Twas the Night Before Christmas

With Brykn finally understanding Santa and the reindeer, Christmas Eve this year was really special. These pictures are of us making reindeer food, putting milk and cookies out for Santa, the pj's given to Brykn by Bandit (our dog) and the toys that Santa brought.

The 12 Days of Christmas

Each year we do the 12 Days of Christmas for someone in our neighborhood. Its a lot of fun for Brykn to knock and run and I get a big kick out of it too! This year, though, Hunsaker's did the 12 Days of Christmas for us! What a surprise! It was the funnest thing! Each day they delivered a toy that was part of the Nativity Scene. When all was over, we had a manger, a shepherd, a camel, a donkey, 3 wisemen, 2 sheep, Mary, Joseph, an angel, and baby Jesus. This was so nice of Hunsakers, and certainly something that Brykn looked forward to every night.

Grandpa Mike's Party

Every year on the 23rd we get together with Brandon's Dad and Dustin's family for a get-together. Since Christmas is such a busy time and Christmas day seems to be chaotic, we learned years ago that exchanging gifts and getting together before the holiday is the best to make sure we get to spend some time with Mike.

This year I found a couple games that we had a TON of fun with. The first was a gift exchange where I read a story that has the words "left" and "right" many times throughout the story. Every time a "left" or "right" is said, we pass presents to the person that direction of us. So fun! The other game proved to be the funniest--we split into family teams with Addison joining Mike for his team. Each team was given a pair of girls pantyhose and 8 balloons. The object of the game was blow up the balloons, stuff the legs of the pantyhose, and put the hose on the head of the child on your team so they looked like a reindeer! Oh my! It was very fun!

Breakfast with Santa

For the past 3 years we have been to see Santa at the mall--a quick encounter that isn't all that personal. This year I found out that Santa was hosting breakfast at the Davis Conference Center for all the "good" girls and boys. So, I bought tickets. We had so much fun! I made Brykn an invitation for breakfast, wrote a letter from Santa, and put it in the mailbox the day before breakfast. When Brykn got home, I had him go get the mail. He came in the house and Brandon told him that there was a letter for him. His little ears perked right up! As he was trying to get it open, I asked him who it was from and he told me, "From the mailman." Such a simple question--such a simple answer. I couldn't argue with him--all the mail comes from the mailman.

After he opened it, he said, "It's from SANTA!" Beats me how he knew who it was from, he can't read yet. I read the card to him and when I got to the part about breakfast, he got so excited! He kept telling Brandon, "Santa wants me to go to breakdast with him, Dad!" His excitement was hysterical!

Then, he called Grandma Lauri to see if she got an "inbitation" for breakfast. Luckily, Santa had "inbited" her and Grandpa Buck. Whewww!

The next morning we arrived at breakfast with a boy who was so excited he could hardly stand still. While we were in line to get to our table, Santa came by to talk to Brykn. The first thing Brykn did was stick out his hand to shake with Santa--I had to laugh--he does remember his manners! Then, he promptly asked Santa, "Where did you park your reindeer?" Santa, quick on his feet said, "On the roof! They are clear to the very back of the roof." That seemed to pacify Brykn pretty good. The two of them talked for just a minute before we were seated.

The buffet was awesome and there were some kids choirs that served as entertainment. They also had a magician and Grinch wandering around. Santa sat in a huge chair at the end of the room and the kids could go talk to him whenever they wanted. They also had face painting and cookie decorating--something Brykn really got a kick out of.

We had such a fun time--"Breakdast" with Santa is definately going to be a staple tradition for us from here on out!

Ted Doesn't Know it Either...

More and more Brykn is saying the funniest things. Today, as we were watching the Red Skins playing football and they were about to execute a stupid play, Brandon said, "Man, the Red Skins are idiots." Brykn popped up and quickly said, "No, Dad! The Red Skins are Indians." Then, after a really brief pause, continued, "It's okay Dad, Ted doesn't know it either." I laughed myself sick and Brandon stood 100% corrected. The fact that he corrected the Indian for the Idiot was funny, but even funnier is the fact that Ted is Brykn's stuffed bear. Brykn was trying to make Brandon feel better by telling him that Ted didn't know the difference either, but considering that Ted has safety pins holding his ragged little body together and is brainless (literally), it really wasn't a compliment. Too funny!

