Appendectomy

Last weekend, Tyler kept complaining of stomach pains. But I was so busy with Christmas preparations, piano recitals, tumbling performances and holiday parties that I didn't give him much attention. (I sort of thought he was being a big baby). On Monday, he told me he was going to the doctor to get his pain checked out. That evening, I was at my mother's house decorating gingerbread houses when I get a phone call from Tyler. He tells me he is at the hospital and that he is going to have surgery that night to have his appendix removed. My mother and I rush to the hospital and wait and wait. Finally at midnight, they operate on him.

Everything went very well, it was just very bad timing with Christmas three days later. So, as you can guess, Christmas has been a little more mellow than usual at our house. And we can't wait for things to return back to normal.

Moral of the story: pay attention to your husband's stomach pains.

Christmas Day

We had such a wonderful Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with Dave and Helen, Tyler's parents. We ate soup and hot rolls and the kids got to open a present from them which was a rice bag. They enjoyed holding their own warm rice bag on the way home. Once we got home they opened their pajama present and then went off to bed. They must have been very tired because they didn't wake us up until 8:00! They were so happy to see that Santa had brought Madison and Spencer bikes and Brayden an iPod.

The day was filled with family and more presents. I can't believe how quickly it all went...and now it's all over. What a whirlwind. I hope your day was as merry as ours!

.

I know I've been neglecting this blog lately...but it's been a very busy month. This past weekend was my brother Garrett's farewell. He is leaving today for his mission in Carlsbad, California. We had family pictures on Saturday, the farewell on Sunday, Camille's birthday on Monday and another busy day yesterday.

My brother Joshua is coming home today. He lives in Germany but is visiting for three weeks for the holidays. We have a lot of fun events planned with him and I am so excited for it all to begin. It has been so nice to have all of my family around.

I really can't believe that Christmas is next week. I am not ready! Stress is starting to set in with all that needs to be done....but here I am blogging! How about all of you? Are you ready?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was such a fun time this year.....and most of that was due to the fact that my birthday was on the holiday. We spent the Thanksgiving at my parent's house. Everyone but Joshua and Dynelle, whom we missed dearly was there. The day was filled with yummy food, good conversations, a few fun games and laughter. These kind of days make me very grateful for my family.

I had so many friends and family members that made my birthday so special. Thank you! And thanks to my sister-in-law Jade for putting my name along with my age up on the marquee of the drive-in. I'm not sure how much I liked that one...but pay-backs are great!

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving.

A Grown Man's Toy

I had to post this picture because my husband has always wanted a tractor of some sort...and while we can't afford any kind of tractor nor have the space for one.....the rental place started renting out these small things. We just happened to need some dirt to be moved and he was more than excited to go rent this. The funny thing was that Brayden had a junior jazz game this morning so Tyler had to wait an hour before he could try it out, but boy was he thinking of it the whole time.

So Very Bummed

A year ago, we purchased tickets for the Celine Dion concert in Salt Lake City. Tyler and I were going to go with some really good friends of ours who happen to live on our street. I was REALLY looking forward to the event...have been for a year now. Yesterday we were notified that she postponed the concert to a Sunday in February. A Sunday! So no, we are not going.

I just canceled our hotel reservations and requested a refund on the tickets...and it's all just so depressing. So I need some cheering up. I need to focus on the real meaning of Thanksgiving. But darn it....I was so excited for this weekend....and now nothing!

Snow!

Look what we woke up to this morning. The boys were so excited that they immediately grabbed a jacket and gloves and dove in. Do you notice how Spencer still has on his jammies? Winter is more than just around the corner.....brrr it's cold.

No More Training Wheels

These two crack me up!

I have been working with Madison and her bike with no training wheels for a year now. We practiced and practiced without success. She lacked determination and self-confidence.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, Brayden took the training wheels off of Spencer's bike without asking me. I was yelling at him to put them back on when Spencer jumps onto his bike and just takes off. My jaw hit the ground. But do you know who was even more surprised..........yup! Madison couldn't believe her little brother could do something she couldn't. Some self determination kicked into her bloodstream and she worked with that bike all Friday and Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, she was riding like a pro.

