Since I've pretty much SUCKED at keeping my blog up to date, here is another update on what's going on in the Brown family.

• We're STILL living with Brad's parents and anxiously waiting to have our offer accepted on the house out in Tooele. We are extremely hopeful that we will get it, but it is just a long process with a short sale.
• I'm more than halfway through my last semester in school EVER!
• Mack is getting smarter by the day. He speaks in full sentences now most of the time and is always saying funny things that I don't know where he got that.
• I got bangs.

And here are some pics:

Mack's First Trip to the Zoo During the Summer

I LOVE this picture

This is what he looked like at every exhibit...

He finally got to ride the 30 second train ride and LOVED IT!

Our Family Halloween Party:

Apparently he found his nose...(by the way he is a "Candy Monster" since that is what Brad's dad calls him...random costume, I know.)

Xander and Owen striking poses...

Best Friends

Random:

These are all the pumpkins I grew in my garden this year...17 pumpkins total (2 of them here are actually squashes in case you thought I couldn't count...)

This is my delicious jalapeno cheddar bread that I baked one day at my mother-in-law's house...isn't it gorgeous!!

I was reading through an old ensign article today that was written in May of '95 by L. Tom Perry. It is an article that was a tribute to Sister Hinckley while she was still alive, and a beautifully written article. It is titled An Elect Lady. I think EVERY LDS mother, wife, and woman ought to read it. Here is a quote out of it by Sister Hinckley herself:

“It is the mothers of young children I would like to address first. These are golden years for you. These are years when you will probably do the most important work of your lives. Don’t wish away your years of caring for small children. Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans. This is a time of great opportunity for you to build the kingdom. When you teach children to love their Heavenly Father, you have done one of the greatest things you will ever do. If you can be a full-time homemaker, be grateful. If not, you must do what is best for you. I for one have never felt a need to apologize for my role as a full-time homemaker.

“These are busy, busy days for you. I have seen women in all kinds of circumstances—Chinese women working on road repairs, European women working in the fields, Asian women sweeping streets—but it is my opinion that … Mormon women are among the hardest working women in the world. They plant gardens and they bottle the produce; they sew and bargain shop. They go on the heart fund drive. They take dinners to new mothers and the sick in their neighborhoods. They take care of aged parents. They climb Mount Timpanogos with Cub Scouts, go to Little League games, sit on the piano bench while Jennie practices, do temple work, and worry about getting their journals up-to-date. My heart bursts with pride when I see them come into church on Sunday, some as early as 8:30 in the morning, their children all clean and shiny, their arms loaded with supplies, as they head for classes where they teach other women’s children. They scrub their houses with little or no domestic help and then try to be the glamour girl in their husband’s life when he arrives home at night. But remember, my dear young friends, that you are now doing the work that God intended you to do. Be grateful for the opportunity”

I hope this gives all you beautiful ladies out there a little encouragement on how great and strong you are!

New Book Reviews

Hey all! I've read a few more books since I last did a book review. Here are a few:

• First off, I finished reading the last 3 books of the Women's Murder Club by James Patterson...highly recommend them!
• Digital Fortress by Dan Brown-This is a great easy read about an NSA cryptographer that is trying to divert a national security disaster with the help of her fiance. There is murder, espionage, betrayal, and love all in one book. It's a great read!
• Daughters of God by M. Russell Ballard-This one is a really SHORT book...like only 65 short pages. It literally took me an hour or less to read, but gave such great insight about how divine women are. It talks about the importance of mothering and how men don't understand how hard it is. It is a great book to read!! I highly recommend this one too!

Hope you guys enjoy some of these books! They really are great ones. On my list of to read now: Deception Point by Dan Brown and The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston (a true story). I'd love to hear your recommendations!

P.S. General Conference was amazing this weekend. I loved listening to the great talks, spending time with my family, and doing an awesome 1000 piece puzzle in one afternoon. Love you family!