Christmas Lights

I've heard it said that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles Christmas lights...I really hate to guess what that says about Brandon. Now Brykn, on the other hand, is easy to pinpoint: so excited!

Brykn was ecstatic when we decided to hang the Christmas lights outside. Brandon muttered under his breath, but after he saw Brykn's excitement, he came around and not a single curse word was said while he climbed the latter (after that I couldn't hear...). Brykn handled the lights on the bushes, helped us with the lights on our pillars, and was more than enough help managing the lighted candy canes. And, when it was all said and done, Brykn was SO proud of our house. He asked me why people hang Christmas lights and the best answer I could come up with was "So Santa will know where they live." From there forward, we don't pass a lighted house without Brykn saying, "Santa's gonna know where they live, huh mom?!"

1 Dog + 1 Boy = True Friendship

After lots and lots of begging, we got Bandit the dog just a few months ago...but, he's now a part of the family. Bandit and Brykn play like brothers and Bandit is getting more and more protective of Brykn. They race each other, jump on the trampoline (and I do mean the dog jumps), and they even play baseball (Brykn hits the ball and Bandit retrieves it). I'll admit there have been times I have swore and cussed the dog, but all in all I am so glad he's ours--and, so is Brykn!

More Halloween Photos

So Fun it was Scary!

This Halloween was filled with party after party! And, since Brykn absolutely LOVES a good party, we celebrated at all of them! Brykn knew exactly what he wanted to be for Halloween from the first time we talked about it--a skunk. He did not waiver! So, after looking at all the costume shops from here to Timbucktoo, I finally found a really cute one on the Internet (good thing because he was convinced that I could sew him one).

Our first party was at a house just up the street. We didn't actually know the people hosting it, but some friends of our did, so we tagged along. It was a lot of fun! They had a huge shed/shop that they set up a bunch of food, made a haunted house inside a duck blind, and made tables for pumpkin painting. Then, they had hay rides on a wagon with a horse team, ponies for the kids to ride, and even a bunny to hold. Brykn thought the bunny was the best--they were fuzzy friends!

Our second party was Grandma Sally's party and Brykn had a great time "carting" the pumpkins. He even made one for the baby! Grandma Sally even made a cake--because every good party has cake!

Finally, our third party was the offical Halloween day trick-or-treating and party at Jeannie's house. Complete in our costumes (I was an angel...but, since my belly is sticking out, I hung a sign around my neck that said, "The DEVIL made me DO IT!") Brykn and I made it to a grand total of 4 houses in our neighborhood before he had had 100% enough of trick-or-treating. Geez!

Jeannie's house was a lot of fun, as always. Decorated to the 9's and food galore, there were 2 real highlights of the night. First, was Grandma. Dressed in her "Oldest Survivor of Woodstock...Peace Baby!" costume, she made us all laugh and laugh! Second, was when my mom knocked on the door dressed as Frankenstein with mask and all. The kids really didn't know what to think. Brykn just kept looking at her and holding on around my neck as tight as he could!

News to Share...

Well, it's official! We are having a new baby!!!!!!! We decided to wait awhile before sharing our exciting news and I am now about 20 weeks pregnant. I'm feeling pretty good (although I'm just past the hurling my guts out stage) other than a really bad headache now and then. I seem to be growing by the day and my expanding middle is now at a point that it's impossible to hide.

We decided to share our fun and exciting news with Brykn first. He was so cute! We told him about a month ago and I think he's just now catching on to the idea of being a brother and having a sibiling. The video here is when we told him that a brother or a sister was in his VERY near future.

We then told my parents at a trip to Lagoon the next day. I had to wait until Brandon was there because he had a horse show that morning. Waiting until 1:00 was sure difficult! Not only because I wanted to tell everybody, but mostly because everybody wanted me to ride the rides and I kept having to come up with excuses why I didn't want to. Eeeek!!! Finally, when Brandon got there, I gave the ultrasound pictures to Brykn and told him to show Grandma and Grandpa his new pictures. Considering that he and I had been there for 4 hours and not said a word (I'm still stunned that he didn't spill the beans), they were shocked to say the least! My mom started jumping up and down and my dad sort of just stood there until he realized what the pictures were. That jumping was followed by a whole lot more jumping by Jeannie and Kelli and many congratulatory and "way to go's" to Brandon!

