Wednesday Brynnsday

We all gave birthday tributes to Brynn around the dinner table. Dad said she is almost always in a good mood and she is such a happy girl. Adrie said Brynn plays Barbies with her and is lots of fun and is so pretty. I love Brynn's laugh. It is like a bubbling brook. She is always quick to obey. I usually only have to tell her once to do something--LOVE THAT! Kate was too cool to think of something nice and gushy to tell her sister. She finally came up with, "nice hair."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY #6 TO BRYNN!

Big day #6 started out with breakfast in bed. Waffle crisp. Kate is up the earliest (unless you count Cannon at 3 a.m.) so she was on the job.Brynn wanted an ice cream cake. This one obviously took a mere 30 seconds to assemble. That's my kind of cake!
Brynn's big anticipated gift was the Light up and draw projector on the left. This has already provided tons of fun. The girls declared it "awesome" --and for the bargain price of $19.95 on toystogrowon.com I highly recommend it. She also got a guitar stand (the guitar itself is from the last birthday). Julie the American doll also had a birthday--She got a stylish beanie and purse.

Beginning Scriptures for Non-Scriptorians

I don't know how family scripture study goes at your house but at our house, when Dad's in charge it goes something like this: All the kids gather around Dad to look at the illustrated version. There is really no reading as far as I know. Instead he asks each girl a question. Today Dad used the pictures in the back of the Book of Mormon. Here is what I overheard.

Kate's question, "Is this a picture of Jesus swimming or Alma baptizing people?"

Brynn's question, "Was Nephi's mean older brother named Larry, Frank, or Laman?"

Adrie's question, "Is this a picture of Lehi holding the Liahona or Lehi holding a cupcake with a candle in it because it was his birthday?"

Luckily, all the girls answered their questions right. I've talked to Dad about maybe reading the scriptures and then asking questions but apparently that's old school. For him the multiple choice question method seems to be working like a charm especially, when it produces giggles.

All about a Birthday

Yesterday we went as a family to the BYU Young Ambassadors performance. Yes, they came to enrich our little valley. It was an afternoon full of entertainment with music, dancing, and drama of high caliber. The only thing that would have made it better would be leaving Cannon at home with a babysitter.

There is something about going to a show that makes you want to eat a treat after...it's like Pavlov's dogs. We walked past the candy machines on our way out. Adrie got there first and asked if we had any money. I said I didn't have any. Dad said he didn't have any. And that was that. After our little walk to the car we all got in and noticed that Brynn had curled up and was crying in the back seat. She was looking for compassion and empathy. I didn't have any. Dad didn't have any. And that was that. When we got home Brynn was still sad. Dad took her aside and asked her what was wrong. She really got our empathy when she sobbed,

"You don't have any money to buy me a birthday present."

Dad quickly assured her that we had money to buy her a birthday present (just not for vending machines) and gave her a big long hug.

Brynn's birthday is the 28th of this month and she has been thinking about it a LOT apparently.

At the beginning of the month she said,

" Mom start saving your money so you can buy me a present when it's my birthday."

Brynn had a much better end to the day. Before I left to go grocery shopping she had some requests for her boola boola gifts (If you are not in the C. family I'll explain they are the little gifts that we hide and sing boola boola until you find them.) She handed me a scrap of paper that read:

I wont orngstics frootsnacs gumeepeechis

When I brought home the bags of groceries and said, "no peeking" she was bursting with excitement.

Today, she made this paper chain to count down the 10 more days until her birthday.

Just for the record I ordered her present last week and it should be here in plenty of time for a wonderful birthday #6 for Brynn and boola boola's to boot!

I guess I'm a bit of a glass-half-empty kind of person because when the girls insisted we go ice skating I imagined a lot of falling down, tears, and being cold and miserable. Boy was I wrong!
It turned out to be one of our favorite escapades at this year's winter family reunion in SLC. Dad graciously agreed to watch from the sidelines with baby and Adrie (maybe he was thinking the glass-half-empty thoughts I was.) Kate and Brynn and I laced up our skates along with their wonderful cousin Sami(BYU girl) who secretly knew how much fun we would have. After a few pointers from her older cousin Brynn was off and skating--really. We were like, "hey, wait for us Brynn." Kate also decided after awhile to ditch holding my hand and go off on her own. She did great. The girls and I had so much fun it was hard to get us off the ice! Brynn asked if she could just go around 10 more times and I jokingly said, "If you go REALLY fast." She was off as quick as could be. With each lap she would shout out , "I'm on 8....I'm on 9, etc."
MOVE OVER GYMNASTICS AND SWIMMING--Ice Skating is Brynn's new favorite sport. Kate put it right up there tied in 1st place with soccer.


