Unrelated...

These are completely unrelated pictures, but I didn't have much to say about either. The first is Derek's latest drawing of...guess...Darth Vader! The second of course is sweet little Sarah. The picture was just so cute. No I don't think she is a Darth Vader I just didn't make 2 posts.

College Girlfriends and a Bridal Shower

So after reading my very sappy post about my college girlfriends I will move on to our latest get together. A Bridal shower for Jana...Yeah Jana!!! 6 of us made it which isn't to bad. Sara...number 7 was going to make it but her flight to Arizona was delayed over 24 hours and she got stuck in Denver. So we missed her but we still had a lot of fun.

A tradition started with one of the girls shower was to make the bride a beautiful toilet paper dress. Jana is displaying the wonderful work of art. She was so blown away, on our ride home together, she confided in me that she will return her other store bought dress in favor for the beautiful home made one...it was definitely made with love:)

Festivities included food (a given), although it has shifted from sugar sugar and more sugar to salad and tortilla chips with vegetable laden salsa:) Funny! Luann and Katie arranged and organized everything for the shower. We played a memory game. Luann and Katie bought 20 things for a "Honeymoon survival kit," and placed them on the floor. We had a couple minutes to look through it and memorize all the items and then from memory write them down. Suzie won!! Suzanne was only 12 days postpartum with baby #4, so it was fun seeing a new baby. Thank goodness the shower was in her town of Tucson or I don't think she would have made it. We also made Jana a paper chain to countdown until her wedding. Considering it does not take place until June...it was a very long paper chain!

We all brought photos from college and we reminisced about those. We caught up on each others lives and just enjoyed a truly wonderful afternoon. The shower was supposed to be 2-5, but we were dragging it out some because it was fun. Jana and I drove back to the valley afterwards. I am so happy for Jana and wish her luck. It was a great afternoon and I look forward to when we meet again.

College Girlfriends and a few guys:)

In May of 1999 I graduated from high school. At the ripe old age of 18 I was confident I could venture into the world free from parental wings and everything would be perfect. (18 year olds can be very naive) I went off to college a whole 2 hours away from home. I packed excitedly so ready to be on my own. My parents drove me to school (I had no car the first year) and shortly thereafter I was alone in my dorm room. Such a lonely feeling came over me! I wouldn't be seeing my parents everyday or my brothers and sisters. I knew very few people. A few people from high school, but no one from church.

Over the next couple weeks by wonderful miracle a whole group of girls in the same dorm found each other. We began a scripture group which met every night and slowly a few more people from other dorms joined us. Over time boyfriends of some came and went and a few guy friends game to stay. Our first year in college was filled with memories...potluck dinners, institute activities, late night walks, bus rides, birthday parties, singing, missionary farewells. The bulk of girls then moved on to live in the same apartment complex...dubbed "the pink apartments." As one would get married we would re-arrange living situations and room mates. The next three years we continued nightly scripture study...although as time went on and people got busier with their later years of school the number of nights waxed and waned at times. Over these three years we had many bridal showers, some started families, guys went on missions, and we made more memories.

Although we have lost touch with some there is a group of us that still keep in touch. We have had a few get togethers and getaways, and we always enjoy our summer survey (basically all summer we email fun questions and answers back and forth to everyone...it becomes very confusing but I look forward to a full email inbox with emails from people I actually know) Some are out of state, many of us have growing families, but I still hold a very special part in my heart for those wonderful people, especially the girls that have helped me through good and bad. I love them all. I have other wonderful friends whom I met before and after college, and I know I will have more in the future, but these girls hold a special part of me, and although we are spread over and busy with separate lives now, I will always remember these girls as we went from girlhood to womanhood together.

Yes you did read right...

Yes...Darrell did sell our chickens from last year

Yes...Darrell did convert his beautiful chicken house into a playhouse

Yes...Darrell said we were finished with chickens in the city

Yes...Kendra was so relieved!!!

And Then...

DARRELL CAME HOME WITH 6 NEW BABY CHICKS!!!

