Darrell & Kendra Brimhall Family

Artwork

2012-01-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is another de-cluttering post...meaning I'm trying to de-clutter my house by decreasing the amount of paper lying around:) So I had to of course at least preserve the memory and visual of the kids artwork. Emily's pictures are easily spotted because she colors every inch of page most of the time:)

Emily loves coloring the most but is starting to also draw more...these are some of her people and a rainbow.

This is a picture of Sarah's from nursery:)

Derek made this monster in art class at school.

A watercolor by Emily Brimhall

This was a picture drawn by Derek fro Emily

Another of Emily's drawings.

Picture by Derek

Picture by Derek for Sarah

Another monster:)

A self portrait by Derek Brimhall

Car Show

2012-01-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

In November for Uncle John's birthday everyone (except me and the girls) went to a car show and then we all met at a park for pizza. These pictures are from the car show. Everyone had fun at the car show. They sat in a lot of expensive, nice looking cars. Lunch was also enjoyable. It was a nice day outside, and it was great to be with family.

Where's your drivers license?

Love the RED

???

It's hard to see Darrell in this one but there he is:)

Misc

2012-01-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

These are just some random pictures that didn't really fit in any category:)

Daddy with his sweet girls.

And of course we can't forget brown bear in the picture:)

I was so proud of how good looking these 2 loaves of bread turned out that I had to share pics.

Halloween 2011

2012-01-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a busy day. Derek's field trip to the zoo was in the morning followed by a party at our friends Sylvia and Gerad Cook. Then we went trick-or-treating. Lastly, Grandma and Grandpa Brimhall stopped by for a quick visit before heading home.

The party was nice. We had a potluck snack table and the Cooks set up a bounce house, which of course was the hit of the party for the kids:) I enjoyed time talking with friends and watching the kids play.

Emily as Aurora

Sarah as Cinderella

Emily and Sarah in the bounce house...I just love the look on Sarah's face!

The spoils of trick-or-treating....SUGAR GALORE!!

The Sunday before Halloween the kids carved pumpkins at Grandma and Grandpa Lamb's house. They had fun picking out the patterns.

Derek's Class Zoo Trip

2011-12-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

In October Derek had a school field trip to the zoo. I was assigned 2 kids and three of us adults joined together to form a larger group. It was a hot day and after an hour the kids and the adults were sick of walking around (probably the adults more). So we spent the rest of the trip sitting in the shade while the kids played on the playground. So I can now say I have done a school field trip...what an adventure:)

Hiking Trip October 2011

2011-12-22T09:54:00.001-07:00

Another Trip to our lovely desert. It was a nice October day and the kids brought home tons more special rocks. No pictures of me, but I was there:) I had the camera:)

I absolutely love this picture of Sarah and her Daddy:)

Rock hound Darrell

Derek is obviously thrilled about something...I can't remember what...I think it had something to do with a rock.

One of Emily's many many many "special" rocks.

And of course Sarah's special rock.

Shapes

2011-12-19T18:09:00.001-07:00

A conversation from today.
Sarah: mom I drawing a circle
Mom: a circle?
S: no, a triangle
M: oh, a triangle
S: no, a hexagon
... It was so funny to me because I didn't even know she knew the word hexagon.

The Zoo October 2011

2011-12-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

In October the kids and I took a trip to the Phoenix Zoo. We have been waiting for the whether to cool enough to enjoy it and there was a day in October that finally did cool down. We bought a membership back in March and haven't gone much because of the heat. This first set of pictures is taken at one of the playgrounds. The kids love climbing all over the "spider's web."

Here are my two little joeys. I would have three but the third one didn't want to cooperate.

I don't remember seeing this part of the zoo last time we visited, but there were tons of stone animals, and the kids loved posing on them.

I love this one of Derek chillin' in the clam.

The zoo of course is an educational place as well as fun...but this was a little too much education for one day. They thought it was funny the turtles were giving piggy back rides:)

We took a train ride also. When I bought our membership in march it came with a few free tickets for the train. So we used them to see parts of the park we were to tired to visit. Derek wouldn't look at the camera because he was mad at me for some reason. I believe it was because I wouldn't let him buy anything from the over priced snack bar and I hadn't brought any snacks with me.

I LOVE this picture. Near the end of our trip Sarah decided she needed to walk with her hands in her pockets. It was so cute because she also hung her head with it. Oh my little baby.

Camping September 2011

2011-11-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

Darrell had a week of in September so we enjoyed some family time. Darrell went up to Snowflake early in the week with Emily, and then the rest of us joined them on a Thursday. We went camping Friday. The temperature was a little cool but not too cold. The first thing Derek started working on was a fort. Darrell helped him and it turned out to be a pretty amazing fort. The kids loved playing in it. I remember loving things like that as a kid.

Sarah and Emily loved posing for the camera with their raggedy hair and dirty faces. They loved playing "house" with all the camping equipment.

At one point Sarah and I went for a little walk...I think she was bugging Emily or something, and I needed to get out of the shade into the sun as it was getting too chilly for me. The grass was tall and there were lots of wild flowers to look at. Sarah loves blowing the dandelions.

Of course you can not be out in the middle of nowhere without shooting guns. The kids shot the little 22 a couple times. They thought that was fascinating. Of course we repeat over and over and over the rules and that they are not to touch a gun without a parent around. They are very good at following those rules.

This is some more pictures of playing in the fort. they moved some stumps inside for chairs. Emily and her crazy poses:)

Emily primly eating her hot dogs and ketchup...yummy!

Sarah REALLY enjoyed her hot chocolate...I think some of it went down her throat into her stomach, but it was hard to tell looking at her face and jacket and the table.

Hot chocolate is always the highlight of camping trips. Emily insisted I take a picture of her pretending to "drink" out of the spoon like a straw...she thought it was sooooo funny.

Derek spent a lot of time hiding and playing army guy...he loves being outdoors and had a great time.

Here is one parting picture of my little angel with a purple wild flower.

I Love Books

2011-11-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

Right now Sarah has an obsession with books. She loves being read to, which is great, but sometimes inconvenient. In the evenings we let the kids "read" books in their rooms before bed. One night after reading we of course put all the books, but when I went to peek at the kids before I went to bed, this is what I found. Sarah sleeping with a library! She has a habit some nights staying up and playing in the dark...this usually happens on the night I let her take too long of a nap and she isn't tired at bedtime. I guess books are comforting for her:)

Princesses

2011-10-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

These pictures are kind of random but cute. This first picture neither of them are even looking at the camera. The thing to point out in this picture is Emily's skirt. She LOVES this skirt and wears it very frequently. Darrell HATES this skirt and won't let her wear it out in public...me on the other hand I think it's just a fun skirt and I remember how much I loved skirts at certain ages so I let her:)

Weekend in Snowflake

2011-10-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

We spent another glorious weekend in Snowflake at the beginning of August. Darrell couldn't come because he was working, but the kids and I went and it was beautiful. The temperature of course in our neck of the woods were over 100 and miserable, but in Snowflake it was gorgeous. There was actual rain and coolness in the air come morning and evening. I can't wait for the wonderful Snowflake summers when we finally relocate in a few years.

On Grandpa and Grandma Brimhall's property there is a "pond" that fills up when there is rain. It's definitely more a mud hole at this point but the kids love it. Derek's favorite thing is to find tadpoles. This one he found was huge and it looks like it is smiling for the camera...weird!!

Say Cheese!

I absolutely LOVE this picture with the blue sky and clouds and Emily just enjoying life in the mud. She slopped around in that mud for quite awhile before I took this picture and she was filthy.

Oh the life...

You can see in this picture that Derek is wet up to his waist. He would wade out to the middle of the water looking for tad

Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

One of my other favorite things about Snowflake is the green green grass in the parks during the summer. We spend a few hours at a park one afternoon. I relaxed in the shade while the kids played. Derek found a huge grasshopper, and he along with some of the other kids ran around to catch it then would hold it for awhile before letting it go again to chase it.

I'm pooped!

It's time for a nap.

There were two other activities I enjoyed during this particular trip. The kids and I went and got ice cream on a rainy afternoon and we enjoyed a wonderful cool afternoon walking on an overcast day and spending time next to the waterfall that is at the entrance to the road leading to the temple. The kids saw three different rainbows in the sky and it was just fun.

