Easter Fun

Easter time was filled with fun and great adventures . We kicked off the holiday and Spring season with a trip to Schriever Air Force Base (Kevin's work place) to attend their Spring Fling. It was a carnival filled with games, prizes, and candy. Brynnlee bowled, fished, threw, and laughed. She even sat still enough to have a sun painted on her cheek and a caricature done of her. They were both very cute. We ate some Texas Roadhouse BBQ sandwiches and had a great time. We tried to get Brynnlee to sit with the Easter bunny for a picture. She would have none of that!

The next week Brynnlee and I were invited to a party at our friend Tracy Giles' home. Tracy was a wonderful host and prepared such great activities. She made each child a little bag with crafts. Brynnlee got the chance to paint Easter eggs, run around with little people, and participate in an Easter egg hunt. I met some really great gals that I could have actual conversations with (no hi, hi, hi or nonunderstandable babbling). I even was reacquainted with a fellow Tremontonite. Thanks so much Tracy for the fun!

Between General Conference sessions on Saturday, we were lucky enough to go to another Easter egg hunt. Jennifer Pohm (a sister in my ward) and I planned a little lunch and activity. It was funny to watch the older kids scramble for the eggs--they wanted as many as possible. Brynnlee was a little slower. She had to open every egg she found before she put it in her bag. She didn't many eggs, but she didn't need a lot anyway!

Finally Easter came. Brynnlee doesn't know what it is yet, but she sure knows what candy is! I made her an Easter basket filled with the presents her grandma's sent and eggs filled with M&M's. I gave it to her as soon as she woke up in the morning and let her go through the prizes. She loved opening the eggs and having the candies fall out. And of course she loved eating the M&M's. That's all she wanted for the rest of the day. We had great food that day. The missionaries came over for lunch. I made a basic Easter meal. We had ham, funeral potatoes, frog-eyed salad, deviled eggs, and green salad. We had a very special family tradition for dessert. I made a bunny cake--one like Kevin's mom always makes. It made him very happy. For dinner we were invited to the Pohm's. Jen fixed a wonderful meal with asparagus, potatoes, and lamb. It was a wonderful meal!

The Easter holiday is always special. It is the time to think of our Savior and the beautiful miracle of resurrection. What a blessing it is to be loved so much by our Heavenly Father and older brother Jesus Christ. This holiday was double special because of conference. What a blessing it is to not only have a Prophet and Apostles on the Earth, but to be able to hear from them--there are not words to express the joy we feel.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Yesterday Brynnlee and I went outside and played in the snow. Brynnlee walked and walked through the snow. But this is what it looks like now. Where has all the snow gone? After a cold, snowy day, the weather sure changed. Today the temperature is over forty and all the snow is disappearing. The weather is a little crazy here in Colorado Springs. At least Brynnlee had a chance to play in the snow!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

As I pulled out the snow pants, boots, hat, scarf, and gloves, Brynnlee knew something was going on. I continued to get ready, putting my coat on, pulling my hair in pig tails, and finding my own scarf, hat, and gloves. Brynnlee picked up the snowpants looking at them curiously and began following me around with them in hand.

I have been waiting for this day for awhile....the first day Brynnlee played in the snow. There have been a couple of problems standing in my way. First, we didn't have any snow boots for Brynnlee. That was solved by my mother-in-law who nicely gave us a pair. Second, it hasn't snowed here all January. Well finally the snow is here.

I bundled Brynnlee up as much as possible and took her out. She just walked around in the snow not really knowing what to do. I showed her a snowball, which she wasn't very interested in. I showed her how to sit and mess with the snow. She still didn't care. I showed her how to kick the snow. Finally that was something she was interested in. She walked and kicked and walked all over in the snow. She loved it. How do I know? She screamed when we went back in! What a fun time....

A Dog Says Woof

Brynnlee LOVES dogs. So over our Christmas vacation-which we spent in Utah-she was in heaven. Both of her {GRANDMAS} have dogs. She followed them around trying to pet and feed them. I know they didn't love it, but Brynnlee sure did. Brynn especially LOVED Aunt Rylie's dog {RAYE}. She threw his ball-and by throw I mean put it in his mouth forcefully. Now that we are home she says hi to every dog she sees outside. AND she woofs at ALL animal food commercials--yes even when she sees a cat. The BEST of all is she now answers the question: "Brynnlee, what does a dog say." Her little {woof, woof, woof} is adorable.

