulling out all of the baby gear and Cash has decided that the infant car seat is his own personal recliner. This sweet little boy has no idea what's about to rock his little world. It's going to be a huge adjustment for him to not be the center of attention around here. But I'm so excited for him to meet his little brother. Just hold tight until Daddy gets home little guy.

Happy Easter 2011

2011-04-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Easter weekend. We celebrated the twins first birthday, then Casey’s 31^st birthday, and then had all of our Easter festivities. Misha and Adam stayed after spring break to party with us, Easter style.

This was Cash’s first experience dyeing Easter eggs. He was not very gentle with the eggs. He kept throwing them down into the cups and splashing the dye everywhere. We managed to only crack three or four, but he had a blast.

Next came filling up the plastic Easter eggs for the egg hunt. Casey and Cash spent most of this time eating more candy than they actually put into the eggs. As you can see, they both enjoyed themselves. Cash was in Heaven.

Nikki’s family, Misha’s family, Tim’s family, and my little family all got together at a local park for our Easter Egg Hunt. We let the little kids go first in the grass area where we just threw eggs our for them. Cash managed to get a few in his basket before sitting down and eating the candy. He spent the rest of the time going through everyone's baskets looking for candy.

We sang Happy Birthday to Casey at the park because he was in Brazil for his actual birthday. Cash loved it and thought the whole shebang was for him. It’s funny how quickly the attention turns away from you when you have kids. Now every birthday, including your own, is about them. Now that Casey is over 30, I’m sure he prefers it that way.

It was a blessed Easter weekend to have so much family around us and celebrate our Savior. One day I’ll have to explain the reason behind all of that celebrating to Cash. As for now, he’ll just enjoy his candy-induced comatose state and dream of the Easter Bunny.

Cousins

2011-04-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Aren’t cousins the best? Over the past few months Cash has had plenty of play time with cousins. My sister Debbie, my niece Brittany, and her new little daughter Maili came to visit soCal for a few days. Maili looks just like Brittany did when she was a baby, but with a little Samoan flair from her Daddy Trevor. It was so fun to see them and get the kiddos all together.

Brittany, Maili, Lexi, Cash, Nikki, Lily, Hank

My sister Misha stayed with us during spring break and we had a blast hanging out with all of our little ones. My sister Nikki lives in our apartment complex and is just across the sidewalk from us. She has twins, Misha has two girls, and I have Cash. We spent the week enjoying nap times. But seriously. These kids had a ball climbing all over each other. And I got to enjoy more time with my sisters. We took the kids to the Long Beach Aquarium and to see the new movie Rio. The Aquarium was awesome and the movie was a total disaster. I think I saw maybe 20 minutes of the movie and spent the rest of the time chasing around Cash or helping with the other kids. When you are playing with cousins, it doesn't matter what you do because it seems to be the best thing ever!

Hank, Lily, Arden, Sable, Cash

Sisters

2011-04-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my entire life, all six of my sisters and I went on a girl’s trip. It was epic. We spend the weekend free from kids and sans husbands in Las Vegas. I can’t believe I’m 28 and this is the first time I’ve done a girls trip with all of my sisters. I plan on doing this every year until I die. I love these women. There’s just nothing like a sister. They are the women that I aspire to be like and the women whose opinions matter most to me. I wish my Mom could have been there to enjoy the good times we had. I thank her dearly for having the strength to have so many kids and give me so many siblings, especially sisters. What a blessing to have 10 people that will rally behind me whenever I need them. I know I’ve said it before, but I love my family!

Becky, Jacque, Buffy, Debbie, Misha, Nikki, Lexi

Misha and I are both pregnant. I love that we are on either side of Elvis. Classic.

We spent the weekend overeating, talking into the wee small hours of the morning, getting dessert at every opportunity, and laughing. Lots of laughing and story telling. In a perfect world, I would see these lovely ladies all the time. But in reality, I only see most of them a few times a year during summer family reunions and Thanksgiving. Two of my favorite times of the year. Now I can add the sister’s weekend into that mix and hope that we can do it every year. Cheers for sisters!!!

Erica & John's Wedding

2011-04-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

My best friend Erica Lott married John Crismon in the Mesa, Arizona temple on March 12, 2011. It was a splendid affair. I am so thrilled for her and I was so fortunate to be a part of their special day. One of the best things about the weekend, besides the nuptials, was spending time with all of my best friends from BYU volleyball days. It was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had.

The only downside was my little boy Cash was a total monster the whole weekend. I knew he was sick, but I didn’t know (until we got home from the wedding and I took him to the doctor) the extent of my little boy’s torment. Between messing up his nap and sleeping schedule and him being sick, it made for a very stressful/emotional/frustrating trip. He was diagnosed with a double ear infection and sinus infection. And by the time we had taken him in the following week, he had a bad case of pink eye. Poor little baby. Why do kids always get sick while you’re traveling?

All in all it was a fabulous weekend. We ate out a ton, spent time with our family that live in Arizona, had plenty of girl time, enjoyed the hot weather, celebrated to the full extent with Erica and John, and all fell in love with each other again.

Here’s to John and Erica Crismon! Congratulations and we love you guys.

Cash Lately

2011-04-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

I love having a son. Here is what we have been doing lately.

Sports. Sports. And more sports. He is destined to be an athlete. I wonder what sport he will pick.

Cash tore his upper lip frenulum. He fell off a little stone wall at the beach and came up with a mouth full of blood. He tore his lip flap right in half. The blood was the scariest part because it didn't stop for a while and it was a lot of blood. But after a little research online, I was relieved to find out that this is a common injury. No stitches or doctor trip necessary. Just a day in the life of a little boy.

