Christmas is Almost Here

And boy are we ready. Spencer has the new Super Mario Bros. game on his wish list and he is constantly talking about it (constantly)! Well, today I was telling him not to wish all the days before Christmas away too quickly because it's sad when it's all over. The Christmas tree will come down, we'll stop playing Christmas music, etc,. And he just replied "yeah, but then I'll be playing Mario and nothing else will matter." So, I certainly hope Santa has Mario in his bag of presents.

The one new thing we've done this holiday season was going to the community 'Breakfast with Santa.' I was very impressed. It was put on by Uintah Recreation. They had live Christmas music, games, face painting and Santa and Mrs. Claus. All three of my kids thoroughly enjoyed it.

This past Tuesday, I went to Enrichment. I really didn't want to go because dresses were required and it's hard to put on a skirt when it's so cold outside. But I absolutely love the ladies in our presidency...and I wanted to support them. I was so glad I went. They put on a really nice dinner. Afterwards we went into the sacrament room for the program. Sister Marshall played many of the Christmas hymns while a brother in the ward read about the birth of Christ from the scriptures. We sang part of the songs and then another sister sang Silent Night as a solo. The spirit rolled over the whole congregation as a mighty wave and it was truly magnificent. I needed to feel that. And now that I have felt it, Christmas can come. I have the Christmas spirit!

And so the countdown goes on. Only six days left. Are you ready?

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Grandma Helen's house. The food was great, the weather was warm and the kids got to ride horses.

I love this time of year.

Who did This?

So Wednesday morning, Tyler wakes up and looks out our bedroom window....and chuckles. Then he says..."oh, you've got to see this." So, I knew it wasn't supposed to snow...but thought oh no, how deep is it. "Oh it's not snow," he says. So I peek out the window and see all this toilet paper.

I was shocked. We haven't hit the teen years, or even the pre-teen years yet with our kids...so who would have done this? So we all took a guess. I think it was Garret, Brayden thinks it was Chelsey and Tyler thinks it was one of his scouts.

So time for confessions.....anyone?

So Saturday was a really big day for us....but I don't have any photos to share.

Brayden played his first basketball game of the new season. His team is actually the Jazz, which he loves. Anyway, he put that ball in the basket four different times during the game. WooHoo! This is much improvement compared to last year. He was one proud, happy kid. His next game is this Saturday at 9:00 at the Rec Center for you grandmas out there.

Later that same day...we decided to back to the rec center for swimming. We haven't been since August....we sort of wore that place out during summer. Well, since that time, Spencer has grown enough to go down the big slides at the pool. This was a BIG thing for him since he has been eating his heart out over those slides for a year and a half now. He would measure himself against the "big enough" line almost every time. And now the rec center is once again our very best friend and Spencer begs EVERY single night to go back (which is not so cool).

Leaves at Grandpa Brinkerhoff's House

Today, right after school, we went up to my parent's house to play in the leaves. My kids love, love to jump in huge piles of leaves...and my parents have the best back yard for this. I love this tradition...as a child, I walked past my Grandmother's house from the bus stop everyday. She had a huge tree in her front yard and in the fall, my sister and I were known to stay at her house for hours, making houses out of her leaves.

My kids also have a new reason to enjoy Grandma's house. Grandpa and Grandma have a new puppy! They decided that poor Chelsey is way too lonely with all of her siblings out of the nest....and so they got her a dog. My cousin Wesley has full-blooded collies and was nice enough to give his favorite aunt a free one. This is big news...because my parents have quite the anti-pet personalities. Chelsey named the cute pup Fergie...and she really is very adorable.

The Witches came out Last Night

Last night was our annual Brinkerhoff Halloween Party. We made slime, ate eyeballs and fondled a dead body. This is my most favorite party of the whole year...and last night did not disappoint.

The Corn Maze

Every year, we go with my family to the Bluebell cornmaze. This is one tradition that we all look forward to. I really enjoy the drive over...all the colorful leaves. We had a picnic at the Bluebell park and then played and played at the courtyard at the maze. I am amazed at all the effort they put into that maze. It is absolutely the best thing around for families.

Choosing a Costume

Halloween is a VERY big deal at our house. And the best part is choosing the costume. While Maddie and Spencer get very excited...Brayden could care less. So here we are with the cousins posing the new attire. Jacob and Maddie were so excited to do the Batman thing. Don't they look cute? Making childhood memories is the best thing in the world.

St. George

Last weekend, all of my family traveled down to St. George where my sister Dynelle and her cute family lives. The occasion was the blessing of her new daughter, Audrey. St. George is absolute heaven in October...it makes you want to live there! We had so much fun! We went to the state park, Snow Canyon. We hiked, some repelled off the red rock and we played in the sand dunes. Brayden spotted a tortoise along the path we were hiking on....and it of course was the big hit of the day.

My bachelor brother Brett brought a girl with him from Logan. He looked quite smitten during the whole trip which thrilled us all. Her name is Jess.....and we all liked her lots and lots and lots.

This little trip was just what my family needed. Sometimes, you just need to get out of Vernal!

Time Out

I was going through my photos and ran into this one...and I just had to post it. This is what our kids get to do every time they misbehave. Such as going to the neighbors without asking, being bad in church or just the general fighting and such. Yes, the phrase "go put your nose on the wall" is a horrible thing to hear, met with much wailing and nashing of teeth. But it works! And if we are consistent, the kids really do shape up with just a single warning.

Strawberry Kokanee Salmon

Every September, kokanee salmon from Strawberry reservoir swim upstream towards the hatchery there, turn red, spawn and then die. I learned this back when I worked for the Uinta National Forest in Provo during my college days. Ever since then, I've wanted to see these red fish...and since it is located on our trips between Vernal and Salt Lake...you'd think I'd seen them by now...but nope! Well, Garrett's wedding provided the perfect weekend for the occasion and my family and I had so much fun exploring the hatchery and seeing the red beasts. This little mystery of life is just as fascinating as watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly...and I recommend it to everyone who has a fascination for life. Go some time. It's something that must be viewed in person.

Garrett and Emily get Married

This past weekend was the marriage of my brother Garrett to his high school sweetheart Emily. They were married in the Salt Lake temple, which is always a fun temple to go to. The weather was perfect and so was everything else. My favorite part was having all of my family there. We haven't been together in quite some time...it was just so nice to be complete. And my kids absolutely love weddings...it was fun to see them enjoy the craziness of it all.

Spencer is an Official Kindergartner

There are no words to describe the emotions that have been building up to this day. Spencer was beyond excited to break free of home life and spread his wings at Naples Elementary and I was a bit apprehensive at letting the last little bird out of my nest. My life is shifting...and it's hard to let go and embrace the change. But Spencer is more than ready to take this next leap into life. He is excited for all the new things that are about to fill his little life....making his little life larger and larger.

He met a new friend, Josh, that he could not stop talking about. He loved, loved recess and enjoyed his first ride on the school bus. Needless to say, he can't wait for tomorrow.

The best part....I get to be his substitute teacher on Tuesday. Yeah!