Grandpa Brown's Funeral

Robert Wallace Brown: October 1918 - June 2009

Grandpa died in Bentonville, Arkansas on June 26 (I think), and was buried in St. George, Utah on July 2. We drove to St. George for the funeral.

Since we were going to St. George anyway, we decided to leave a day early and take advantage of a Tuacahn voucher that we'd had since 2007. Callie, Amanda's daughter, came with us and was a big help with Chloe the whole trip. We checked into our usual, St. George sleep-over spot on Wednesday evening, and then met Dad and other family for dinner at Chuck-a-Rama. Now, you might scoff, but we actually like Chuck-a-Rama.And it's a good thing we ate there because, lo-and-behold, I saw a friend of mine from high school in San Antonio that I hadn't seen for almost 20 years! Now what are the chances?! There we were having dinner in St. George (at Chuck-a-Rama of all places), and at the next table sat Heidi (Sykes) Giles and her family, en route from Southern California to Provo for the holiday! Wow, it was crazy, and so good to see her! It was as if no time had passed. (Boy, I need a tan.)After dinner we went back to the hotel to get ready for "Annie" at the Tuacahn. Robert and Amy were staying in the same hotel, and they agreed to watch Chloe for us while we went to the show. Thank you so much, Robert and Amy; you guys are life savers! Dad, Callie, Duncan and I went to the show and had a great time. We were grateful that the weather held out, despite a 20-minute hold because of rain, so that the show could play through to the end. It made for a late night, but that didn't stop us from zipping through McDonald's for a post-midnight vanilla cone. Callie sure was a trooper. We still have "Annie" songs stuck in our heads!The next morning we enjoyed the hotel breakfast and the hotel swimming pool. Here's Chloe getting sprayed with sunscreen. Oops, I think some got in her eye.Ready to conquer the water!Ok, maybe not. Notice the large tears and Callie plugging her ears from the screaming.It was surprisingly cool during that brief window of pool time, so I guess Chloe didn't find the water very refreshing. Oh, wait, there's a smile!Callie had fun.It was so good to have Nick and Craig there. Here they are before their run.
The viewing and funeral took place later that day. There were lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins! Here are some pictures of that special occasion. FAMILY:Nick was a pall bearer and Dad dedicated the grave.

"Is it time to go home yet?" After the funeral services we had food at a local church building. After that, we made the long drive home.

Father's Day Weekend

We started our Father's Day Weekend early Saturday morning in order to take advantage of Kneaders "Free French Toast for Dads." We live only about a half a mile from Kneaders, so we decided to make it a real outing and walk. Luckily, we beat the rush, and were enjoying the chunky, cinnamon French toast with strawberries and whipped cream in no time.


Here's the happy, hungry dad!

On the way home it started to rain a little, but we decided we were brave enough to check out a neighborhood yard sale anyway. A kindly neighbor must have seen us traipsing through the rain, and came to our rescue with an umbrella. Later that day, we decided to try our luck with the weather and make use of some free Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days carnival tickets. The sun had come out several times throughout the day, so we felt pretty safe. But alas, as we drove to the festivities, it started to rain again. Not to be deterred, we placed our faith in the very sporadic nature of Utah rain, and started walking towards the carnival, knowing that the rain would soon let up. But the closer we got the harder it rained. We sought shelter under some trees to wait it out, but soon opted for the dry car.

Poor Chloe was getting too wet!

This is about all we saw of the carnival.

Father's Day Sunday was a little sunnier. Chloe and I made Duncan a card, and we had a nice breakfast at home, then went to church, then had dinner with Amanda's family. Duncan felt a little slighted because, while our ward gave the women a geranium on Mother's Day, the dads didn't get anything. (Actually, I don't think he felt slighted, I just had to throw that in there.) Anyway, happy Father's Day to all you dads, especially Chloe's dad! We love you, Duncan!

Anatomy of a Butterfly

The other day when Duncan was leaving for work, he popped his head back in the door and--he knows me so well--said, "You might want to bring your camera out, there's a butterfly on the porch." So, Chloe and I spent the next 20 minutes outside; me taking pictures of the butterfly and trying to keep an eye on her as she made her way down ALL the brick steps in front of our house. She was fascinated with the butterfly, but only briefly. (Don't you love our beautiful outdoor carpet?)