The next day I was sick as could be! Brykn and I were still in our jammies at 1:00 in the afternoon and Brandon was back at the horse show. I had finally convinced myself that I would feel better if I atualy got up and did something. Just as I grabbed the broom, Sally knocked on the door. Embarassed at the way we looked and green with nausea, we invited her in. She visited for a few minutes when Brykn said, "Grandma, did you know my mom has a baby in her belly?" I laughed for a minute because I was really hoping he wouldn't say anything until Brandon could be there, but once those words were out, they were out! She looked surprised, but really excited. Then, we showed her the pictures too. Fortunately, Brandon got home before she left and there were hugs all around!

Finally, it's important for everybody to know that we found out today that this kid is a GIRL! That's right, a frilly, cute little GIRL! We are really excited--but, then again, we would have been excited with a boy too--doesn't matter to me. A healthy baby is all I am really praying for! I guess so much for Brykn's "Not a sister!"

Lagoon!

Just like old times, we went to Lagoon as an extended family this year. It was a ton of fun! Watching Tate and Brykn get so excited to ride the rides brought back so many memories. I remember when Puff the Dragon was the most thrilling ride in the entire park. It's funny to see that Puff has lasted the generation!

That Stupid Bee!

The bees at our house have been pretty thick this year and generally Brykn runs whenever he sees one...but, he wasn't expecting a wasp nest to be hiding under his horse tire swing. He grabed the underneath side of the head of the swing and scared a whole swarm of wasps. And, boy were they mad! The result--a nasty sting to the lip--the lip! Ouch! Brykn let out a scream that I'm pretty sure was heard in Lehi. I felt so bad for him! Within just a matter of seconds, the dang thing started to swell up. I bought him some popsicles to eat with hopes they would help with the swelling, but they really didn't do much besides offer a bit of comfort. At our house the word
"stupid" is a really bad word (I didn't come up with the rule, the babysitter did...but, I guess its a pretty good one to have...) and when I asked Brykn what happened, he replied, with a lisp from the swelling, "That stupid bee stung me!"

Independence Day

This Fourth of July was jam packed with stuff to do! We started the weekend off by camping at North Fork where we did the whole outdoor gig. We started the weekend off by fishing. I'm proud to say that I was the only one to catch a fish--and, I did it by casting half my pole in the water. When I reeled it in, I had the top half of the pole and a fish! Brykn wasn't too high on holding the fish, but he finally gave in. The fish was tiny and Brykn told me it was just his size.

On the Fourth, we came back to West Weber for the annual celebration. I made Brykn a float for the parade. He was sooooo cute! I had no idea the parade route would be over 3 miles, but Brykn roped the entire route with zest. Everyone who saw him laughed at how cute he looked and how "into it" he truly was. (I now realize how hard all those floats Mom used to put toghether for me were. Mom always said that "some day when you are a mother you will understand." And, boy do I now understand!) The parade was fun because Grandma Sally and Scott, TJ and Sami, and Grandma and Grandpa Wall were there to watch him.

The last part of the weekend was spent at the Liberty celebration. We had so much fun! They have a really fun dance, great fireworks, and a make-shift caterpiller ride for the kids. What a great holiday!

Swim Lesson Success!

Swim lessons have come to an end. And, Brykn wasn't sad whatsoever to see them end. He keeps telling me, "I don't want to go swimming to the cold pool, Mom." I don't blame him. He would get out of the pool just a shivering and shaking with blue lips and chicken skin.

I have to admit, though, he learned quite a lot! He is pretty brave in the water now; which, I'm not sure is a good or bad thing. He can now blow bubbles in the water, dunk his whole head under, float on his back with help (chop, chop, timber!) and use his hands like ice cream scoops--the beginning lessons of the breaststroke.

Swimming Lessons

Kids are so unpredictable. I signed Brykn up for swimming lessons and he was so excited--until he put one foot in the water. Then, he cried the entire time! The teacher was trying so hard to get him invovled in what the other kids were doing, but all he could say (through sobs) was, "I don't want to be splashed!" Seriously? It's swimming lessons--with water, and kids. Geez!

I only got one picture when he wasn't crying. I sure hope swimming lessons get better!