Trying to be like Daddy. He loves doing anything that Casey does. He got a tool set from Grandpa and Grandma Patterson for Easter and he is all sorts of helpful around the house now.

Playing in the sun with the neighbors. Cash loves to be outside and be active.

The volleyball club that Casey coaches for threw a luau fundraiser that we were able to attend. It was fun to have a reason to dress up, eat good Hawaiian food, and watch a team of teenage girls fawn over my husband and son. Can you blame them?

Antoinette Hatch Brown

2011-04-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

February 24, 2001 marks the 10-year anniversary of my Mother's death. I was dreading this day, but it seemed to go by without any special notice. Cash and I did what we do every day. Nothing out of the ordinary. I was sad, but not as sad as I have been on previous anniversaries. Maybe it's the proximity of mourning my Father's death last August. Maybe it's the realization that in another nine years, I will have lived more time without my Mom than with her. Or it simply could be that life goes on.

I am pregnant with my second child and busy caring for a toddler. It's much easier for me to get lost in the mundane tasks of my day as a mom. I think about my parents every day. I still miss them every day. But I look at their lives as a celebration. A guiding force to pattern my life after. I didn't always feel this way. Before I was a mother myself, I mourned her death as a loss. A loss of life. A loss of experiencing my life with her in it. I felt sorry for myself that I didn't have a Mom to turn to for guidance, support, and love. My Mom faced life full on, enjoyed herself to the fullest, excelled at every sport she attempted, raised her children with effortless grace, always followed her instincts, exhibited immense faith, and never let an opportunity pass her by. She was one of the greats. And she lived her life for her family. How could I not feel cheated out of time with her?

At the same time, I was immensely grateful that I still had a loving Dad. When my Dad was diagnosed with cancer again in August 2008, I mourned his eventual death and my Mom's death all over again. What would life be like without parents? I had already lost my Mom. Now I have to deal with losing the one parent I have left? All of my mourning centered on loss once again. I was very focused on how my life would be without these two giants in it. Then I gave birth to my son Cash. Slowly my feelings on my life shifted. So slowly that I think I'm just now realizing it.

I am so grateful for every second that I spend with Casey and Cash. Grateful for the love they share with me each day. The hugs, the cuddling, the kisses, the quiet times, and the comforting. When I said goodbye to my Dad last August, I held my boys close and breathed them in. They saved me from the suffering that I always knew I would feel at losing my last remaining parent. They showed me how much I have to look forward to. No longer will I look at my parent's deaths as losses in my life. I will instead be grateful for the precious time that I had with them. I had 18 wonderful years with my Mom. The last two years were especially important because I had her all to myself. I needed that time. Time to really soak up every ounce of love and counsel that she had to offer. Fast forward 10 years and I have a life of my own with a loving husband, an adorable son, and another baby boy on the way. I have so much to be grateful for and look forward to. No more wallowing. Life goes on. My parents would say the same thing to me. I appreciate the example that my Mother set for me in faith, love and family. And I'll forever shed a tear for the times I miss her the most, but now I need to focus on what's right in front of me. My own family.

I love you always and forever Mom.

Cash at 19 Months

2011-02-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

My baby isn't a baby anymore. He's a toddler and getting so independent that it scares me. I know this is all part of the experience, but it's still hard to believe how fast it has gone by. Soon we will have another baby in our family and he will be the big boy. I'm trying to soak up all of the alone time that I have with him right now. He currently weights 31 lbs and is 34 inches tall. He is 90% for both height and weight. Cash is still the king of crazy faces and makes me laugh all day long. He says around 10 words pretty well and just talks gibberish the rest of the time. He carries on long conversations and nods his head trying to explain things to me. It's exciting to watch him communicate with us.

This month we got rid of the binky! I was really not looking forward to this moment, but it was strangely pretty easy. I just hid it one day and after two days of crying himself to sleep, he forgot about it. He really is turning into a big boy. He is now down to one nap a day which is bittersweet. I love that I have more time with him and more flexibility to run errands during the day. But that also means two more hours of keeping him entertained on days that I'm trying to get a lot of stuff done. Now we just need to move him into the big boy bed to get ready for little brother's arrival.

One night I came into the front room to see this. Casey had popped Cash some popcorn, put on his favorite movie, Cars, and helped him get situated on his little car. Apparently Cash put on his rain boots and fuzzy steering wheel cover hat all by himself. What a freaking cool kid.

Cash is obsessed with Toy Story 1, 2, and 3. We watch one of them every day. So when Casey found out he didn't have to coach one afternoon, we made a little trip to Disneyland to show Cash the Toy Story and Buzz Lightyear rides. We have gone on them before, but he was little and hadn't seen the movies. He loved the rides of course, but the giant talking Mr. Potato Head made him a little nervous.

You can see the scar on his lip in this picture. It's healing pretty well. I love this little boy so much.

I love my sweet Cash and my sweet Casey. I love being a Mom and I'm so grateful to Casey for letting me focus on that right now.

Reunited And It Feels So Good

2011-02-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

We drove to Arizona to see some familiar faces in January. My BYU coach is now the head coach at ASU and his wife threw him a surprise 40th birthday party. Many of my teammates were going to come in for the weekend and I couldn't miss out on the party. So Casey, Cash, and I piled in the car and made the 5-hour trek to my homeland. We decided to make the most of the weekend by cramming in a bachelorette party for my best friend Erica who recently moved to Arizona and then got engaged! It was a really fun weekend filled with all of my favorite things: parties, good food, great conversations, and event greater friends.