Kendra: "Darrell Monroe Brimhall! (these are not angry exclamations just perplexed and mildly annoyed and kind of not not surprised - Darrell would rather be a farmer than anything else) I thought we weren't having any more chickens in the city?"

Darrell: "You said 'if you get chickens I am not taking care of them.' Thus...you did not expressly forbid them (it was implied though- adds Kendra)."

Darrell: "Aren't they so cute and the kids love them and they are so cute with them"

Kendra: "Well a horse is cute too and the kids would love it but we are not getting a horse!"

Okay...you get the gist...The conversation is not ver batem either:)

Well then it gets even better. Derek wakes up one morning and goes to the chicken cage and comes excitedly to get me. Mom mom!!! There are more! What did he say? I think to myself. So I go with him and what do I see....10 chickens...yes 10!!!

Kendra: "Darrell Monroe Brimhall!" slightly more annoyance this time...but not angry...because she kind of thinks it is cute that Darrell loves chickens so much:)

Darrell: "I promise...no more...now there are two for each of us."

Kendra: "That may be so, but I'm NOT taking care of my two!"

So, yes...Darrell is now the crazy one:)

Introducing Darrell, Derek, Emily, and Sarah's second batch of city chicks (notice who's name is missing!)

I will admit this much - I missed getting the eggs and will like having those again...but that is all I will admit!!!

My favorite place to buy kids books

One quick post. I love shopping at Savers for kids books. One tip...no kids when you go! You find the best books when you have time to finger through each one....and there are tons. I have found some really great books that are $0.69 each in great condition. So anyway there is my tip. I got a bunch at a Savers by my mom's house last week while Darrell and I were on a date, and I plan on visiting the one near us before Christmas. We are going to wrap each one individually so it looks like they have tons of presents:) I was just going to put them all in a box as one gift but Darrell suggested wrapping each of them because they would have more fun:)

Oh how life changes...

For 4+ years I have been studying and preparing and planning to homeschool my kids. I have read book after book after book. Talked to people, read blogs etc. I was set on it, no ifs ands or buts about it. Then life happens and you start to reevaluate your plans. Baby Sarah came along 6 months ago and life threw me for a loop. I've had a hard time adjusting to a third child and although things are much better than they were a couple months ago, I have contemplated a lot about what is best for me and my family. Darrell was homeschooled off and on during his growing up years. I went to public school and for the most part loved school. I have dreamed of homeschooling my kids for several years for many reasons, but mostly I just wanted my kids close to me and not gone all day. I wanted them to have more time to explore their interests instead of being in a classroom all day. Well after much internal struggle and discussion with Darrell we have decided to put Derek in Kindergarten in the fall. Yes...I plan my life way ahead...maybe why I have anxiety issues sometimes. This does not erase homeschool off our list of options for the future...maybe when we move to Snowflake, but for now I think it will be best as much as I hate to admit it. Derek being the oldest thinks he rules the roost and we hope that putting him in school with 19+ other children in a classroom will help him learn he can't always be the center of attention. By keeping him home he would still be taking a lot of my attention because he would be the only school aged child for the next 2 years. Of course now we have to convince him that it will be GREAT!!! When he has talked about school in the past we have explained that everyone does school differently and that our family would do school at home. He was always pouting and wanting a backpack and such. Now when we tell him about starting Kindergarten he says NO! I don't like school! So I have to work for the next several months on changing that view...hopefully with success. Anyway this has been a long post just to relieve my brain and emotions I suppose. Now of course knowing me I will still go back and forth up until the day before school and then I still might keep him home:) Well probably not...Darrell really thinks it's for the best too...he'll just have to remind me of that every couple of weeks until school starts. I will probably have more separation anxiety than Derek when it comes down to it. Okay I'm really done for now.

Artwork

The amount of pictures that children draw and the amount of projects and creations they do boggles the mind and clutters the house. While on the Internet one day I found a great suggestion for helping with that clutter...take pictures of the artwork and after displaying in the home for a reasonable amount of time it can be recycled:) When Derek was really little I just tossed most of it, but now he notices...we now keep his creations in a folder and when it gets full we'll have to learn about decluttering and keeping only his favorites. Well a huge pile of artwork was growing on my counter so I took a few pictures and here are a few samples.