I'm a princess

Phoenix Children's Museum

2011-10-15T15:51:00.001-07:00

A couple months back, my sister Stephanie and I went to the Phoenix Children's Museum for a fun filled morning. I wish this museum had been around when I was a kid, because it is so fun and the kids really enjoy it. The picture on the left is Sarah standing in the huge exhibit when you first get in the museum. It is a huge climbing tower made out of all recycled materials. It is hard for an adult to get around but it is possible. Sarah is still too scared to go up by herself, but she sure likes me to come with her.

Peek-a-Boo!

The above right picture is of Sarah riding on a push bike. There is a "car wash" the kids can ride all sorts of push bikes and tricycles through. The pictures with the girls playing peek-a-boo are from a room with lots of items to make forts.

Payton is so cute in this picture:)

The picture below with all the kids is in the craft room. They have different crafts to do and they also have a castle the kids can paint. You can kind of see it in the upper right corner of the picture. The craft for this day was rattle snakes. They all made unique ones, and of course there were stickers involved which made it even more fun.

In the picture below Emily is in the room meant to be like a store. There is also a room next to it with a pretend restaurant/kitchen with pizza making things. This is the kids favorite 2 rooms. There is tons of plastic food and cardboard boxes to fill up little carts with and then a few check out conveyor belts with cash registers. There is even a stock room.

Then of course they have a room just for 2 year old kids and younger. I like this room because it is quiet. The only problem is I had to split my time between this room and the store/kitchen room to keep an eye on the older kids. I really need to get GPS put on the kids when I am at this museum, this way I can go where I want and know when they leave the area I told them to stay. Sarah loved this little room and had a relaxing time in this big green plush chair.

It was a fun day but by the end Stephanie and I were tired. The kids of course could have stayed forever but tough cookies:)

Glamour Shots

2011-09-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures Katie took on our camera after doing Emily's hair...she is beautiful. I love her eyes.

Photo Shoot 2011

2011-09-01T13:53:00.001-07:00

Every year I try and update the kids pictures on our wall and on the blog. So we did a photo shoot while in Snowflake over 4th of July. I also just took a few of the kids playing. These are a selection of my favorites that didn't make the wall but are still cute.

Bird Egg

2011-08-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

Derek found this pretty blue egg with speckles outside on the ground. It had a hole in it all ready. So I removed the yolk very carefully and then he was left with a hollow shell. Of course he wanted me to try and find out what kind of bird, but do you know what happens when you type blue speckled bird egg into google images...too many hits:)

So, we are still not sure what kind of bird layed the egg but oh well.

Emily's 4th Birthday

2011-08-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

In case you can't tell, Emily wanted a princess cake, and since I'm too cheap to buy a pre-made one, I came up with my own decorations which I thought turned out cute. I just printed up princess pictures, covered with contact paper and taped toothpicks on the back. Emily absolutely loved it!! Of course the cake did not turn out good. I've made plenty of cakes from scratch in the past that turned out good, but I don't know what went wrong with this one, but it was terrible. Oh well...at least the decorations were cute, and that is all that Emily noticed.

The cake was too crumbly and you can tell by Sarah's face. I wish I had a picture of her plate...what a mess!!

The princess theme carried through to the presents. She received a Rapunzel barbie doll, princess bubble bath, and some Disney princess barbie doll dresses. She loved them all. I love her please smile, it makes me happy:)

The Rapunzel doll has "magic" hair that changes color when ice water is applied...that was a hit.

Sarah the Banker

2011-08-22T16:52:00.002-07:00

A little over two weeks ago on Saturday night our sweet baby girl Sarah was holding 2 pennies and a dime. (yes we know...coins are not for 2 year olds, but she is around tiny objects all the time considering she has two older siblings, and she has held money before with no problem.) So, back to the story. Saturday night she was holding 2 pennies and a dime for over 2 hours. Darrell and I were getting ready for a date and she came to Darrell with a sad face and said "money," in a very pouty voice. Darrell asked "where's your money." Continuing with the pouty voice, she points to her lips and says "mouth." Darrell says "did you put your money in your mouth." Sarah pathetically nods her head yes.

So of course now we wonder what to do. She is not having a difficult time breathing and for goodness sakes we are going on a date!! So we decide she will probably pass the coins in a day or two. All goes well. No incident while we are away from home and she wakes up Sunday morning her normal perky self at 6AM. So I made breakfast...cocoa and toast (a Brimhall tradition that my kids want every morning). Sarah takes one bite and coughs it up. So we attempt another morsel of food and that comes back up too. Well, that must mean something is in the way!!!

So Sunday morning Sarah and I head to the emergency room at Phoenix Children's to get her x-rayed to see if the coins are logged...which of course they are. Six and 1/2 hours later after anesthesia with subsequent coin removal in the operating room she has her coins back. These picture were taken at home after the adventure. She was still very tired and took a nap on our bed. Her throat was swollen and scratchy and so she was snoring...it was cute.

This is now Sarah's favorite thing to say "no money in mouth, just food..." of course it comes out in 2 year old mumble talk, but we understand completely:)

Dr. Darrell Brimhall

2011-08-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

In May we had two family members graduate. One graduation was slightly more important though. Darrell graduated from the University of Arizona Phoenix Campus Medical School, and is now a Doctor. The graduation ceremony was very nice. It was hard to get pictures because there were so many people, so some of these pics are from the school. The ceremony was held at an Art museum in Phoenix. It was very nice.

After the ceremony there was tons of chaos in the lobby as the graduates met family members and had pictures. Pretty much everyone was able to attend the graduation including Darrell's Aunt Nan and Uncle Mike.

This picture is Sarah being shy about me wanting to take a picture with Darrell's graduation hat on. The second picture is prior to the ceremony. We had to be there an hour early and that is a long time plus the actual ceremony for kids. Our kids were pretty good considering. But thank goodness for my parents who took them out when they got to disruptive, I was so appreciative of that.

It's been a long road to get here and it was a relief for Darrell to be done with another step of the journey. Next is residency which will be at Phoenix Baptist here in the Valley. He applied to every residency in the valley and when he interviewed at Baptist he felt if fit just right for him. He actually never thought that would be in his top 5 choices. He loves the small feel of the hospital and he loves that the family medicine program is the only residency at the hospital which means there are not tons of residents competing to get enough patients and experiences. He matched at several of the other hospitals we know simply because they sent a survey wanting to know why he didn't choose them. So now begins another adventure. Only 4 more years in the valley. A 3 year residency followed by a 1 year fellowship in geriatrics at Boswell hospital and they we are off to cooler higher country.

And then of course the second graduate: Derek Brimhall. He graduated from kindergarten:) A much smaller affair...well at least I thought so, although when I showed up at the graduation you would have thought by how some people were dressed and the amount of flowers and balloons they brought that this was at least a high school graduation. Boy was I amazed...or maybe I'm just a bad mom:) Although he is cute in his cute little Velcro button gown and paper hat. My favorite part was watching the kindergartners all sing and do hand motions to a song together.

July 4th Weekend in Snowflake

2011-08-16T15:33:00.001-07:00

July 4th weekend we spent relaxing in Snowflake. There were no fireworks in Heber due to the heavy fire restricitons in place because of massive fire in the white mountains. But it was still fun and nice to get out of the valley heat. Gary filled in a huge hole that was on their property and Derek loved riding along. He even got to ride in the dump truck.

On Sunday we went to church. Darrell's Aunt Nan had given Sarah a few little girls dresses to use when grand kids visited, so Emily and Sarah wore them. They were cute and the girls loved them. Little Sarah's socks are a little big and so it looks like they cover her legs.

On the morning of July 4th, Derek went to the flag raising ceremony. I stayed in bed and slept:)

See the lovely clouds in the back ground...LOVE IT!!! Darrell's grandpa owns a wagon that hooks onto a truck. Gary borrowed it for a young mens activity and we also got to ride in the wagon a couple times. The kids loved it. They especially love riding into McDonald's in the wagon.

Lake Powell 2011

2011-08-11T15:21:00.001-07:00

Yes....another late post. We went to our annual Lake Powell trip in June. We were only able to go a couple days this year because Darrell had to start residency, but it was a blast and one of the best Lake Powell trips I have been on. We met Darrell's family in Page to do some extra shopping on Thursday. This is Sarah finally falling asleep 5 minutes before getting to the Lake...of course she was whinny and cranky for a long time before this, but she wouldn't fall asleep until we almost got to the Lake.

We stayed the night on the house boat Thursday night while it was still docked at the marina. We then launched on Friday morning. This is Emily and Derek driving the house boat...scary! Derek took the job pretty seriously.