It was a lovely butterfly. But I noticed in one picture that you could zoom in and see some pretty interesting detail, like the bulging black eye and the circular thing under the head. It looks like a piece of licorice! Ah, the wonders of nature! (Click on the picture to see it even more clearly.)

Korean Birthday Dinner

Dad's birthday was last Thursday. To celebrate, we all went out for Korean food to one of our favorite restaurants, Sam Hawk, in Provo. We started out with a couple appetizers: kim bop and dukbokgi.


Amanda's kids have pretty much grown up on Korean food, and they love it! They even have good chop stick skills.
Then came the side dishes.Here is Chloe sampling a Korean-style potato.
Then came the main dish, bulgogi, which is marinated, grilled beef. It's very tasty.
Here's dad piling it on the lettuce and Duncan taking a bite! Mmmm!Finally, Dad blew out the candles and we enjoyed something very American: Grammy's carrot cake.
Happy birthday, Dad!

Wedding in Manti

Well, the baby of the family got married. Nancy and Kevin were married in Manti on May 29th. It was a happy day for all!


It was especially fun to have family in town for the special occasion. Nick came from North Carolina, Craig and his family from Boise, and Curtis and his family from Alaska. All the siblings were there except Chad; we missed him and his family, as well as Elizabeth and Kathleen and Hudson.



Even though Duncan had just had an appendectomy two days before, he cowboyed up and made it to the wedding. I just noticed that he's even holding Chloe, which he was not supposed to do!


It's always fun trying to get a bunch of kids to sit still and smile for a picture! :)

Look at that redhead!

Ice Chips Anyone?

Memorial Day 2009 started out normally enough for us. We had the typical BBQ, although it was just the three of us...

...went to the park to feed the ducks...

...and wash behind our ears with tree bark.

The evening continues. We put Chloe to bed, watch part of a movie, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. 2:00 a.m. rolls around and Duncan gets out of bed. Again, nothing unusual, as he often has trouble sleeping. Since I'm now awake, I get up too, go to the bathroom, and then return to bed hoping to fall quickly back to sleep. Duncan says that his "tummy kills." Okay, that could mean a lot of things, even appendicitis, I'm thinking. Apparently, it hurts badly enough that he decides to call our home teacher to come over in the middle of the night and give him a blessing. Home teacher and son come over and administer a blessing. Almost immediately afterward, Duncan falls forward from the chair and his head slams against the coffee table. He comes to and the men help him to his feet. Nauseous and in abdominal pain, he goes a few steps and passes out again. Now in the bathroom, he has lost fluid and can barely move. Is it food poisoning? The 24-hour flu? We review our food intake from the day before. His skin is pasty white, cold and clammy. It's clear that we should probably take him to the emergency room, so we call my parents at about 3:00 a.m. and ask them to come over and help. Dad and I take Duncan to the ER, and Mom stays with Chloe. After lots of questions from hospital staff, an IV, pain medication, nausea medication, blood work, a CAT scan, and hours of waiting, we learn that my initial hunch is right, and surgery is called for. More waiting, more questions, but the pain medication is working and Duncan returns somewhat to his characteristically cheerful self. Meanwhile, as the surgeon has not arrived yet, I leave to get ready for my 20-week ultrasound--the big one! In the middle of having the ultrasound scanner slide back and forth across my belly, my phone rings, and, expecting a call from the surgeon, I answer it. He reports that it was indeed acute appendicitis. Surgery went well, Duncan is in recovery, but the amount of infection found warrants an overnight stay for observation. Whew!

If you're still with me, you can now see the "ice chips" connection. Chloe and I visited Duncan in his recovery room, and feasted on ice chips with him.

Food and drink (except ice/water) are no-no's for him for a while, poor guy, but he did get to wear these fancy booties and pressurized leg warmers!

We can't wait for him to come home tomorrow, and hope that he'll feel up to going to Nancy's wedding on Friday! The doctor recommended no strenuous exercise for at least three weeks, and guess when his triathlon is. Yep, in three weeks. Anyway, we're just grateful that he's ok!

By the way, IT'S A GIRL!

Yummy Banana Cake

Tired of always making banana bread with your over-ripe bananas? Make this delicious cake instead. It is so thick and moist, and tastes great with the cream cheese frosting. I think it's a winner! Don't miss the part in the recipe about taking the cake directly from oven to freezer for 45 minutes.