"The Thanksgiving Turkey" by Derek Brimhall. This turkey was created using materials donated by the Bashas' clubhouse. (I love the clubhouse...free babysitting while I shop!)

"The Blurry Thanksgiving Turkey" by Emily Brimhall. I noticed it was blurry after I loaded on the computer...and oops...I have already recycled the poor bird.

"The Rainbow Copycat" by Emily Brimhall. Emily has been obsessed about rainbows as of late and asks me to draw one almost every day. So I drew one for her and then when I came back later to clean up the table I found she had tried to make a rainbow herself on top of mine...isn't that just sooooo cute!

"Planets" by Derek Brimhall. These are some planets and the sun. There are also asteroids...don't ask me to identify which is which. He told me, but I can't remember now and don't want to find him right now to clarify.

Last but not least "Rendition of the First Vision" by Derek Brimhall. Derek has gotten very good at drawing lately and comes up with all sorts of pictures. This one put a smile on my face...he does pay attention in primary and in Family Home Evening!! The two people on top of course are Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The little brown figure is Joseph Smith and the brown blob next to him is a rock.

Well I hope you enjoyed these selections from the Brimhall Art Gallery.

Fun at the Library

The library we go to each week is located in a complex with other city buildings. There are 3 waterfalls the kids like to go see on occasion after we visit the library. Derek asked me to take the camera this week so we could take pictures.

Derek loves jumping from rock to rock. Emily likes putting leaves and sticks in the water. Derek mentioned that we forgot his tail. He has me hook a belt around a back belt loop and he goes from rock to rock growling ferociously being a dragon or dinosaur or lion.

It was a beautiful day as have most of the day been recently, and I'm so glad I was able to capture some beautiful faces on camera.

My Growing Baby

I always love when my babies reach about 6 months, up until then, although they are very cute and adorable I just have a hard time connecting and it feel like more work than fun to me. I know there are some who just absolutely LOVE the newborn stage, but not I. So I thought I would just share a few pictures of my growing baby who is now 6 months old.

She has figured out how to sit...although she still has a few tumbles. She has been evicted from using the Bumbo except under strict supervision, because she can get out. If she is on the carpet the landing is fine but anywhere else and it hurts. She leans to the side pushing up with one leg and eventually tips over the side landing on her stomach...sometimes bumping her face to the floor. So to you Bumbo using parents, beware...even the littlest ones can escape:) She loves to sit and reach for toys and she has started and loves baby food and other food. Darrell gave her an orange slice to suck on the other night and she just loved it. She pummeled several more slices and then cried and cried when Darrell got up to through all the juiced pulp and peel. So he graciously opened another for her and she again sucked the life out of a few more slices. The floor and her pajamas of course also got soaked:) She is definitely a dolly and I love seeing her so excited every morning when I get her out of bed.

Another thing to note is the pictures of her with a pacifier. We finally have a child that took one, and I'm so glad. On a side note...both Emily and Derek sucked their fingers as soon as they could. Derek only sucks when he has his blanket, so if that stays in bed, then the only time he sucks is at night. We have been trying to get him to quit since he will be 5 soon, but to no avail. Emily sucks her fingers too with her blanket, the funny thing is though I realized about a week or so ago that I hadn't seen her sucking her fingers recently. She stopped on her own!!! She rubs her blanket against her lips for comfort, but no more fingers. So now I only have to get one more out of the habit. The pacifier habit I hear is easy...just throw it out...listen to the baby cry for 3 days and your done...hopefully it is that easy:)

Little updates

I had a few random pictures on my camera so decided just to make one post. This is Emily with some dinosaurs. If you look Closely she placed all the baby dinosaurs on the backs of the mommy dinosaurs. I thought it was so cute I just had to have a picture.



Well, the baby swing has gone back into the attic and the walker has come down. Of course Sarah is too young to actually use it but when Emily was little, Derek loved pushing her around and it gave him a way to play with her and she was safe:) So, Darrell got it down from the attic. Little did I know it would bring together all three kids. With Sarah in the seat, Emily stands on the back while Derek pushes it around...they all love it and they don't fight. But, after a while Sarah does tire of it and starts to cry.