Two of my teammates are also pregnant with boys and due the same month as me! Here we are in all our pregnant glory. I finally started showing mid-January. I'm 25 weeks along in these pictures.

Here are all of my teammates at Jason's bday party.

It was a quick trip, but we squeezed in lunch with our cousins, Greg & Chelsea. Cash loves hanging out with their kids, Finn and Goldie, and I just love reuniting with family. This trip really made me miss Arizona. I can't believe that I don't have any siblings living there anymore. We all started there and somehow none of us ended up there. Maybe someday we will all return to our homeland. At least I hope we will. I miss the Valley of the Sun.

Cheers for 2011

2011-01-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

Our little family rang in the New Year with some good times at the arcade. Cash fell in love with skee ball. Casey revived his boyish love for winning tickets. And I had a blast trying to keep up with them. We ended up with a ton of tickets and turned them in for some prized arcade toys. Cash was beside himself with joy when we handed him the bag of toys.

We ended our night with our favorite way to eat out, Teppanyaki style! Cash is becoming well acquainted with chopsticks between our sushi Friday's and our love for Teppanyaki. Within 10 minutes of sitting down, he threw his chopstick across the grill and it landed on a ladies plate. She looked up and said, "Scholarship!" We all started laughing and I quickly apologized. During dinner, the whole table was entranced with Cash saying he was so cute, so sweet, so well-mannered. (Umm...Did you see him throw the chopstick?) It's funny to see him out in public. He loves attention from people and he totally feeds off of it. And he's a pro at eating out now. Between the pregnancy nausea and the holiday season, we have been doing a lot of that recently.

Cash's bedtime rolled around at 7:30 and we didn't have the heart to make him stay up for the countdown. We just watched Cars and whispered "Happy New Year" to him as he drifted off to sleep. Then Casey and I watched movies until Casey fell asleep. I finished off a bottle of Martinelli's to celebrate the New Year all by myself and then we went to bed. Happy New Year!

On New Year's Day, we went bowling with my brother Tim and his family. His birthday was the day before so we were celebrating that and the beginning of 2011. This was Cash's first experience with bowling (besides the Wii) and we came to the conclusion that we need to wait a few more years before we ever go with him again. All he wanted to do was pick the ball up (but it was too heavy), kick it down the lane, and run after the ball down the lane. He was constantly darting out in front of people and running down to get the pins on the slippery lane. It was exhausting. We had so much fun seeing our family and spending the day with them, but bowling will not happen any time in the near future.

My resolutions for 2011 are pretty much the same as every year. Be better and do more. I guess I'll go get started on that right now.

Happy Birthday To Me

2011-01-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

My birthday has always been an awkward time. People are over celebrating Christmas and giving gifts. Everyone is tired and wants to just sleep and hang out. Then all of a sudden it's my birthday and you have to do the celebrating all over again. But the Patterson's always make sure it's special for me and I love them for it. Here is how we celebrated me turning 28 on December 28th!

Cash and Grandma Patterson made me birthday banana bread! I was craving something healthier than cake and ice cream. Cash was stoked to be able to help stir. And Grandma loves her little helper.

I love my little helper too! Cash was right there with me every step of the way celebrating. He really got into it. Singing Happy Birthday, blowing out the candles, enjoying the banana bread, and opening more presents. I love having him with me all the time. My little buddy. The Patterson's offered to babysit Cash so Casey and I could have date night. We went out to a fancy dinner, did a little shopping, and then saw True Grit. It was a really great birthday. I'm a lucky girl.

Exploring At The Farm

2011-01-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

The best part about going up to Ventura, besides seeing our family, is all of the space they have on their farm that Cash can explore. He would spend all day outside if he could. Grandma got him rain boots for Christmas and he put them to good use. In the mornings he would feed the chickens with Grandma. In the afternoons he was outside with Grandpa on the swings or just exploring. They have a black lab named Max that he is intrigued by and a little scared of. I think it's just the size proportions that throw him off. He gets close to pet him and when he senses that Max could trample him, he backs off a little. Cash definitely takes after his Dad. He loves the outdoors, dogs, and playing with balls.

How cute is Cash with his Grandpa Patterson? I love seeing them hang out. Cash is definitely a guy's guy.

We had a visit from Casey's Uncle John and Aunt Sherrie and their daughter Christi while we were in Ventura for the holidays. Christi just had a little baby girl named Natalia. Cash was so excited to see his cousin. He was so sweet with her. He kept leaning in to her car seat and tried giving her hugs and kisses. He just wanted to grab her so badly. He kept gazing at her and then looking up and us and smiling. Then he saw her toys and his focus entirely turned to trying to get them off of the car seat. I loved seeing him with this sweet little baby. Cash is going to be such a good big brother and love his baby so much. I can't wait to see them together.

Santa Came To Our House

2011-01-05T17:46:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve, usually festive pajamas. Casey and I are over getting new pajamas each year, so we just open a present of our choosing. Casey found out he was getting another son and I opened up my new fancy camera. I bought it from my sister Nikki and I love it. I feel like a professional now. Cash opened up his winter monster pajamas and tiger slippers. He kept looking down at his feet and growling. This is him on the stairs in his new pjs right before he went to bed to dream of presents.

Christmas morning came and I woke up to two excited boys. Cash walked in and immediately ran up to his new car, started saying, "Wow, wow, woah", and took a seat. He didn't move off of it for the next hour.