Here is Emily and Sarah enjoying the breeze in their hair as we look for a place to anchor. Friday was overcast all day and is was beautiful. It was still warm, but with the sun hidden it was actually not bad. Even better was that the water was still warm enough to swim in. Emily loved the water and spent as much time in it as she could. She also loved burying herself in the wet sand.

An early morning picture after arising too early. Gotta love the girls' hair. The kids were always up at the crack of dawn ready to go again. It was hard to keep them contained in the down stairs bedroom until a decent hour.

And of course you can't have Lake Powell without lizards and fish bones. Derek would spend all day trying to catch lizards if he could. There were times his face was so red because it was so hot and he was chasing lizards.

Snapshots of the sweet girls in their life jackets.

Prescott Trip with Kids

2011-08-09T14:36:00.001-07:00

Before going to the annual Brimhall gathering at Lake Powell in June, we took the kids to our favorite hotel in Prescott. We did alot of swimming and having fun. We went to Red Robin for dinner the first night and were very unsatisfied. Derek then got sick all over the Wal-mart parking lot...fun:)

The kids love this pool because of the animals. Derek was a little fish. Emily was good if she had floaties. Sarah was so cute. She would wear floaties and just relax on her back.

Salt Spring Island Trip

2011-07-11T14:22:00.017-07:00

Finally time to blog...We went on this trip back in May/June and have now just had time to write about it. Unfortunately now the details are a bit hazy so we'll see how this goes. We flew into Seattle the first morning and then drove a rental van about 3 hours to Vancouver. We then had to take 2 ferries to get to Salt Spring Island. There were clouds covering the sky almost all the time. There was rain and temperatures that were absolutely wonderful!! The picture below is of me on the first ferry, up on the top deck. I had never taken a ferry before and it was so awesome. You literally drive your car onto the lower decks of the ferry and then hang out on the upper decks while traveling to your destination. The first very was large and included TVs, restaurants, Indoor seating, and outdoor seating. If you were out on the top deck you had to stay alert for the captain announcing that he would be blowing the horn because it was Soooooo loud! The first time I missed the warning as I couldn't understand what he was saying and didn't know what to expect. It sure did wake me up:) It was a little chilly up on the top deck so we didn't stay there long. Instead we went inside and sat, I took a brief nap as I was soooo tired at this point after waking up early, flying, driving etc. The second ferry was smaller. It only had 2 decks. The parking lot which was not covered and then on the side you could sit on benches or stand. You can also just sit in your car which is what I did because it was too cold when the ferry was moving. One interesting thing on this ferry was there was a sea lion lounging on a buoy as we sailed by.

When we arrived at salt spring island we drove to our loading. We stayed at Orchard Cabin. It is basically a little cabin on someone's property, behind their house, which they rent out to travelers. The picture above on the right is from their website. It was small and cozy and very convenient. It was close to town, close enough that we could walk. We did walk to town a couple times for breakfast or just to walk. The cabin had a kitchenette, living room, loft bed and bathroom. Your knees practically touched the wall when you had to use the toilet, but other than that it was nice.

After getting settled we went into town to find something to eat. The main town is called Ganges. There were several restaurants to choose from and we wandered around before selecting Tree House Cafe. We chose it because it looked so cool. The above picture I got off line, it does not really give a great view but an idea. The restaurant was literally built around this tree and is growing out the top of the restaurant. During the summer they have live music every night. We really liked the food. Darrell got a hamburger that was to die for...the best hamburger I had a house greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing served with warm naan bread and a teriayaki chicken skewer. Mine was yummy too, especially the dressing. Darrell drove around the island for a while after that before we went back to the cabin and crashed.

The picture on the left is a sack of newly born caterpillars. These sacks were everywhere. Darrell and his friends here would pick them off and step on them...otherwise they destroy all the vegetation on the trees. I couldn't believe how many there were.

The picture on the right is of me in Ganges. And below was a picture of swans from standing on that dock. It is hard to see but there are baby swans following the mother swan.

I can't remember the order of all the activities we did so I'll just write about some of them. One day we went to Ruckle park and did some hiking and exploring. The pictures below are from that adventure. There were tons of star fish tucked into the rocks . The picture on the left is of a slug. Yuck!! These are pests on the island and so Darrell also enjoyed destroying these little creature. Although he learned later from his friend not to destroy these greenish ones, only the black ones.

Darrell found a crab on our adventure also. I was to chicken to hold it:)

I was also to chicken to hold the star fish at first because I thought they would be slimy. Darrell assured me they wouldn't be and so I tried it. They were hard and not slimy. I was glad I didn't miss that opportunity:)

The large crab below Darrell found on a beach we visited one morning. We have video of one of the arms falling off while Darrell was holding it. The crab was very strong and in his efforts to keep from being bit the arm fell off. We have mostly video from this adventure and not pictures, but while visiting this Darrell collected many shells for the kids, found hermit crabs, found a half eaten octopus that washed up on shore, found snails, dug for oysters, and opened clams. Darrell had the time of his life on this beach. I enjoyed the outdoors and watching him, although touching all those slimy things was not appealing to me.

One afternoon we went to Mt. Maxwell. The picture on the right is taken from the highest lookout you can get to on Salt Spring Island. It was gorgeous. There was a fence so you wouldn't fall over the cliff and the view was wonderful. You can't really capture it in just a photo but it was awesome!

We also went hiking in the forest. I am still amazed at all the green. You actually get kind of sick of the color because it is everywhere! We also saw lots of deer on this trip. The deer are everywhere because there are no longer any predators on the island...wild cats, bears, wolves, etc. So they multiply and are pests. Almost everyone has deer fences to keep deer away from their gardens and plants.

When Darrell was on Salt Spring for his mission the gentleman below was the branch president. His name is Ted Baker. Also pictured is his wife Sonja. We stayed with them one night. We ate with them a couple times. The most interesting thing about eating with them was the desert spoon that was placed on the table above your plate. I'd never seen that before. President Baker is an Iris farmer/gardener. His yard is beautiful and he grows Irises to sell.

We went on a nice walk with the Baker's on Sunday after dinner and then also had tea time with them...that was a new experience. Of course it was herbal tea...but it was so different. We had tea and cookies. Such different customs, but I loved it.

We stayed one night on the larger island of Vancouver. We went to the Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, which was basically a mansion house with 5 different floors. It was totally awesome and I loved it. I love seeing old clothes, furniture, rooms, etc. The mansion was a home then became a school at some point and then a hospital during WWI, and then was restored and is now a museum.

Also while in Vicotoria we visited the Butchart Gardens. Below are a very few of the 200+ pictures we took. It was so beautiful. so many flowers and plants of all different colors. WOW!!

On one of the Saturdays we went to the Salt Spring Island outdoor market. It was the best farmer's market I have ever been to. There were so many vendors. We bought some soap, a wooden baby doll cradle, a wool hat, pot stickers, and this huge piece of fry bread topped with strawberries and whipped cream...delicious. Speaking of food we ate breakfast many mornings at this little bakery that had delicious things. I got these small quiches several times during the week and loved them every time:)

Our trip was very relaxing, but I was definitely excited to see the kids on our return and give them the surprises we had got for them. It was such a wonderful time and I hope we can visit again sometime.

Fresh Fish!!!

2011-06-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

When it comes to food my kids can be a little weird. They have some foods they don't like that I think are fairly kid friendly. Rice & gravy, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes. Emily doesn't like pizza. They both don't care for baked mac & cheese. Derek doesn't like spaghetti. Anyway, the point I'm getting to is there is one food they all like and I think is disgusting...KIPPERED SNACKS. Yes!!! Canned fish...Yuck!!! They all tried it because after seeing dad eat it several times they wanted to try it. So the following are pictures of the kids practically begging to have the next bite.

Easter

2011-06-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

My Easter post is very late, but better late than never...right?? Our Easter celebrations are very simple. We colored a dozen eggs on Saturday, and then Sunday morning had an egg hunt. I also did plastic eggs with candy and coins.

Emily had a frown on her face for awhile because Derek was getting the eggs she wanted. Eventually she caught on to search a separate part of the yard.

These are the post hunt pictures.

Sarah had a good time looking for eggs. She was the first to stop hunting. She was happy with her small pile of eggs. She wanted the candy!

This first picture is my sweet boy opening an egg for Sarah.

The second picture, although you can not see her face, was a whiny moment for Emily.

Art and More

2011-05-05T07:45:00.007-07:00

I know I post a lot of Derek's art work, I just can't bare to lose documentation of his talent. This post actually has one picture from Emily also. These first 4 are actually a book that Derek made. I will translate below.