Yes...if you thought "are those Mr. Potato Head glasses?" then you are exactly right. Emily loves to wear them all the time, but this time Derek put them on Sarah...she looked just too cute. And then of course a picture of her in the Bumbo...the best baby invention on the planet!

The Logic of a 4yr old Brain

Derek has been watching a show on PBS called Dinosaur Train. He has learned lots of fancy words, and one morning was clarifying their definitions. He asked Darrell what a carnivore was. Darrell proceded to tell him that meant an animal who eats meat. Derek of course then knew that an herbivore eats plants. Well then his very logical brain made a conclusion and he asked, "So are babies milkivores?"...

MILKIVORE

Darrell and I got a good kick out of that one:)

Halloween

Here are our little cuties. Thanks to Grandma Brimhall, they actually had costumes:) Sarah is wearing the $1 cat hat I bought 2 years ago for Emily. Derek is Optimus Prime from Tranformers and Emily is a "China Doll," at least that is what I decided to call her. I told her she was a China Doll and she proceeds to act like a dog. She thought I said China Dog:) We didn't go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, but went to our ward trunk-or-treat. It was fun, and I enjoyed seeing friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Snowflake Adventures

The kids and I have spent the last 4 weeks in Snowflake as part of dealing with our bumpy roads...the kids loved being with Grandma, Grandpa, and Jeanie. They also loved having plenty of space to run off energy, cartoons, cereal, soccer games, football games, park days, snakes, horny toads, swings and other fun times. The weather was beautiful up until the last couple days when it got too cold for my comfort. It snowed the day before we came home. The kids enjoyed seeing the snow. Despite the cold, I did enjoy standing in front of the wood stove to warm up.

This is Sarah enjoying the beautiful Snowflake temperatures and Emily showing off her curlers. Grandma Brimhall put curlers in almost every morning, and Emily loved it!

This is a picture of the new play set that Grandpa bought at an auction. The kids loved playing on it. It was a boat a scene from Lord of the Rings and many other things.

More snakes alive in Snowflake...I'm not sure who is more intimidating in this picture...Derek or the snake. Then of course there is big brother being sweet to little Sarah.

The kids and I enjoyed the time away from home but are also glad to be home with Darrell and with friends in our ward again.

Bumpy Roads

Well I have been neglecting my blog as of late because we have been experiencing some very bumpy roads the past 3 months. The road seems to be smoothing out for now so I have a little catch up to do...not much since along with the bumpy roads I neglected to take many pictures:)

The simple joys of boys...

Snowflake visits are always great...my kids love it! Derek went to work with Grandpa and Dad. He had fun playing and being with the boys.

Darrell was building a rock retaining wall and found a horny toad. Derek loved playing with it and it occupied his attention for a long time. He built a special house for the toad in a green bin. He had a bottled water cap filled with water and grass to eat...too bad the frog doesn't need that:) Darrell eventually let the poor creature go before it died.

Scoop on the Coop

Well, the chickens have moved out of the coop to another owner. It was getting too much for me manage so now Darrell has transformed the coop into a very darling play house. So far the kids love it! They actually go outside and play more than the did.

There is a kitchen and table installed directly. We had a blast going to Goodwill and purchasing pans, pots, spoons etc. Darrell even got a toaster oven to bolt in place. They also have a phone and clock nailed to the wall (no pic of that ). Emily will practically live out there when the weather cools off, she already loves to play out there when it is hot.

Baby Sling

I bought this sling when Emily was a baby, and Sarah loves riding in it now. I don't remember to use it very often, but when I remember to use it, she loves it. I couldn't carry it in her all day but if I'm just wandering for a bit straightening things up or doing light chores, she likes to help by strengthening my back:)

Child's Play

It amazes me the imagination that is blossoming in our little boy:) He can entertain himself for a long time. He spends hours playing army, star wars, restaurant and church. Thus illustrated here:

If you can't tell, he has created a pulpit and a sacrament table:)