Casey got a Wii from Santa! In addition to my new camera, I got a traditional women's dress from Qatar (with head piece included) from Casey. It's awesome. I can't believe we didn't get a picture. It covers me from head to toe and the only things showing were my eyes and hands. I know what I'm going to be for Halloween! Casey, Cash, and I received so many presents that I can barely name them without taking up a whole page. The Patterson's spoiled us this year!

Cash eventually got interested in opening presents. It didn't last long though. Every time he opened up a present, all he wanted to do was play with it. Then slowly he lost interest in it and wanted to open another one. His favorites, beside the car, were a magnetic fishing puzzle, a bunch of sports balls, and a town rug for his cars.

After almost two hours of opening presents, we finally started making a huge breakfast. It was incredible. We had oatmeal pancakes with buttermilk syrup, hashbrowns, bacon, scrambled eggs, oj, and milk. It was a breakfast for champions for sure. The rest of the day was spent hanging out in our pajamas. We played with the Wii, napped, snacked, worked on my new Coke puzzle, grazed on yummy food, and watched movies. My kind of Christmas.

Cash loves his Grandpa Patterson. Whenever he came into the room, he automatically wanted to be held by him or sit by him. It didn't hurt that Grandpa always had a treat to share with Cash too. I love how much he has bonded to Casey's family. Thanks for a great Christmas Day, Patterson's!

Merry Christmas! We're Having A BOY!

2011-01-05T16:56:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, we called Casey's sister, Jessie Kate, who is serving an LDS mission in South Korea. It was good to hear her voice. She sounds so grown up and Korean! She opened up her Christmas presents that the family sent her while we were all listening. Cash just kept talking gibberish and running around. It sounded like he was speaking Korean to her. Anyway, while everyone was taking their turn to talk to her, I asked Casey if he wanted to open up his Christmas present early. He said, "Of course! Jessie will love that." So I went and grabbed the special present. While Jessie was on the phone and everyone waited in anticipation, Casey opened up the box that had an ultrasound picture of our new baby and a card. The card read...

Merry Christmas Daddy. We are having a BOY!

I love you, Lexi

Casey was thrilled. Cash starting jumping up and down and clapping because everyone was cheering and so excited. He thought he had done something really great. It totally felt like he was celebrating his new baby brother. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about how excited we are to welcome another little baby boy into our family. Casey and I get our dream of having two boys in a row and Cash gets a little brother. The Patterson family can't wait to meet this little guy. I just know that Cash and him are going to be the best of friends. I love my boys!

*During the ultrasound, the nurse was doing her measurements and asked me if I wanted to find out the sex of the baby. I told her I did, and she said, "Good, because I'm going to have a hard time not showing you. The baby keeps flashing me." I started laughing because that's just what Cash did. She turned the screen towards me and sure enough there he was in all his glory. So proud of his manhood, just like Daddy and big brother. These boys crack me up. I started tearing up thinking about how lucky I am that I get to be a Mother to another son of God. I know I've said it before, but it's all worth it. This moment was free from nausea and filled with pure bliss. I'm passed the worse of pregnancy and looking forward to all of the happiness from here on.

The North Pole

2010-12-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

Casey came home from Qatar early! We were so happy to have our Daddy back. We picked him up on Monday, Dec. 20. He was really exhausted from his trip, but Cash was so thrilled to have him back. So was I. I took advantage of his return and ran about 20 errands. Then it was time to get to celebrating this special time of year. We took Cash to see Santa Claus at the North Pole. He doesn't understand who Santa is, but it was fun to see how he acted. He was really nervous at first and just kept staring at Santa. Then Santa lured him over with a candy cane. Cash took the offering and then ran back to us. Casey just ended up putting Cash on Santa's lap and sat with him. Then I took a turn holding him on Santa's lap. We got a few shots, none of them are great. But it was a cute experience. I can't wait until Cash understands the joy of this Holiday Season. Then Cash took a ride on Santa's Express train. He loved it as long as he couldn't see us. I'm so happy that Casey got back safely and we were able to share in this tradition as a family. Next up, Christmas Eve and Christmas!

Family Christmas Pictures

2010-12-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

My sister Nikki was kind enough to run across the street to our local park and snap some shots of our family. We only had an hour and Cash was a total disaster, but we ended up with some gems. She's a life saver. I never would have gotten my act together to hire a photographer to take them and I wasn't sure I wanted lasting pictures of me in this not-quite-showing-yet fat stage. Miraculously, she made me look good. She made us all look good. Thanks a million Nikk.

I am 18 weeks pregnant right now and I'm not sick anymore! Hooray! I am finally feeling like myself again. I haven't thrown up in a week and I even wake up and get dressed most days. That is a giant step for me. I still don't have the energy that I used to, but I am getting there. The lack of energy thing probably has to do with a few factors. First, I have been busy shopping and preparing for Christmas. This includes staying up way too late finishing presents, wrapping them, choosing Christmas cards, etc. Then Casey left for Qatar (a little country in the Middle East that borders Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf) for a volleyball tournament. He is playing indoor with the USA team made up of athletes that were still in the States during the winter season. It was an honor for them to ask him to play and he was dying to go play somewhere. Casey left on Dec. 12th and will be gone until the 21st or 23rd, depending on how they do. We crammed all of our holiday shopping and activities into the week before he left, so I wouldn't be too stressed with him gone right before Christmas. That left one tired Mommy and baby alone without our Daddy. I didn't realize how much I counted on the little breaks that Casey offers throughout the day. Oh boy I do now. The first couple of days were rough because Cash didn't nap well, he was super cranky, and I was one grumpy single parent. Despite my lack of energy, we have managed to keep it together. I only have a few more presents to buy, cards to deliver, and one overdue visit to Santa for a picture. Besides that I am sitting pretty.