Star Wars By Derek
General Grevious has four lightsabers

R2 D2 is a robot it has fire ???
Luke has a lightsaber that is green

This first one is a lion. The second is a picture that Derek took at Chuck E Cheese's. He went with Grandpa and Grandma Lamb to eat dinner for his birthday in March.

The first picture is one done by Emily. She is becoming an artist herself. The second is from Derek.

Reading and Magnets

2011-04-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Emily called me in to see the picture she made of herself, and this was the result. She used the shape magnets we have to make an image of herself:) She especially wanted to point out the long hair. Lately she has been very obsessed with her hair and that it is long. She loves to brush and comb her hair as well as her barbie doll's hair.

Darrell and the kids enjoying some afternoon reading.

Phoenix Zoo Trip

2011-04-11T20:29:00.001-07:00

A month or so ago we enjoyed a day at the Phoenix Zoo. It was a lot of fun. The kids enjoyed playing on the playground and seeing the animals. We hit all the major attractions - the Sting Ray Bay, the Merry Go Round, the Playground, and the Giraffee encounter. The Giraffee encounter was my favorite. The kids all got to feed the giraffess and it was so fun. Sarah loved it, she giggled every time the giraffee's tongue took food from her fingers.

One of the playgrounds includes a "spider web" to climb on - the kids really enjoyed that.

Sarah mostly just liked to watch the other kids play - too many kids in an unfamiliar place:)

Derek's 6th Birthday:)

2011-04-04T20:39:00.007-07:00

My little boy is 6! I can hardly believe it! It's amazing how fast the time flies. Derek is such a wonderful boy. He is a quick learner and asks a million questions. I am astonished at the concepts he can grasp with very little explanation. He is a good helper around the house, not always immediately cheerful, but he does a good job. He often wants Darrell to let him do "big people" chores when outside working in the yard.

As you can tell from cake, presents, and shirt...Derek LOVES star wars and legos. The book is all Star Wars lego sets and then of course an actual lego set. He has sooo many legos I don't know what to do with them all. Darrell says they are the only toy a kid needs:) I love my little boy!

Desert Fun

2011-04-04T20:23:00.007-07:00

Going to the desert...a favorite pass time for Darrell and the kids. I go too, but it's not my favorite. It is nice to get out of the house and I like watching the kids explore the world around them. Derek and Emily bring home so many rocks...I find rocks everywhere. In the car, in beds, on the floor, in the couch...everywhere! Darrell has shared his love of rocks with them and they have embraced it!!

Of course you can't have an outing without snacks. I brought some blackberries and Sarah LOVED them. She was eating those berries like crazy.

Sometimes it is nice just to get out of the house and enjoy being outside. It gets a little claustrophobic in our house.

Bogus Email

2011-02-21T21:04:00.004-07:00

If anyone received an email from us saying we were mugged in London, it was completly bogus! Someone has hacked my email account and changed my password. Like we have the luxury to just skip town to London without planning...you need time and $$$ for that:) Anyway, please don't reply to the email or use it again. I will be trying to send out my new address as soon as I can. I won't post it here for obvious reasons:)

James and Becky Brimhall

2011-02-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

James and Becky were married at the end of December. It was a freezing cold occasion, but very fun.

Emily danced with anyone that would dance with her. This is her dancing with daddy. The next picture is near the end of the reception...she is tired and emotions are raging!

Emily and Jayden danced for quite a while and it was so adorable!

Family Pictures

2011-02-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

We have desperately needed updated family pictures, so during one of our stays in Snowflake, Darrell's mom took pictures for us at the temple.

The lollipop shown in many pictures was a decoy to keep Sarah from crying and jumping off our laps:)

It was a little stressful getting the pictures done, but I'm happy with the results...got to love digital cameras. You can take a zillion pictures and delete all that are awful.

I had Sarah's hair nicely done in 2 pigtails, and of course she pulled one out in the car on the way to do pictures...she couldn't wait until after of course. Luckily Grandma had not yet gotten to the temple and brought extra hair things so it could be re-done.

Relaxing with a Book

2011-02-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

I've tried with all my kids to introduce them early to books. It has been easy with Sarah because she sees the older two looking at book alot. I walked on her relaxing with a book in the office and had to take pictures.

Snowy Day in Snowflake

2011-02-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

We spent a few very chilly weekends in Snowflake this winter. When visiting for James and Becky's wedding it got to 18 below 0!!!!! The coldest I have ever been!

More of Derek's work

2011-01-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

A dinosaur and a boat: supposed to read "I went on a boat." H spelled the words himself:)

Animals and sea animals

chickens and garden (cantaloupe and tomatoes)

Fun at home

2011-01-24T11:33:00.007-07:00

Some more activities while mom is at work. Who can pass up marshmallow fun!

This time of year in Arizona is so beautiful. The kids love being outside and I love that they can be outside:)

Just a random picture of sweet Sarah:) Just FYI...she no longer is seen with those plugs in her mouth...YIPEE!! She is my first child who will not be sucking on her fingers!

Derek the Artist

2011-01-24T08:28:00.008-07:00

Drawings galore! I can not keep up with them! I hate to toss them, but I would have no where to put them all! Pictures of the pictures are the next best thing.

This first one is a park scene and the second a battle scene - he has become increasingly detailed in his pictures lately.

For any Harry Potter fans out there, this is Derek's rendition:)

Star wars and battles

I couldn't get these to turn the right way so use your imaginations:) One is a fire scene and the other a helicopter doing something...I'm not sure what.

Mountains and trees

"Under the Sea"

"Picasso"??

Pinkalicious

2010-11-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Pinkalicious is a book about a girl who turns pink after eating too many pink cupcakes. Emily really liked the book and one day Katie made pink cupcakes for the kids. They thought it was great.

Emily really thought it was a bummer that she didn't turn pink, although she insisted Sarah did. Of course knowing the way Sarah can demolish a cupcake, it wouldn't surprise me if she did appear a little pink:)

A Drawing

2010-11-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Emily's drawings are starting to evolve from scribbles to purposeful attempts at pictures. This is a sheep with four legs, 2 eyes, a mouth, a belly, a belt, a tail, and a back pack. Belt? Back Pack? I don't know...all I can say is that is so Emily. I thought it was so cute I just had to post it.

Beautiful Girl

2010-11-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

Sarah is growing up so fast. I can hardly believe it. Here are a few random pictures of my little girl.

This is Sarah playing hide and seek with Darrell. She thought it was so funny to hide behind the chair from him. She was being so cute he got out the camera and took a few shots.

Katie is sweet and takes pictures of the kids when I'm at work so we have surprises on the camera. I loved these two. Sarah loves sticking her head out the playhouse window and either yelling "HI" "BYE" or "MAMA" at the top of her lungs. I love the look on her face in the second picture:)

A new blog from our kiddies, about our kiddies

2010-11-19T11:14:00.004-07:00

UsKiddies.blogspot.com : this is a blog from our kids perspective and what they have been doing like their adventures, projects, realizations, etc.
I must make mention that Darrell is in control of this one so I am just warning the faint-of-heart or easily-offended types...it probably won't be for you...although he still would enjoy getting a rise out of you.
Enjoy.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

I loved Goodwill this year for costumes. Derek wanted to be a pirate and Emily wanted to be little mermaid. Well after seeing the little mermaid costume at Walmart for $20, I thought I would check out Goodwill before spending $20 bucks on a costume, and boy did I luck out.

Derek's costume was $4.99 plus the sword and accessories for $3 at Walmart. Not bad, and he looked so cute...I mean ferocious:)

There was no Little Mermaid costumes, but this cute Barbie princess dress was only $4.99 at Goodwill and Emily was more than happy to give up her little mermaid dreams for this one (thank goodness). She has been wearing this a lot. I finally had to tell her a few days after I bought it that she couldn't wear it until Halloween...I wanted it to still be in good shape.

We recycled Emily's costume from last year for Sarah...isn't she a cute little spider:)

Katie took all the kids to a Halloween party (yes brave) and they posed for a picture that morning.

Shooting Adventures

2010-11-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

Matt and Darrell took Derek, Emily, and Jayden out to the desert for some target practice. They had a blast. Mostly the kids just like walking around finding "treasures," as Emily calls rocks and things, but they also posed a few times with the guns.

This is Emily and Jayden posing nicely for the camera.

Derek loves to try and shoot the 22 and his bee bee gun. I know it's hard for me to aim right, so I'm sure it's hard for him, but he does a good job trying.