Medal of Honor

Last year Mom and I discovered the Springville 5k--it is a ton of fun! The race is part of the City's celebration and they have some really killer sponsors. Between Wal-Mart and Nestle, the race bags were awesome and the prize drawings they do after the race are really cool too. To be entered in the drawings you have to be entered in the run--so I entered all three of us, and Mom entered Dad, TJ, Sami, Jeannie, Kelli, Tate and the twins. Because the race is longer than what Brykn could walk/run, I took the wagon and Dad pulled him the whole way! Brykn didn't walk a single step. I have to admit that I was a little nervous because the first stretch of the race is 100% uphill--steep. I wasn't nervous about Brykn, but scared to death Dad was going to have a heart attack on the hill. Eeek!

In the end, Dad did fine. They were the VERY LAST finishers, but they both had a great time. The best part was when the participation medals were awarded to kids under 6. They read Brykn's name and we went running to get his medal. When he gathered his up, he asked the lady, "Where's my Grandpa's?" She gave him another medal for Dad. I thought it was sweet Brykn was worried Grandpa wasn't going to get a medal--and, I think Dad was touched.

In the end the only one of us that won a dang thing was Brandon. He won a cool outdoor canopy. Fun times!

Happy Birthday Brykn!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Brykn's birthday was great! He was so cute when he woke up and I told him that today was birthday day--he immediately starting singing the Happy Birthday song. When we came down the stairs, he saw his swimming pool and presents and just went a running. Little did he know, there was a trampoline--the thing he really wanted--just outside the window. After opening some clothes, a Wii game, and a marshmellow roaster, he caught the trampoline out of the corner of his eye. He ran to the window and said, "Hey, there's my trampoline!" I was thinking this was pretty cute until he said, "Wait...where's the dang latter?" I was totally speechless--I had to hug him to keep from strangling him. :)

After opening all the presents inside, we went outside to jump on the trampoline, which, by the way, is incredibly hard to put together. Brandon and I started at 7:00 pm in the dusk light. At about step 14 of 18, we learned that we completed step 1 wrong. That's right--we had to undo all our progress and start from scratch. %$#@! After lots of colorful, not really birthday spirit words, we finally got it together. Holy smolly.

Brykn's party was all done in cowboys and horses. Brykn told everyone he was having a "orse" party. Complete with a "orse" cake and chuckwagon grub, the party was a ton of fun. Some of the highlights of the party were: a bike from Grandma Lauri, a fishing vest and hat from Grandma Sally, Play-Do from Grandpa Buck, and even $103 from Grandpa Mike. Totally spoiled, I tell you...totally spoiled--just they way kids should be!

Birthday parties are a LOT of work, but totally worth it when you see the looks on their innocent little faces. I just love that Brykn knew the entire day was just about him. He's growing so much every day and I can't believe that 3 years have gone by so fast. Happy Birthday Brykn!

Mother's Day

I LOVE being a Mom! I've often said that Brykn is the best thing that ever happened to me; and, it's very true. We have our moments, and I know that I'm far from Mother of the Year, but Brykn and I have a very special bond.

This Mother's Day Brykn gave me a handmade necklace that he had created at the babysitter's house. I ABSOLUTELY love it! It's a metal washer that has been covered in paper and modge podged. Then, twine has been added so it can be hung from my neck. It's darling--and the best part is that Brykn made it for me. He was so excited to give it to me, too. He came just a running in with his newspaper wrapped presents saying, "My made it for you, Mom!" Just thinking about how proud he was of this necklace brings tears to my eyes. He also made me a plate that says, "Love, Brykn" on it. He has colored around the outside edge and has added hand-picked stickers to the edges.

Brykn, you will never know how much your Mom loves you, because you will never be a mother. But, I want you to know that you mean EVERYTHING to me and I am so proud to be your Mom. Love you!

Race for the Cure--Run, Run!

Jacquie, Mom, and Jeannie


The whole gang!



Running in memory and in honor of...

The Run, Run, Runners!

Mom, Misty, and Me

This was my second year at Race for a Cure, but it was just as inspirational as last year. I can't even begin to think how difficult it would be to fight cancer; and, I pray I never have to find out. But, for all those women who are struggeling with breast cancer, this Race is an amazing thing. It's absolutely touching to see the survivors (some with a full head of hair and some without a single strand) walking, running, and just being an inspiration to the other 17,000 people there. It really doesn't matter how fast you run or how quickly you finish--thank heavens! It's just nice to be running for a cause. Thanks, Kel, for getting me hooked on this--I'm a life-long Racer now!