I really do love this time of year. It gets busy and stressful, but I take plenty of down time to enjoy my favorite things. Christmas music, hot chocolate, Christmas tree lights, advent calendars, treats, Christmas cards, Christmas movies, and of course the celebrations of our Savior's birth. Just writing about it is giving me more energy to go and enjoy it some more! We can't wait until Casey is back home with us and we can enjoy this joyful holiday season.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-09T23:25:00.001-08:00

Baby #2 Makes A Debut

2010-12-03T17:45:00.001-08:00

Casey and I are excited to announce that we are expecting our second baby in May 2011! We wanted Cash to have a sibling close in age, so we were shooting for around 2 years apart. They will be 23 months apart, so good job by us. We are thrilled to be expanding our family. I found out I was pregnant around 5 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy couldn't have come at a more special time. The passing away of my Father and the news of a new life joining our family happened within a week of each other. I have two parents up there in Heaven watching over me and I just know they had something to do with this. They are two people who are crazy for babies.

When I told Casey I was pregnant, he said, "Are you joking?" We had just gotten back from a date night and he was already in bed. I randomly decided to do a pregnancy test and I was shocked that it was positive. He was even more shocked that I had done the test and we were pregnant again. We both started laughing and hugging. Then I think we both thought, well here we go again.

I have already been to the doctor two times and everything is looking good. I feel much more prepared this time around. The heartbeat is strong and the baby is measuring for arrival around May 20, 2011.
The biggest difference with this pregnancy so far has been the nausea. I started feeling sick way sooner this time. Around 6 weeks I was already needing Zofran, my saving grace anti-nausea medication. I started throwing up at 6 weeks and wasn't able to get off the couch until around 15 weeks. Of course that's a slight exaggeration because I'm also caring for a toddler who keeps me busy. But I have seriously felt terrible for a long time. I'm sure it was this bad the first time around, but being in the thick of it right now seems worse. Plus I'm not only taking care of myself, but my sweet little Cash who tests my limits daily.

I have asked Casey many times why we were rushing to get pregnant when I get this sick. We both agreed that we forgot how sick I really get. I just need to remember to never consider expanding my family while I'm in the first trimester. I'll forget how awful I feel eventually because here I am again. I thought it would be better this time because I knew how to handle the nausea. But even knowing the tricks, doesn't help the extreme exhaustion and sickly feeling. I'm seriously considering giving large sums of money to anyone willing to find a cure for the first trimester nausea/exhaustion. How is no one trying to combat this already? Probably because all of the people doing research are either men or women who don't have kids/get sick while pregnant. Ugh. I know it's a small price to pay for creating a new life. I just need to keep positive and remember there is an end in sight. If I want to have a big family, I better have a short-term memory.

There is one thing that keeps me smiling these days. Cash. He is going to be a great older brother. He is so good with little babies and so funny. He is always trying to help my sister Nikki's twins with their binkies, their silkies, or by giving them kisses. He went through a stage for a few months where he liked to bite and hit. It was terrible, but he eventually stopped doing it. Now he's a big sweetheart who occasionally throws tantrums and whines. He's such a big boy now. He'll turn 18 months in a few weeks, and soon he'll be a big brother!

I'm happy to say that I'm now 16 weeks along, in the second trimester, and feeling better. I can go without Zofran most days and I have more energy. Just in time for Christmas. We find out the sex of the baby on December 20th. I'm surprising Casey and his family with the news for Christmas. So you'll just have to wait to hear the news until the New Year.

Giving Thanks in Utah

2010-12-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

November came and brought us another road trip to Utah. I was excited to see my family again, but not excited for the drive. A nauseated person who is prone to car sickness really dislikes 11 hour road trips. Just an FYI. Our drive started off without any problems until we hit Cedar City and the weather hit us. It was snowing so hard and really difficult to see. By the time we hit Beaver, they had shut down the freeway. We were stuck in Beaver for two and a half hours. There were thousands of cars lining the streets. Beaver had an influx of revenue that night. We just sat at a restaurant and ate until the roads were cleared and opened up. It made for a nice break, but a long trip to Utah.

This is the first time I've been back since my Father passed away. It was bittersweet not being able to go home for the Holidays, but still being with my family. We stayed at my sister Misha's house and had so much fun. She has a little girl, Sable, who is just 6 months younger than Cash. They were so funny together. She followed him everywhere and then they would just play side by side. Or go back and forth grabbing toys from each other. I can't wait to see them play when they are older. I'll be they will be the best of friends.

Whenever we go to Utah, Casey and I know that we will be eating way too much good food and staying up way too late playing games/talking. We were not disappointed. Each day was planned around where/what we were going to eat. That is music to a pregnant lady's ears. I started feeling a lot better while we were there. Misha gets sick when she is pregnant too, so she was really good about helping me eat when I needed to eat. She, along with myself, are food lovers. Eating makes us happy.

My niece, Brittany had her first baby the week before Thanksgiving. A little girl named Maili. We threw her a baby shower while I was there and it was so fun to see that little baby. You forget how small they are in the beginning. It was so nice to hold that little precious gift and know that I'm going to be fortunate enough to have another one soon. Cash is practically a teenager next to that little baby. Cash didn't even notice the baby. I'm sure it will be different when that baby is in my arms all day long.