The PINK SKIRT

2010-11-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

For Emily's birthday this past June, we bought her a pink skirt for $6. I have to say that was the best $6 gift I have ever purchased. She wears this skirt almost every day. She loves to dance in it and wear her high heels...as seen in this picture.

She even wears her skirt over pajamas if there is music on in the morning. I hope this skirt lasts until she is tired of it:)

It is hard to catch a nice action picture, but this is Emily dancing:)

Fun in Snowflake

2010-11-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

The bad thing about getting behind on the blog is I can't always remember the events surrounding the picture. This was a visit to Snowflake, but I can't remember exactly when. I know it was still hot in the valley, so I think it was in September sometime.

The kids love playing outside in Snowflake. I look forward to living up here where the kids will have more room to run around and be free.

Here's Emily with her wind blown hair playing in the sand.

Derek can very often be found working with the Tonka's. He loves them!

Oh my!

2010-11-10T20:22:00.001-07:00

Well I have certainly been a slacker keeping up this blog. I have had technical difficulties a few times when trying to sit down and work on the blog, but most of the time I just am too busy. So I'm cheating. I have about 8 posts done that will pop up one at a time every couple days, that way it will look like the blog is very active for awhile:)

Random pics with New Camera

2010-11-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

Our old point and shoot camera gave out - all our pictures were turning out blurry and we were tired of it, so we bought a new camera. These pictures were just random pictures taken with the camera to test it out. They were cute, so I thought I'd post them.

This is all the kids watching TV...how sweet:)

Cute baby girl!

I told Emily to smile and she didn't want to...this is her "not smiling."

Derek is always willing to smile for the camera!

Young Love

2010-09-04T08:32:00.002-07:00

I just had to share this little tidbit. This is what occurred when I dropped Derek off at school yesterday.

Derek: There she is!! (I was thinking he saw his teacher) I want her!!
Mom: Who?
Derek: (pointing to a girl) That girl! I love her!
Mom: You do huh? Is she in your class?
Derek: Yes
Mom: What's her name?
Derek: I don't know, I can't always remember. Let me out of this thing! (meaning the van)

Then, as I'm driving away I see him running as fast as he can to catch up to her. This whole scene just made me smile...especially "I want her." What a funny way to verbalize that you like someone:) I'll have to keep an eye on that boy:)

Kisses

2010-08-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

I love sweet baby kisses. Wide mouthed and slobbery with the sweet little "ahhh" sound that comes with it. This little girl loves to give kisses.

Although lately she has developed a stubborn streak and when asked for a kiss she gives a very mischievious little grin and runs the other way. But they still happen sometimes.

Payton is here!

2010-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

My sister Stephanie had her first baby almost 2 months ago. She is a very darling little girl with the blackest and thickest hair I have ever seen on a baby. She is almost 2 months old now and still has her hair.

Stephanie says she is a good baby. Good luck Mathew & Steph

Kindergarten, Here we come!

2010-08-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Derek started Kindergarten on August 9th. He was looking forward greatly to Kindergarten and was so excited the first day and has enjoyed Kindergarten this past 2 weeks. The beginning was a bit rocky for me, issues with the school, and just letting go of my sweet boy, but I think I'm getting used to the idea

He went to school in the afternoon the first week, but after the first week the school eliminated the afternoon Kindergarten and now he goes in the morning. That has actually worked out better, so I'm glad. I get to walk him to school every morning regardless if I have to work that day or not. It also forces me to get up and get going in the mornings.

Derek says his favorite thing about school is playing on the playground. He also likes his friends at school. I almost didn't put up the last picture because I don't particularly like what I look like from the back, but Derek and Emily were too cute that I had to. Darrell bought Derek a camouflage backpack and added 3 patches - an American flag, a top gun patch, and a tank. Derek of course loves it.

I will be grateful when the weather cools down. It isn't the hottest part of the day at 8am when I take him to school, but it is definitely warm and not too comfortable. I also look forward to taking the girls to the park in our neighborhood on the way home. I do like having the school in walking distance from home. Well that's it for now.

Goofy boy

2010-08-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

These pictures truly represent a side of Derek that can both make me laugh and drive me to the brink of insanity:) He gets in these goofy moods and makes the silliest poses and faces. It is cute and funny for awhile but then it gets out of hand and sometimes it is difficult to get him to calm down and act "normal". The first picture is actually one taken when he was not supposed to be touching the camera. It is interesting what pictures you find on your camera when this happens.

Oh, my little boy:)

Birthday at "Sea"

2010-08-20T11:00:00.002-07:00

Of course we can't forget Emily's birthday while at Lake Powell . She got lots of "princess" things. Braclets, a pretty pink skirt, a purse, barretts, books, coloring items. She loved being the center of attention for awhile.

Lake Powell

2010-08-20T10:17:00.006-07:00

This post is a tad late considering our Lake Powell adventure were at the end of June, but better late than never:) We spent 4 days out on the lake swimming in the water and enjoying the wonderful company of family. The kids practically lived in the water and loved it.

One of the days we had a talent show. After watching the first act, Jayden and Emily wanted to participate. Of course once they stood in front of everyone nothing happened, but at least I got a cute picture of the two.

Here is a good chunk of everyone lounging out behind the houseboat. Sarah loved walking around on the front and back porches and on top of the houseboat. She was just learning to walk at the time and it was funny to watch her toddle around. She especially loved coming in and out the front door.

There is a water slide that goes of the back of the boat. It is pretty steep and far from the water. I told Derek to go down. I didn't actually think he would, but after much persuasion, he finally did and LOVED It as you can tell by the very cute grin.

Little Sarah often has very silly expressions.

Of course lake Powell wouldn't be Lake Powell without the jet ski rides. Both Emily and Derek love going out with dad on the lake.

Emily spent countless hours floating around in theses swim rings. She would sit out by herself and spin round and round. She couldn't get enough of being in the water.

There was an ongoing sandcastle project going on during the trip. Derek and Emily loved helping dad. Derek did get a little possessive of the castle and when Grandma Brimhall put little people all over he was not happy and destroyed them...mmm little stinker!

Sarah did not spend much time actually on the beach, she preferred being on the boat like her mom. I liked sitting on top and reading a book, although I did go for a swim a couple times.

We had not been able to go to Lake Powell since Derek was a baby, and is was fun to go back. The kids had a blast playing with cousins. It was a change of scenery and I enjoyed visiting with everyone.

Bubbles Bubbles Bubbles

2010-07-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

It surely is surprising what little children consider to be edible...Sarah thinks bubbles are:)

The Fruits of our Labor

2010-07-10T20:46:00.001-07:00

We love spending time out in our backyard together in the summer while it is still nice in the evenings. This was one Sunday...the Sunday of Sarah's birthday actually. These are just some fun pictures we took as we enjoyed the outside and enjoyed the yummy fruits and veggies from our garden.

Sarah love to feed mom and dad...here she is trying to feed me a strawberry after of course trying it herself:)

Here is Darrell feeding Emily and Sarah without hands...amazing!

Derek is my best fruit and veggie eater. He goes through at least a dozen apples per week...usually more. He love cut up bell peppers, bananas, raw carrots, and pretty much anything straight from the garden. Although he is not really a fan of cooked vegetables which makes it difficult when I'm the cook because I LOVE cooked veggies and don't really care for raw:)

I think all of us enjoy our stone fruits the best (peaches, apricots, nectarines). We look forward to their arrival each year...unfortunately so do the birds. They get a good portion of them. If we were diligent about netting them it wouldn't be as bad but they are difficult to net. But the kids love sitting outside and chowing down. Dinner on occasion has simply been sitting outside and stuffing ourselves with what is growing in the yard...fun times:) I love having a husband who love to garden...I do to, but it is a lot of work and he is far more diligent than I when it comes to maintaining our trees and garden.

Outtakes

2010-07-08T20:39:00.001-07:00

A tradition I started with Derek was to get a picture of our children each month during the first year and then every year thereafter. Well Sarah has been my toughest so far, she does not like to smile for the camera no matter what tricks we try. We finally got one that I like but these are some of the hilarious ones that came before.

Sarah's 1st Birthday

2010-07-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

We always have to have the classic...give the baby a piece of cake and watch them make a huge mess...1st birthday celebration, so here it is. I can't believe my little Sarah is already 1!

Then of course the classic candle lighting...with close supervision, because those young little fingers think the bright light looks so fun to touch.