They love riding their bikes..........I just wish they could have done this during summer...it would have made those camping trips so much more fun.

Preston and Heather's Wedding

Yesterday we drove out to the SLC temple to watch Preston's sealing to Heather. It was a beautiful day. I can't believe what a fabulous day it was for this late into October. And I just love fall weddings...the day just glows around the bride and groom. Preston in Tyler's younger brother...for those of you who don't know. They are such a cute couple and will actually be living in our ward!! The day was so very special, it is always fun to be on the temple grounds with my family.

Tagged

I was tagged by a good friend (thanks Elizabeth). So here we go:

Five little-known things about me!

1. One of my favorite bands on my iPod is Roxette. Yes, I am a girl from the late 80's and early 90's. My little sister was an 80's girl at our Halloween party, and she pegged her pants for the costume.....oh yeah, I did that and was proud of it!

2. My biggest pet peeve of house cleaning is dusting. I hate how often it needs to be done. I hate how I have to move my knick knacks around every single time I do it. And I especially hate how I can dust something in the morning and by evening, there is already a slight film of DUST.

3. Everyone knows that I LOVE to scrapbook. But did you know that when I was pregnant with Spencer, just the thought or sight of scrapbooking made me nauseas. I thought it was so weird...but I couldn't stand to do my favorite thing during the whole nine months!

4. My favorite color is red. And both of my grandmothers loved the color red. I vividly remember my Grandma McKee wearing red polyester pants..........that's how much she loved the color. Am I doomed to go down that road?........hmmm.....if only polyester makes a come-back when I'm in my sixties!

5. I really don't like animals. I try....I really, really do.....because my kids love them, but I just can't. Madison asked me the other day what my favorite animal was.........I couldn't think of one. I'd rather not pick one. And Madison keeps hoping that someday we'll live on a farm! Sometimes I wonder how my children ended up being so different from me.

I'm tagging Dynelle, Josh, and Tawnya. Have fun!

Here are the rules:
List the person who tagged you. Mention the rules on your blog. Share 5 things others probably don't know about you. Tag fellow bloggers. Visit their blogs to see what they put. Enjoy...

This was a really big weekend for us. Most of my family drove out for our annual Brinkerhoff Halloween party. We had to have it early this year because my family members are big-time BYU fans and most of them have tickets to next Saturday's game. But this weekend worked out perfectly because of the pumpkin walk, the corn maze and my brother Brett's birthday. Needless to say, we did a lot of partying. Thanks mom for cooking so much.

I thought everyones costumes were great....but I thought Camille took the cake with her Snow White. Doesn't she look fabulous? I told Madison that next year she and I are dressing as princesses....oh you should have heard her groan. That is so not happening.

Anyways....we enjoyed ourselves so much. And we found it very hard to wake up for church on Sunday morning!

A Birthday Boy

Today is the birthday of the most most important person in the world to me....my husband. He was only 21 when we met, fresh off his mission. And now he has the number 34 on his birthday cake. But 34 is just a stepping stone, right?

I love you Tyler....Happy Birthday!

Want to Win Something?

This website is giving away a handbag an hour. Click here to check it out.
HANDBAG PLANET

I chose the teal one. Have fun.

A Girls Weekend

This past weekend, I met up with all my sisters for the Scrapbook Expo in SLC. This trip ended up being so much fun and one I will remember in the the bleak moments of winter. One of our all-time-favorite places is Gardner Village. The weather was perfect and all the witches were out. This place makes my heart say Ahhh.....over and over. If you haven't been, you must go, especially while the witches are there.

What I did Today

So this is my niece Abby and my son Spencer. They are both four....preschool age. So Camille and I decided to do a home-preschool of sorts, alternating days at both of our homes. Today was my turn. We made art from their names....and oh how they loved it. These two make me smile inside out...honestly, it takes a lot to make one's insides smile...but they can make me do it. They are laughter waiting to happen.

A New Camera

Tragically, my camera has stopped working. I love taking photos and have missed having a camera. So Tyler decided to treat me to my birthday present early and let me order a camera. It is of course a Canon, because my wise Aunt Janet told me to never buy anything else....and I believe it. The delivery date is set for Tuesday......which is tomorrow. I cannot wait to actually hold this baby. Tomorrow is going to be such a good day.