We were in Utah during a blizzard weather warning. I lived in Utah for 12 years and never had a blizzard warning, so we were all pretty concerned. All of Utah was reacting to the severe weather warning. Schools and work got out early and everyone was sent home to wait out the storm. It did snow really hard and was frigidly cold, but didn't seem that different from other snow storms I've witnessed in Utah. I guess the wind factor was the biggest difference. Anyways, we survived the blizzard hype and enjoyed the snow the next day. We also ended up going to the Discovery Center with my family. Cash was in Heaven. He could have stayed there all day playing. I love his age right now. Just in a few weeks he has picked up on so many words, facial expressions, and is understanding much better. He has a really funny personality and is always trying to get everyone's attention. He wants to be center stage no matter who is around. Then he'll do something funny, dance, give you the side-eye, and then laugh really hard at himself. Cracks me up. I love being able to understand him and have him repeat everything I say. It's a joy getting to know him.

This was the first time that my Dad wasn't there to offer the opening prayer at the Thanksgiving feast. It smoothly transitioned to my oldest brother Joe. I am so grateful for my siblings. I love coming from a large family. They have been such a support system to me since the loss of my Mom and then my Dad. I am fortunate to be a part of their lives, and so happy that they will be there for the rest of mine. Thanksgiving dinner was as filling and fun as always. We had a traditional Brown Family Thanksgiving at my sister's ward building. We ate to our hearts content, and then we played games into the night. We even had a visit from the police because one of the kids prank called 911. Very eventful. Cash loved running around with all of his cousins. I wish I could have big parties like this for him to enjoy every weekend. He ran around with everyone and copied everything we were doing. He joined in on dodge frisbee and thought he was doing such a great job throwing those frisbees like everyone else. He makes me smile. Such a smart boy with lots of energy and a charming smile that makes you want to pick him up and give him a big fat kiss. He's really into kisses these days. Even makes the muahhhhh sound every time he doles one out.

I was able to go by my Dad's house and see the renovations that were completed. We re-did the main and top floors. It looks like a different house. All empty and new. It was rs. It looks like a different house. All empty and new. It was hard walking through it and knowing it would never be my home again. I hope a really great family buys it and takes care of it. My Mom always wanted to upgrade the house like we did, but never had the time/money to do it. She would have loved the way it looks now. I couldn't help thinking how much she would have loved all of the changes while I was there. I hope she is enjoying how great the house looks from Heaven. I always knew this day would come, but you can never prepare for it. It was hard to say goodbye to my home for that past 15 years. So many memories there.

We sadly had to leave the family once again to get back on the road and come home. It's always hard to leave my family. We have so much fun being around them. Cash loves all those kids. We got home safely and now we are preparing for Christmas. I love this time of year!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

From your resident Bruja, Giraffe, and Batman.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

We visited the local Pumpkin Patch for some Halloween fun. Cash loved picking up the pumpkins and throwing them. Luckily none of them broke. Whenever he would get to a big pumpkin, he would just take a seat, but his goal with the little ones was destruction.

He was initially really scared of the pony, but then he found his groove and started riding with no hands. I was so proud of him. Concurring his fears one pony at a time.

The Patterson's at the Pumpkin Patch October 2010

Halloweentime At Disneyland

2010-10-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

We renewed our Disneyland annual passes this October and have been taking advantage of the Halloween-themed parks. Two of my sisters came into town the past couple weeks and we were more than happy to meet them at the happiest place on earth. Cash is almost to the age where he enjoys this kind of stuff. I said almost. He just kind of sits back and watches everything. He doesn't get scared unless he gets sprayed in the face with water. Otherwise he is just tentatively observing. The first sign of enjoyment he gave was when we were getting on the Peter Pan ride. He sat down on the boat and grabbed the bar to pull it down over his lap without us doing anything. That was it. It was a significant moment cause it was his way of showing us that he was ready to get on the ride. We're still waiting for any show of happiness or excitement. We are getting there.

Casey just comes along for the ride because he isn't much of a theme park guy. But he enjoys watching Cash experience everything. And he commented this past time, "I swear this is the only place on earth where you are truly happy." I mean he's totally exaggerating of course, but I do love me some Disneyland. Especially this time of year. I can't wait for the Christmas decorations to go up!

P.S. I'm pregnant. Baby #2 due May 2011.

Scarred for Life

2010-10-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

We faced our first big crisis as parents on Saturday. We drove down to San Clemente to my brother Tim's house to help with his campaign. He is running for San Clemente City Council. I volunteered to watch the kids while all the adults walked door to door to hand out fliers. While babysitting, Cash tripped over their rug and went face first into their coffee table. There was blood everywhere and I knew he had cut his lip. I rushed him into the kitchen and I was running cold water over his mouth and hands. Trying to figure out where all of this blood was coming from. He was crying pretty hard at first, but then settled down to just being sad. At first I thought there was blood on the top of his lip that needed to be washed off. Then I realized it was two big cuts on the top of his lip. His bottom teeth had gone through his upper lip on the outside. I couldn't find any cuts on the inside of the lip, so it didn't go all the way through. I called Casey to come home because we had to go to the hospital. I was kind of surprised at how calm I was after that. I grabbed a popsicle out of the freezer to keep him happy and stop the bleeding. Casey finally got there and we drove to the hospital. I was worried about it leaving a scar on his perfect little face, so we chanced the expense of the ER to see a doctor in case he needed stitches.

We spent 5 hours in the ER that night. The doctor said the cuts were too wide for super glue and there was risk of the wound opening with how much the mouth moves. He said stitches was the way to go and we had two options. Either hold him down and stitch him while he was awake. Or put him under. I wasn't too thrilled about having him scream and squirm around while the doctor stitched his lip, so we decided to put him under. It was pretty rough getting the IV in and having him hooked up to all of those monitors. We just had to keep him distracted with The Incredibles. Thank goodness for iPhones.