Sarah received a book, ball, shoes and clothes for her birthday. The very young birthdays are so nice because they have no want lists and they care more about the paper than the gifts, although Sarah does enjoy her ball very much and loves rolling it back and forth to the rest of us.

Watermelons or Weeds?

2010-07-03T20:30:00.001-07:00

These nice vegetables crowding my kitchen counter are supposed to be summer squash...yellow squash and zucchini...well many grew to the size of watermelons as soon as we turned our backs.

We've given away or sold most of them because you can only eat so much squash in one season. Next year we will plant fewer seeds! I wish I would have taken a picture of the garden bed they are growing in because the plants are humongous.

Splashing Summer Fun

2010-06-13T20:23:00.003-07:00

I'm way behind on posts, so the next couple weeks I will add a few per week to catch up, rather than bombard my avid readers ;)

We have a nice little splash park near our house, and these pictures were from our first trip there this summer. It was fun...Derek & Emily ran around like crazy. Sarah was a little shy of the water this time, but she has gone a few times since and is slowly becoming more comfortable.

We went with one of my friends in the ward, Sylvia, and her daughters, Natalie and Kirsten. It was fun, and I'm sure we will hit the splash park a few more times this summer...it's not like it will be over anytime soon.

Some time outside...

2010-05-20T06:00:00.002-07:00

These are just some fun pictures from an evening outside. You must click on these two pictures of Emily to see a larger version of her goofy expressions. She is just so silly sometimes. Yes, she has no shorts on...she refused to put them on:)

Here is a picture of our monster squash plants and cucumber and pepper plants. We have gotten so much zucchini and they are growing like weeds. I picked about 7 huge ones 3 days ago, and Darrell went out today and picked another 8 gigantic ones. I know they are supposed to be picked when they are small, but we can't catch them small, they seem to burst to gigantic over night. The picture on the Left is Darrell trying to train our older chickens to leave the two younger ones alone...(yes, in case you have followed our chicken saga, Darrell bought 2 more chickens, not quite as old as the ones we have but not chicks either). The older ones just peck our younger ones incessantly. Yesterday Derek comes in panicked because one of the younger chicks had blood coming from its head where it had been pecked so much. We hope the older ones will calm down soon. Darrell sat out there with a spray bottle, spraying the older ones every time they got near the younger ones.

Lastly my sweet little boy helping Sarah rid the trike and giving a kiss at the same time. I love these days when the nights are still cool enough to enjoy being outside together.

2010-05-18T20:53:00.007-07:00

What do you do...when your baby can climb into the top bunk? Ahhhhhhh!!!

Yes!!! Darrell went into the kid's room because he heard Sarah making lots of noise, like she needed help. He walks in to find her on the top bunk! I couldn't believe it when he told me...but I saw for myself how the little climber did it.

She is so proud of herself. She keeps heading straight for the ladder every time she gets a chance. So, starting tomorrow that ladder comes down. When Darrell told me, my mind flooded with all these terrible scenes of her falling off, it gives me the heebee jeebies. She is going to be just like Derek in her climbing abilities:)

Jayden's Birthday

2010-05-15T09:58:00.005-07:00

For those who follow my blog and Katie's blog, these pictures may look familiar, but I had to post them because they are so cute...or course because Katie took them:) She is such a good photographer. So the first is a picture of me (not my best but oh well) and cute Sarah enjoying the cupcake frosting. The there are the three cute cousins having a tender moment in front of the camera. Those three had a blast the whole day together.

After the party we went back to the hotel. I crashed for a while on one bed and the kids rested on the other with Grandma Brimhall. Emily of course loved cuddling with Jayden. Grandma Brimhall did a great job managing to keep them all laying down for quite awhile before we went swimming. The day was a blast and the kids were all out by the time we got home that night. Thanks Katie for a great day.

Splish Splash

2010-04-17T08:47:00.002-07:00

You just have to have the naked baby picture to show all your child's future dates and spouses so here they are for little Sarah and one of Emily because she insisted on not being left out of the picture taking activities. The one of Emily is too cute to pass up posting. She is so goofy sometimes:)

I love clean kids...I just wish it wasn't so much work:) It's amazing how exhausting it can be to bathe children not to mention all the water to clean up.

Trip to the Desert.

2010-04-17T08:44:00.002-07:00

Darrell and I had a shared Saturday off so we took a trip to the desert to enjoy some time outside before it gets too hot. Derek and Darrell did a lot of exploring while I sat with the girls. I'm not generally the exploring type. I prefer to sit in the shade and enjoy the scenery. The one downfall was the allergens were everywhere causing Darrell and I to have very itchy noses...but we survived. Darrell likes to explore the old mines. He showed me one...I couldn't believe how deep it was. My heart rate went up just looking down in...it was soooo deep and dark.

Quaint Birthday #5.

2010-04-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Darrell and I are not the big party throwers, thus Derek's birthday was quaint:) We also prefer quaint because we don't want lots of new things to keep around the house. The original park we were going to have the party at was packed, so we went to the very run down park in our neighborhood.

He invited our neighbors and then two families in our ward. The kids had fun just running around together. We had cupcakes, popcorn, pretzels and water. He received a few presents that he really was excited about.

I can't believe he is already 5!!! Where does the time go??? The last picture is one of sweet Sarah...she was so cute crawling around the park. It was chore enough trying to make sure everything on the ground didn't end up in her mouth (garbage, cigarette butts, old gum, and the like).

Artwork from Derek boy.

2010-04-17T08:38:00.001-07:00

Derek is really becoming quite the artist. I love seeing the pictures he draws and am amazed at the detail many of them have. There are so many more I should post, I just need to take pictures still.

I don't know what I'll do with all of them:) That's why I'm taking pictures...atleast we will have some visual journal of them.

Just Plain Cute!

2010-04-17T08:33:00.001-07:00

These are just a couple random pictures that were just too cute I had to post them:)

Sending them into the world

2010-03-16T15:29:00.002-07:00

We all have to let our children leave the safety of the nest and test their wings, but I'm far from ready. Hopefully by the time school starts I'll be more ready, but something that happened at the park the other day doesn't give me comfort. He was at the park with his aunt Hailie while I was at work and told me later that some kids had a fort and would not let him play. The kids told him he had to do some things to get in. They told him he had to be smart and strong. This was Derek's comment to Darrell and I "But Mom I told them I am smart and strong. I told the truth, but they wouldn't believe me." His voice was so innocent and it made my heart break. Of course Darrell and I reassured him that we knew he was smart and strong and that the kids were just being mean. I don't like my sweet little boy being picked on:(

Other recent happenings

2010-03-13T16:27:00.003-07:00

And now to catch up on some random pictures:)

This is Emily with aunt Jeanie after watching her perform in "Bye, Bye, Birdie."

This is a picture that confirms Derek was using my camera without permission...and boy what a face:)

Lastly, the newest hairstyle...short and long bangs. Yes, she got a hold of scissors and chopper some of her bangs...what do you do??

And the trophey goes to...

2010-03-13T16:24:00.002-07:00

EMILY!!! For the most convincing and impressive pout of the Darrell and Kendra Brimhall family.

Emily truly does have a classic pouty look and she uses it atleast a few times a day. She has a bit of a stubborn streak in her and she gets that look and won't budge. It's hard not to laugh sometimes.

Outing with Dad

2010-03-13T16:18:00.004-07:00

Last week the kids went on an outing to the desert with Dad while Mom was at a computer class for work. They had a lot of fun. I posted the cutest pictures...there were a lot to choose from:)

Sedona daytrip

2010-03-13T16:06:00.004-07:00

A couple weeks ago we took a trip to Sedona just for kicks and giggles. It was a cloudy cool day and we were feeling trapped in our house so we decided to do something spontaneous...a rarity for Darrell and I.

Our first stop was a small hiking trip around some of the wonderfully beautiful red rock formations just outside of Sedona. It was a short hike, because any hike with 3 little kids does not last long. Emily enjoyed playing with the fine red dust and Derek like finding sticks. Both of them of course were on the look out for rocks.

Our next stop was a museum. I absolutely love historical pioneer museums. This was the old Schnebly farm. It was a farm that grew fruit trees, mainly apples. The kids enjoyed the time because they got free little toys. In the fruit shed there was a little kids corner with costumes and crayons that they could play with. They loved that.

This is Sarah sitting on a saddle in the kid area. The museum trip was very relaxing for me. I bought a few history of Arizona books...I'm a sucker for oral histories...and the kids bought some rocks. The main part of Sedona was so incredibly crowded, but the museum we had all to ourselves...it was great. After the museum we stopped at KFC for lunch. It was almost 2 by then and all of us were quite hungry.