Christmas Greetings

I am not really in the Christmas spirit this year. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's that we live hours away from family. Maybe it's that I don't have a Christmas tree up. Maybe it's that I don't have room for more presents where I live. Maybe it's that I don't have enough money to get everything I want to buy others. Maybe it's that Christmas is overdone. I don't know for sure, but I haven't done anything "Christmasy"....until now.

While I was in Utah, my mom let me pack up one of her Cricut machines to bring back to Colorado. And boy have I had fun with it. I decided to make some of my Christmas cards this year. Here are some of the cards I came up with. Now I have to admit--I am not the creative type. BUT I think I came up with some pretty cute cards.

The Airplane Ride

My grandparents recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. My mom, aunt, and uncles planned a big party in their honor. Kevin and I knew we wouldn't be able to make it. But my Aunt Erica and Uncle Alan had other plans. They decided to fly us out for the event. So we packed up, drove to Denver, sat at the airport for hours, and finally boarded the plane for Brynnlee's first plane ride. I was a little anxious about how she behave. I mean we can't even get through sacrament meeting without taking her out of the chapel. It turns out she was great. She was a little fussy, but we handled it. And may I say proudly she did not bug our fellow passengers.

We had a fun visit with our families. We even got to spend time with Kevin's parents and siblings. Thanks for the great trip Aunt Erica and Uncle Alan!

Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated because the Pilgrims had survived their first year of living in America. We haven't lived in Colorado for a year, but I like to think of our Thanksgiving as a celebration of our move. We decided to stay in Colorado Springs for Thanksgiving so that we could spend a good chunk of time in Utah for Christmas.

This was the first Thanksgiving in which I cooked. I was a little nervous but determined to make the food delicious. I decided to roast turkey legs instead of a whole turkey. It meant we wouldn't waste food AND the dark meat is the best part anyway! I also made apple cranberry stuffing, turkey gravy, twice-baked sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and fresh baked rolls. So much for not having too much food huh. For the centerpiece, I went outside and collected pine cones and placed them in the crystal bowl with oranges and cranberries. It added just the right touch.

Even though it was a little lonely with just the two of us, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. And hey there was no fighting with family members about religion and politics!

Finger Pudding

I am trying to have fun times with Brynnlee. We go to the library for toddler time, we read books together, we sing songs, Brynnlee walks around "talking" on the phone....Sometimes we do the same things over and over again. I have been trying to come up with new activities. One day I found an idea for finger painting with pudding. So, I thought I would try it out. I bought some vanilla Snack Packs and colored them with food coloring. With Brynnlee on her food mat, I let her at it. After some showing and prodding she got into the painting. Then she discovered the "paint" was pudding, and she didn't stop eating! The activity didn't last long--I figure she will do more as she gets older--but I have some great pictures on my fridge!

The Cutest Little Ladybug

This year Brynnlee was the cutest little ladybug. And thanks to my mom and some nice friends in my ward, she had two adorable costumes to sport around. We went to a couple parties that were a lot of fun. First, we went to the Valdez's home for a party. There were a lot of new people to meet there and some great food. Next was our ward Harvest Carnival. It was a blast. The young women in the ward put it together. We had a dinner first and then after were games for the kids. Of course I had to play all of them. Kevin and I were dressed up as a witch and a vampire. Finally we took Brynnlee trick-or-treating for the first time. Here in Colorado Springs, there is an area of the city where the business owners and employees dress up and hand out candy. Brynnlee loved her first time getting candy! When we got home, she dumped out her pumpkin bucket and sorted through her stash. She really loves little suckers! It was a great Halloween.

Eight Years and Counting.....

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I use these words from Charles Dickens to describe the last eight years of my life and marriage. I hope it doesn't sound too horrible, but it is the truth. We have had some hard times--military activation, war, infertility, miscarriage. We have also had the most wonderful times--vacations, lots of love, holidays, Brynnlee. I know that there are so many of both to come. I wish that I handled the worst of times with more grace and dignity....poor Kevin. But I know that if I have him by my side, I will always make it.

On September 21, 2001, Kevin and I got married in the Logan Temple. It was a beautiful moment shared with wonderful friends and family. The day was simple and perfect. We had our reception at the Old Rock Church. I loved it. But most of all I loved that I married my best friend!













This year, we celebrated our eighth anniversary. We did the actual celebrating a few days before. Kevin arranged for our new friends, the Buschi family, to watch Brynnlee. It was the first time in a year that we had been alone. Incredible and sad! Kevin made reservations for The Melting Pot. He reserved us a little room so that we could be alone and enjoy each other's company. It was wonderful---the company and of course the food!

Thank you Kevin for a wonderful night out. Thank you for eight great years. I am excited to see what is left for us in the years to come!