The doctor started stitching him and I couldn't watch. I just held his little hand and focused on his breathing. In and out. Poor little guy. At least he won't remember it. Coming out of the anesthesia was scarier than I thought it would be. I thought he would be pretty funny or loopy. Instead he was screaming and terrified. The doctor said that sometimes they can hallucinate when they are waking up. His eyes couldn't focus and he was shaking and screaming. I just picked him up and sang him all his favorite songs. Eventually he started coming to and recognizing my voice. He was such a little trooper. It was a scary and emotional night, but we got through it together. I'm really sad about him having a scar on his face when he's so young. But accidents happen. We are just glad he's okay. We're okay. We are now officially the parents of a boy. I'm sure that won't be our last crisis. Now we're prepared.

Cashmoney

2010-10-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

My sister Jacque took Cash's one-year-old pictures when we were in Utah. Here's our handsome little man.

We flocked to Aspen

2010-10-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

"A little place called Aspen. Where the beer flows like wine, and the women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano."
Dumb and Dumber

Little known fact. Casey's favorite movie is Dumb and Dumber. Littler known fact, the movie is actually filmed in Breckenridge, CO. Joke's on us. We were all excited to road trip to Aspen and see some sights from the movie. It wasn't until we got there and looked up the hotel they stayed in, to find out it wasn't there. Bummer. We were in Breckenridge a few weeks ago and had no idea. Oh well. Aspen was still beautiful and a fun place to visit.

Casey and Ty were playing in the Motherlode tournament in Aspen on Labor Day weekend in September. This tournament is sort of a big deal in outdoor volleyball world and Casey has been many times. It was the first time for Cash and I. We spent a lot of time walking around the little town and exploring. Casey and Ty ended up winning the tournament. Again. They are seriously on fire.We had a fun little weekend there. And lots of good food. Part of the prize was gift cards to this fancy steakhouse and we feasted. It was much needed. Also much needed, a babysitter for Cash. He was so tired and cranky, that he could have ruined the dinner if the food wouldn't have been way too good to be bothered by his foul mood. Our poor little baby has spent so much time in a car this summer. Here's how we keep him happy.

After more than two months on the road, we are finally home. Boy it feels good to be home. I hope we don't leave for a long long time.

Til We Meet Again

2010-09-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

Philip Ray Brown, 74 years old

My Father, Philip Ray Brown, passed away peacefully in his home on Sunday, August, 22, 2010 surrounded by his loved ones. I will miss him dearly and I am so grateful he is reunited with my Mother, Antoinette Hatch Brown. Heaven is a sweeter place with them in it.

I found out that my Dad was given 2-3 months to live right before Casey and I took off for Breckenridge. He met with his doctor to go over his test results that showed the cancer was spreading and the current treatment wasn't working. The doctor asked him whether he wanted to get more aggressive in treating the cancer, and my Dad knew it was time to stop. He made sure that all of us knew that he was done fighting and felt like it was his time. The decision was made to stop all treatment and let him enjoy his final months. After Casey, Cash, and I returned from Breckenridge, we stopped in Utah to say goodbye to everyone. I talked with my Dad about coming to see him next month, but I was also really sad to leave him. I was hesitant to leave when there was no rush for me to get back to California and I didn't know how much time he had left. Casey and I were going back and forth all morning about what to do. When my Dad overheard us, he simply said, "I would really like it if you and Cash could stay with me for another week." That made my decision really simple. We stayed.

Casey had another tournament that weekend, so he flew out to New Jersey. We moved my Dad to my sister Misha's house so that we could help each other take care of Dad and babies with our husbands out of town. We spent that week just enjoying Grandpa. Cash played with his cane, his oxygen, his chair, drank from his cup, and ate off his plate. He climbed all over Grandpa all week long and my Dad loved it. I kept trying to keep Cash away from him, but every time I turned around my Dad was sneaking him another treat or sip. It was a really special time for them. Misha and I spent the week trying to keep him happy, fed, and comfortable. We had some hard times with my Dad throwing up and unable to move. And we had great times watching movies and playing with the kiddos. My Dad was seriously the best Grandpa you could ask for. Always slipping the kids suckers and playing with them. Always truly enjoying them.

On Thursday night, he had a particularly hard night. He had thrown up everything he had eaten that day and could barely lift his legs. He also was complaining of neck pain. I got him all ready for bed and helped him to his knees for his nightly prayers. Then I sat there and cried and thanked my Heavenly Father for such a wonderful, kind, loving, and faithful Father. He could barely move and was so sick, yet he had me help him to his knees to give thanks to his Father in Heaven. I helped him into bed and then said goodnight.

I checked on him once in the middle of the night to see if he needed to get up and go to the bathroom. He said he was too tired. By late morning, I had gone in to check on him three times with no response. He was sleeping so deeply that I just thought he needed the rest. Misha came home around 1pm and went down to check on him again. He wouldn't respond to her either. Then we started realizing something was wrong. He couldn't respond to us, but we could tell he was awake. He would squeeze our hands when we asked him questions, but couldn't move. When I asked him if we should call an ambulance he didn't do anything. When I asked him if he wanted to go home and be comfortable, he squeezed my hand multiple times. We were nervous about what to do next. We called our sibling and updated them. Then decided to move him back to his house. He was still able to swallow, so we were giving him juice and water to drink. We checked his blood sugar level and it was scary low. We were able to get enough juice in him that he started coming around a little. He was able to talk, but could barely move. After telling him how scared we were that he couldn't talk, he replied that it was really scary for him too because he could hear us and not respond. With a lot of help, we were able to get him back to his house. We laid him in his bed and called hospice.