On the way out of Sedona we stopped and visited the grave of Darrell's grandpa. Derek kept wanting to take all the flowers off graves and they both wanted to stay and play. But of course we said no...there is just something odd about letting kids run all over graves:)

On the way home we stopped by a creek. It has been raining so much as of late that the water was flowing beautifully. The kids of course enjoyed lots of time throwing rocks into the water and watching the water splash. Derek liked hoping from rock to rock.

The picture on the right is Derek trying to hide when it was time to go. He did not want to leave, but Dad and Mom were exhausted.

This is Sarah and I watching the kids play. Yes...I am the wimpy one. I was freezing sitting by the water, especially since it was windy, so I was all bundled up. No one else seemed to mind. It was a tiring day and the kids had their cranky moments, but all in all it was an awesome trip.

"My bums hurts..."

2010-03-13T16:03:00.004-07:00

Emily comes to me often saying "Mom, my bums hurts," this meaning that she wants baby powder in her underwear...why, I have no clue, but it makes her happy. Well on this particular day she decided to help herself...I think the pictures speak volumes:)

The Massacre

2010-03-13T16:01:00.006-07:00

This is a very sad tale, so be prepared:( A month or so ago Darrell brings home a dog after school...yes a dog! He had been talking about getting one and then surprise...we have a dog:) Well the dog was sweet, but the next day sometime in the afternoon, Derek starts yelling that the chicken is dead...great!!! Here we go again with dead chickens. I go outside to investigate, and what do I find...a massacre. The dog killed 5 chickens! Only one was in pieces thank goodness, but the other 4 were in various locations around the yard. Then to make it worse, I couldn't account for all the survivors.

I called my brother and asked him to get a chain and bring it over. He brought one and I tied the dog up (she was in the garage until he got back). I felt bad for the dog because it is just instinct and she was a sweet dog. She had literally just torn her way into their cage, we didn't think she could get in there. Well we decided we would keep her anyway and just reinforce the cage, well....the next day one more dead chicken:( Darrell found the dog inside the cage again! So the dog belonged to us for less than 48 hours and was returned to the shelter. I was relieved, because although she was a sweet dog, she needed a lot of training...she would jump all over Darrell and I and it was very annoying, and starting a new job and all I just did not want the added stress. So that is the sad story...our 48 hour ownership of a dog which resulted in loosing more than half of our chickens. There are only 4 lonely survivors...Darrell wants to add a few more soon.

Spring is here!!!

2010-03-13T15:55:00.003-07:00

My favorite time of year is definitely Spring. The weather is beautiful, flowers are in bloom, the peach trees in our yard are in bloom. It is just beautiful. I love sitting outside just watching the kids play...granted I sometimes neglect to take time to do this, but when I do I wonder why I don't do it more often. It is starting to warm up which does sadden me some because in the valley when it starts to warm up, watch out!! I'm not looking forward to the summer heat but I guess I should just focus on what I have now. ]

This past Saturday we spent some time in the yard planting and doing yard work. I planted cantaloupe, cucumbers, herbs, and then I also plan to plant beans, carrots, and peppers this week. Our tomatoes are starting to turn red, and they are delicious...I have missed their wonderful flavor. We have a wonderful pea production this year...first successful time...yippee!! We almost gave up on peas in the summer until last year around this time. We were at Sister Harris' house (a sister in our ward), admiring her garden and were astounded that she had huge pea plants. Our problem was planting way to early in the fall. This time we waited until it was chilly and then planted, and it was worth it. They are so tasty. I love them lightly sauteed, so sweet!! The kids and Darrell like them straight off the plant, and when I serve them heated for dinner the kids turn their noses up...funny.

Sarah is crawling around now which means we have to be on the look out for those little baby hands that love to pull out baby plants. She too loves pulling peas off and sucking on them! Isn't she cute!!

Now a small bit about me

2010-02-05T21:29:00.006-07:00

Some know that by profession I am a registered nurse. I worked full time for 4 years before leaving to be home full time. At the time it was right for our family, but lately I have had the desire to return to work for a variety of reasons. I have been nervous about returning after a 2.5 year absence, plus leaving my kids and such. I love being a nurse and really have no other "hobby," other than reading. So I decided to take the plunge and applied for a job at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center. I worked there previously on a telemetry (heart)/stroke unit and loved it. I usually go for what I am comfortable with and was going to apply there again but decided to try something new. I applied for an Emergency Room position. Well I interviewed last Monday and found out this past Tuesday that I was hired. I am really excited! I got a full time but only 32 hour per week job. The best part is my sister in law Hailie will be taking care of my kids so I don't have to put them in a full time day care which I have never wanted to do. Well anyway, just thought I would share. I'm excited for this new adventure and nervous...hopefully it will be just like riding a bicycle.

More random pictures

2010-02-05T20:56:00.003-07:00

Just some random shots to enjoy:)

Sarah dressed up in Derek's "worker" clothes and tools.

Emily "playing" the piano.

Sarah and Derek sailing in a "boat" a.k.a. - Mom's Step turned upside down.

Emily with 2 of her many bags...she is currently very into things going in bags and purses.

Doubting Mother...

2010-02-05T20:49:00.005-07:00

There comes many an opportunity in a parent's life when they learn from their children. Well I have learned twice in a very short period of time not to doubt the faith and determination of a very strong willed almost 5 year old. First example...the above chicken...the fact that it is living is truly a miracle. One day a few weeks ago Derek had a friend over and in true boy fashion was showing off his chicken and doing things with the chicken he is told repeatedly not to do. One of those things being not to close the chicken in anything. Derek come to the back door..."Mom there's a dead chicken!" "What!!" I yell. "Derek what did you do?!" "I didn't do anything mom."..with that very suspicious...very obvious sound of voice that makes it very easy for a parent to know that is not the truth. "I just found it dead." Yeah...a perfectly healthy chicken an hour ago just drops dead for fun! Well his friend turned on him..."He put the chicken in the fridge" (the playhouse fridge) "I did not!!" shouts Derek in his defense. Well anyway to make a very long story not so long...the chicken looked DEAD. Neck hanging limply...blood from one ear and one eye...will not sit or stand...DEAD!! Still sort of breathing but with little hope. So I set the poor chicken in its cage to be dealt with later when Darrell comes home.

At lunch Derek prays "please help the chicken get better." My friend and I turn to each other with eyes full of doubt...and mutual thoughts..."poor kid, he'll just have to learn about life and death." Well that was the exact second the prayer was probably answered:) The above chicken is the same chicken. After a few bad days the chicken slowly revived and is now walking around just like the others...well maybe a little slower but still in fine health:) The faith of a child...

Story number two. Derek frequently wants to add animals to our humble abode. We have 10 chickens 2 recently acquired goldfish that Derek wanted...and now doesn't because he can't hold them...last week he wanted a rabbit (Darrell and I said NO)...this week it is turtles. No matter what Darrell and I say he is determined he is getting a turtle. He has built a home for the turtle and tells me every day that he will take care of it.

Two days ago Derek comes in with a piece of wood wanting to make a sign. (No more Arthur books in this house!...read "Arthur's Pet Business" By Marc Brown if you don't know why) I help him spell the words he wants but continue to explain he can not go door to door for his business:) Today he want to pick a bunch of lemons stating that Darrell said he could sell them for money to get a turtle. I did not believe him because he uses the "Dad said I could" line all the time and 90 percent of the time it is untrue.

Well, Dad comes home while we were at the park. When I drove up to the drive way there is dad...he has put out Derek's sign and the lemons Derek picked. Then there's doubting mom again, thinking he will make no money and this is such a waste of energy:) Darrell went and picked more lemons for Derek and made a white board sign. Thanks to some kind neighbors and Derek's ability to shout at people walking and riding bikes, he earned $8.50 today. Wow....pretty good for a first business. So he is excited...not enough for a turtle yet, so we'll see:) Plus he already has two new suppliers. His Grandpa Lamb has offered their grapefruits to the cause and our across the street neighbor has offered his lemons, oranges, and grapefruits.

My little Sarah

2010-02-05T20:42:00.005-07:00

Little Sarah is 8 months old today. It makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because this is my favorite time of babyhood but sad because I know that soon she will not be a baby anymore. She is trying to crawl but doesn't get very far. She can get up on hands and toes, hands and knees, and can even get up on one foot with one leg in the air, but those arms just stay glued in place.