Our winter reunion ended up being super fun. Here are some of the other highlights:

• Music & The Spoken Word at the Conference Center--breathtakingly beautiful.
• staying up late and playing games
• living the suite life at the hotel with a pool and breakfast. Our hotel was behind the place I am most likely to spend $--Costco. I didn't even plan that!
• shopping with the ladies
• BodyWorlds Exhibit--this is seriously AWESOME! I could go back again. Picture a real healthy lung next to a smokers lung next to a cancerous lung. Fascinating.
• going out to dinner at Spaghetti Factory, Buca di Beppo's.
• Family pot-luck/skit night/talent night/volleyball night and baby blessing of my great-nephew at the church. We did not do the splits this time for our talent--we performed one of my Grandma/Mom's songs.
• Ladies Tea Party at The Bakery
• $2 chocolate truffles by Blue Mountain Chocolates-- food for the gods.
• winter olympics in the front yard: luge (sledding) and snowball throwing contest.
• Boggle tournament. My brother Allen still holds the crown...next year I won't go so easy on him.

Other family members went skiing, tubing, First Night downtown, movies, Jazz game. I can't think of any lows really except that my Dad fell on the ice and had to get 5 staples on his head. Sorry Dad!


It was great to see family we only see once a year. We had so much fun I really wasn't ready to come home yet but we had to beat the storm...and oh yeah...we really should get back into school. Welcome 2009!

Christmas in Pictures

Our day started at 1:45 a.m. when Kate woke everyone up to open presents. NOT. She and her gang were promptly sent to bed and told to try again at 7 a.m.
Admiring the stockings started at 6:45 a.m. Present opening, at 7 a.m. Finished, 7:57 a.m.

Santa scored big with the American Dolls

Nothing like a sweet silver tie to ring in the New Year!

Christmas Eve: Brynn said she didn't like her new pajamas she LOVED them!

Currently: Brandon is working on a 300-piece puzzle of Hannah Montana (Kate gave up a long time ago)
Kate and Adrie are playing with Barbie soccer mom and pals

Brynn is brushing Julie doll's long magnificent blonde mane.

Cannon is eating wrapping paper and other choking hazards.

I am going to get out of my p.j.'s so I can get ready for Christmas dinner at the neighbor's. We'll see how we like roast duck a-l'orange.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

More Reasons to Celebrate

Today we celebrate the birthday of Joseph Smith--which is a tradition we inherited from BD's side of the family. Who wouldn't want one more reason to celebrate this time of year?! We decided to throw a party for the neighborhood kids. If you want to --there's still time to party. Just follow these instructions:

1: Send out invitations a couple of hours ahead: Come celebrate Joseph Smith's Birthday with a Cake Decorating Party. Today at: (time, location, etc.) For free clip-art photos go to mormonshare.com

2. Bake a white cake in a 9x13 pan. When cooled, Cut in half long-ways. With each rectangle cut zig-zag to make triangle shapes--makes 12. Have frosting, gum-drops, m&m's, candy, etc. handy in bowls.

3. Hang up Joseph Smith timeline from the December 2008 issue of the Friend--at your guests eye level.

4. Game: This is like pin the tail on the donkey, except it's pin Joseph on the timeline. Cut out one of the mini Joseph pictures from the clip-art on your invitation for the tail. Blindfold the first player, spin them around, then set them off. Have them read whatever tidbit they land on. Whoever is listening and can answer a question about what they just learn earns an m&m.

5. Decorate cakes. Give a triangle piece of cake on a plate to each guest. This is supposed to look like a mini-tree. Let them decorate it with the frosting, candy, etc. They can eat it or save. TIP: write each guests name on their plate.

6. What kind of games did Joseph play on his birthday? not Wii, not Barbies. Who knows? We played hide and go seek. WARNING: this is a great way to get your closets messed up and your tree knocked over.

7. Send guests outside to throw snowballs at each other. That way you can have some quiet and they can get cold enough to enjoy the hot chocolate you will serve when they come in.

8. Assign the man of the house to dress up in a trenchcoat, and introduce himself as Joseph Smith. He can tell your guests more about his life and request that everyone sing Happy Birthday to him. He can rough-house play with them for a while as a bonus.

9. If the guests still want to stick around you can read a Christmas story then have free time for mingling, playing, and eating the leftover candy decorations.

10. Send everyone home and take a nap. Happy Birthday Joseph Smith!

Dear Santa,

Mom read us a story yesterday about Laura Ingalls in the Big Woods and how she and her sisters only got peppermint sticks and mittens for Christmas and Laura got a rag doll named Charlotte too. Mom thought that sounded so simple and wonderful. Brynn scowled and wanted to know why you were meaner back then. Kate wondered when you were invented and has there only been one of you or do you get old and die and then there is a new Santa?

Sorry, Cannon didn't like you at the family party. He usually likes everyone.

Sincerely,

Adrie and sisters.

p.s. we still want American Girl Dolls