So, Brayden had a birthday last week. He turned 9 on August 31. On Monday we had a big party at the swimming pool and then met at the church afterwards for some dinner and birthday cake.....and of course presents. He is now the owner of a BB gun and a bow and arrow....so watch out if you're coming to visit (YIKES!) So here are my favorite things about my 9 year-old.

1. His fascination with rocks (just like my brothers Riley and Garrett).
2. He is so very good at riding his bike without hands.
3. His willingness to learn the piano.
4. He loves to learn. His favorite thing to watch on TV is the discovery channel.
5. He loves little babies. He is honestly so cute with them.
6. I love how he watches out for his little sister at school. He is such the big brother.
7. His Steve Erkel impersonation. (Yes, Family Matters is now showing on Nick).
8. His athletic ability to master any sport he tries.
9. His cheesy, toothy grin. It lights up my day.
10. His ability to catch the creepiest things, from crawdads to the biggest praying mantis I've ever seen. (YUCK!).

So this is what Brayden does in his spare time. He just started a month ago and even though the piano is not quite as fun as he originally thought (gasp--it involves daily practice) he does enjoy learning to read music. His teacher is the cream of the crop...Mrs. Eleanor Marshall...and lets just say he is already learning things that I didn't learn until my third year of lessons. By the way, he is going to be a birthday boy this weekend...can't believe he's been in our family for nine years!

Today is the first day of first grade for Maddie and third grade for Brayden. I couldn't believe how excited they were...I didn't even have to beg them to wake up. We have a tradition of me driving them to school the first day. I always walk them into class and take a picture of student/teacher. And to my surprise....I really had to fight back the tears on both of them. I had been waiting for this day for weeks! And now here I was wanting to cry about it. No matter what, they will always be my babies. Heaven help me when I have to let them go to college. I hope they have a great day....oh, and I hope Maddie enjoys her first experience of cafeteria food.

Bryce Canyon

This past weekend, we went to Bryce Canyon for the Brinkerhoff Family reunion. I haven't been to Bryce since I was ten, and this time, I was going with my own family which included my own nine-year-old son, pretty crazy to think about. We camped with Riley and Crystal and we enjoyed their boys soooo much, especially their newborn, Will.

The canyon was so amazing. We went on the Navajo Loop hike, which took us from the top of the canyon to the bottom and back up to the top....and let me just say, the canyon is even better from the bottom. I highly recommend adding this adventure to your "bucket list."

I have to tell you, Utah is an amazing place to live. I don't get out of the Uintah Basin much, but when I do, I'm usually on Hwy 40 or I15. But, we chose to drive the scenic route home from Bryce Canyon, which was Hwy 89. The extra time this drive took was extremely worth the effort. We saw beautiful rivers, towering mountains and many, many cute "small" towns that I never knew existed. The whole trip left me a very sweet taste of our state and now I know why we ran into so many foreigners! I'd want to come here too, if I were a rich tourist.

Today ended up being one of those days when you ask "Why me?" This coming weekend is the Brinkerhoff reunion in Bryce Canyon. We thought we would head out a little early and visit Tyler's sister Sharalyn in SLC and do some swimming at one of the nearby water parks. As we approached Fruitland our Suburban started sputtering and coughing and the engine was making some horrific grinding sounds. Yes indeed, the engine is totally a gonner. We were broken down and our trip came to a screeching halt.

Luckily, Tyler's brother Devin has some good connections and came to our rescue with a long trailer to haul our poor suburban home.

Although I hate, hate vehicle break-downs (which stems from my childhood) we were blessed in many ways. Grandpa and Grandma Coon are letting us take their mini van clear to Bryce so we wont miss the reunion. I have come to appreciate good family friends. Thank you Devin, for saving our day.

Tonight, my thoughts are with my good friend Stephanie, who just told me today, that she is expecting another baby. I am so excited for her. And I especially can't wait to hold and spoil the precious bundle.

I will leave you with some beautiful pictures from a camping trip we took last weekend at Paradise with my Mother's family.