If she does manage to move anywhere it is backwards or in circles:) Many people have made comments basically saying not to get to anxious about them moving because they are into everything. Well, I don't mind that because along with that comes a little more freedom for them and for me. Babies are so much happier when they can move from place to place and so am I because I don't leave a room and have a suddenly unhappy baby.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some of Sarah's very cute yoga moves...she does a very good downward dog ( I have no idea if that is the right name or spelling for the picture just below but that's my guess for now).

Out of the mouth of Emily

2010-01-08T14:04:00.001-07:00

I try to remember to write down some of the funny things my kids say, but I'm not always very diligent. Here are 3 recent ones from Emily.

She can not for the life of her say Zip...instead is says "will you ips this"

She watched me changing the baby's diaper one day, then the next she said her bum hurt and she wanted some "..." on it. I had not clue what she was saying thus the ... Well I finally figured out what she was saying..."frosting." She wanted me to put frosting on...of course what she really meant was diaper rash cream:)

Lastly, when we are driving in the car and the sun gets in her eyes she says "Mom! The sun is poking my eyes!"

Another Holiday Excursion

2010-01-05T10:56:00.003-07:00

My Grandpa's party was at his home in Dewey, a little town outside Prescott. The party was Friday, and so Thursday we went up early and stayed in Prescott at a hotel. We did this just for fun and to enjoy our little family. The hotel was nice and had a heated pool...including a heated kiddie pool. It was great! We went swimming Thursday night and Friday morning. The kids loved it. This was Sarah's first time swimming and she loved kicking and splashing.

On our way up to Prescott we stopped at the Anthem outlet mall to look for pants for Derek. At children's place they were having an amazing sale. We got Sarah's swim suit and 6 pairs of pants for $48 dollars. The swimsuit was the most expensive thing. The pants were only 4.99 a pair. When we saw that we had to stock up. We bought 2 pair in Derek's size now 2 for the next size and 2 for Emily's next size. I love when I find deals like that!

One thing I love about staying in a hotel is the free continental breakfast. This hotel by far had the best one. They had omelets, sausage, home fries, fruit, oatmeal, biscuits, waffles, muffins, bagels, cereal, muffins, danishes, juice, and toast. I loved it. I had two plates with omelet, home fries, and biscuits. I just enjoy the variety without having to cook the variety:)

Great-Grandpa Lamb's 80th Birthday Party

2010-01-05T10:40:00.004-07:00

My Grandpa Lamb (the kids Great Grandpa) turned 80 on Dec 29th. My family all got together at his home for a celebration. It was fun seeing my cousins again. I don't even know the names of all their kids anymore. We had hamburgers and cake and enjoyed learning some things about my grandpa that we didn't know.

Here is Emily showing off her belly button and Grandpa holding Sarah.

Here is Grandpa showing my parents some old photos.

80 candles takes two people to light and it took 4 blows for my Grandpa to extinguish them all. He started blowing them out before we even finished singing happy birthday

Derek of course enjoyed playing with all the little boys. My favorite part was playing a game which had a ton of random questions about my Grandpa. My Grandpa had a stroke a few months back and can not talk clearly anymore. So during the answering of the questions he was a hilarious actor, acting out a lot of the events we talked about. I wish I had gotten them all on video, but I only got a few...oh well, that's life:)

If ye are prepared ye shall not fear...

2010-01-05T10:25:00.005-07:00

...and if you are not you shall freeze, not sleep, have grumpy children all through the night, have 5 human beings in two sleeping bags - 3 of them small but wiggly...etc. The Tuesday following Christmas we went camping outside of Wickenburg in the desert. We prepared for everything except for the fact that the night temperature would drop to 25 degrees. Darrell and I zipped together and shared two sleeping bags with a blanket on top...still froze. The kids were in -15 degree sleeping bags, but had no padding underneath and had trouble staying in them...they froze (Well actually Emily slept in hers the best and did not join the rest of us until about 5am). The baby had not enough blankets to sleep in her pack-n-play so she slept with us. By the wee hours of the morning all of us were cramped in the two zipped together blankets. We hardly slept a wink and had to sleep with our heads buried in the sleeping bag to stay a little warm. We were up by 6 just to get a fire going so we could warm up. All in all it was fun.

The kids went through a whole bag of Marshmallows by the time we left on Wednesday morning. They just ate them straight out of the bag on sticks...they didn't want them toasted.

Here is a very cute picture of Sarah and a very sad one of Emily. Something about Emily...she is a very cute girl but can trip very easily, and she had a very bad spill Wednesday morning. She was walking and tripped landing face first onto a very large rock. Luckily no broken teeth, just a lot of blood, a VERY swollen lip, and a whiny girl.

Dinner Tuesday night was a healthy combination of hot dogs and potato chips. This is me cooking them on the new stove Darrell bought just for these types of excursions:)

Tuesday after we stopped at our camping spot we went for a walk. We were camped near a small creak of running water...usually dry most of the year. We found a small cave filled with the finest sand. The kids loved playing in it. This was probably their most favorite part of the trip. Derek made a little building with sticks and leaves...actually I did the leaves:) It was fun watching them draw in the sand. While we were in the cave we heard a VERY loud BOOM. It made my heart skip a few beats. The kids were frightened for a while and wanted to go back to camp. Darrell suspects it was a mining blast...boy was it loud in the canyon we were in.

The picture on the right is probably one of my favorites. I took a dozen others of the same pose and then Derek got bored and goofy and I snapped this last shot. Of course what you can't see is the girls crying 2 seconds later because Derek was gripping them so tight and wouldn't let go:) But I'm glad he got a little goofy because the picture is great!

Christmas Away and Christmas at Home

2010-01-05T10:18:00.005-07:00

Christmas morning is so much fun with kids. I especially enjoy the great reactions I caught on video. But for blogging purposes I just have snapshots. Our kids were a little odd on Christmas morning. They didn't wake up until around 7:00, and then they played in their rooms quietly for some time. I then got up to see if they wanted to open presents. Derek responds "after we play with legos." What!? This from a kid...Derek...who was begging to open up presents on Christmas Eve. So we waited another 10 minutes or so and then they were ready:)

Derek had a plentiful Christmas. Here he is displaying a Tonka Road Carpet that I found at Walmart and his Worker outfit and tools that he received from Grandma and Grandpa Brimhall.

Sarah is holding a teething toy she received. She thankfully received 2 pairs of pajamas this Christmas, one from mom and dad and one from Grandma and Grandpa Lamb, because if you notice in the picture, the toe seems have weakened and her toes pop through:) Emily is displaying her box of cereal and a few books. She has loved her cereal and wants it every day...only one more bowl left as of today...yippee!!!!

Later on Christmas day we went over to Grandma and Grandpa Lamb's house. Here Sarah is wrapped up beautifully for Christmas. Isn't she the most adorable gift ever:) Then of course there is a picture with Sarah standing in Grandpa's hands. My dad has done this to all of us kids and continued with the grand kids. Emily was the only one who wouldn't do it. She has never been a lion at heart, even from when she was a baby. Sarah on the other hand loves being tossed in the air and showing off her standing tricks.

Lastly here is a sweet picture of Sarah and cousin Makenzie. I hope they will be good friends as they grow up. Well, Christmas was great and I loved having Darrell home for a few weeks, but I for one am glad the holidays are winding down because I'm ready for a break:)

I'm sooooooo tired!

2010-01-05T10:03:00.003-07:00

While spending time in Snowflake this December I took a very cute picture of Emily. We were eating dinner and she was throwing a tantrum about what we were eating, and she didn't want to eat. I removed it from her tray and ignored her whining. It quited and soon she was sound asleep! She was sooooo tired.

Darrell sat next to her and said "Emily, eat your dinner." She drowsily opened her eyes long enough to whine "no" and then went back to sleep with a very pathetic looking frown on her face.

Unrelated...

2009-12-19T14:19:00.002-07:00

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

2009-12-19T13:44:00.006-07:00

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:)

2009-12-19T13:18:00.006-07:00

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...

2009-12-19T13:03:00.008-07:00

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

2009-12-10T11:18:00.003-07:00

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...

2009-12-10T11:02:00.003-07:00

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

2009-12-05T14:36:00.003-07:00

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

2009-12-05T14:19:00.004-07:00

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

2009-12-05T14:01:00.006-07:00

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

2009-11-24T20:15:00.002-07:00

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

2009-11-24T09:13:00.005-07:00

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

2009-11-04T16:56:00.005-07:00

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

2009-11-03T20:30:00.005-07:00

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.