The hospice nurse came over and checked him. She confirmed that his blood sugar was very low and his oxygen was also pretty low. She told us he had gone into a diabetic coma. His wishes were to not get treatment, but to pass away as comfortable and peaceful as possible. The nurse said that all there was left to do was give him pain medication for any discomfort and let him go. A diabetic coma was a good way to pass because you go into a deep sleep and then eventually stop breathing without any pain. It was hard to hear these words, but comforting to know he wouldn't suffer. The rest of the day and the next day were kind of a blur. Lots of tears, talking, comforting, and preparing. He was able to respond all day Friday and most of the day Saturday. His brother came to visit him on Saturday morning to say his goodbyes, and my Dad was raising his eyebrows and grasping his hand. Trying to give his older brother any signs of response. His two sisters were also able to come say goodbye and he responded to their voices. By Saturday early evening he was so deep into the coma, he couldn't respond anymore.

All of the siblings who live in Utah were there with me that night as we sat by his bed and talked to him. I read him letters from loved ones and his missionaries. We talked about our favorite stories and jokes. We watched a few movies. The next day on Sunday morning, my siblings and I stood around him as he took his last breath. It was very healing to be with him at that moment when his spirit left his body to join my Mother. To hold his hand, give him a kiss, and thank him for being a wonderful Father. I couldn't have asked for more loving, kind, funny, vivacious, or faithful parents. They truly left an incredible legacy behind for us to follow. I can't wait to tell my children about them when their older. To show Cash pictures of him and his Grandpa. Explain to him how much Grandpa loved him. And what a good man he was. I miss him and my Mom so much. But I'm grateful for the time I had with them. Their impact will be felt for generations to come. I'll make sure of it. Now it's my time. My time to show them that their hard work, love, and faithful commitment has paid off. That I will continue their legacy of faith and so will my children. I have big shoes to fill, but shoes that I can't wait to get my feet into. I will be with them again soon. For now, it's my time to be the parent and fulfill my purpose here on earth. Til we meet again...

06/19/1936 - 08/22/2010

Obituary
Philip Ray Brown of Sandy, Utah passed away peacefully in the comfort of his own home on August 22, 2010 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. Phil was born June 19, 1936, in Los Angeles, California to Joseph Albert and Elda Whiting Brown. Phil spent his childhood in his beloved St. Johns, AZ, where he worked on the family ranch, and forged life-long relationships with his brothers and sisters and his many relatives and friends. Upon completion of an LDS Mission in Brazil (1956-59), Phil married Antoinette Hatch of Colonia Juarez, Mexico for time and all eternity on December 20, 1960 in the Mesa, Arizona Temple. Together, they had 11 children and their greatest happiness was their 39 grandchildren. Phil graduated from Brigham Young University in 1961 with a B.A. in Animal Husbandry. A lifelong athlete and sports enthusiast, Phil was an avid fan of BYU Athletics. Phil worked hard his entire life, first as a rancher and farmer, later as the B.L.M. Chief Appraiser of Arizona, and finally as a specialist in the L.D.S. Missionary Department. Blessed with an inquisitive mind, Phil loved learning and teaching, and he devoted much of his life to studying the gospel of Jesus Christ. Quick with a joke and always ready to laugh first, Phil was the life of every party. He loved sharing his thousands of stories with friends and relatives, spending time with his children and grandchildren, watching Westerns, playing basketball, and reading. Always active in the LDS church, Phil held many church callings during his life, serving as a Missionary, Gospel Doctrine Instructor, Stake Mission Leader, Bishop, and Mission President. He shared the calling he enjoyed most with his wife Netta, when they presided over the Porto Portugal Mission from 1990 to 1993. The Phil Brown family shares their sense of loss with our extended family and friends, many faithful missionaries, and the wonderful church members of Portugal. Phil is survived by his 11 children. His 39 grandchildren will miss playing games and eating candy with their Grandpa Brown. The family wishes to thank all those who made Phil’s final years full of comfort, joy, and happiness. He is again united with his sweetheart, Netta.

Breckenridge, CO

2010-09-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

Casey and his old partner, Ty Loomis reunited earlier this year to play in the Corona Light Wide Open Tour event in Santa Cruz, CA. They won the whole thing! When the AVP came to a close, they both decided to get serious with this new tour. They have since traveled to compete in Chicago and also won that tournament. After our family reunion ended, Casey got word of a Corona Tour stop in Breckenridge which is only a 7 hour drive from Utah. We decided to extend our trip a little longer to attend the competition. The drive there was pretty gorgeous through the Rocky Mountains.

Ty's former coach had a condo he was using and let us stay there with them. We had our own room and it was a really nice condo. My nephew Taylor and his new wife Mary were living in Denver for a summer internship. When they found out we were there, they hopped in the car and drove 2 hours to come see us. I seriously love my family. Always up for a gathering. We had a fun weekend under the sun in the mountains of Breckenridge. Cash loved the attention for Taylor and Mary, and anyone else who looks his way. Casey and Ty ended up winning the tournament. It was fun to watch. This tournament uses old school rules with sideout scoring. It makes the game go slower, but it's also so much more exciting to win a point. While I spend most of the afternoon trying to get Cash to nap in the stroller, Mary and Taylor participated in the relay race and the fashion show. They got some cool prizes and free food. Who doesn't love free stuff? I was so happy to be there to watch Casey and enjoy some more family time.