On The Brinck

Forget me or forget me not?

2012-02-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

I cannot tell you enough how forgetful I've been lately. Like, I'm really worried I might harm someone (like my children) with the things I've been forgetting. We had stake conference the other weekend and we decided one of us should go to the adult session, cause I did not want Kendra running up and down isles. So I decided I'd go, but didn't think I could bring Carter for some reason. Anyway almost halfway through the meeting Craig text and said Carter was furiously hungry and that I should come home if I didn't want him to have a bottle. I didn't want him to have a bottle cause he had two the day before and I forgot to pump so I knew doing it two days in a row would be really bad. So I went home. But why didn't I just bring him, then I could be nursing him in the mother's room and still hear the talks. That same night I forgot to shut the garage door and it was open all night.

Then a couple days ago I forgot to put the roast on in time for dinner but it was about to go bad so I had to cook it that day, so I put it in late and I was just going to put it in the refrigerator after it was done cooking. But I forgot about it and it sat out all night. What the heck.

I hear horror stories about women forgetting their children in the car sometimes, and I'm worried I might just end up doing something like that if I'm not careful. Is it a postpartum thing? I'm not sure but I need to get an ultimate planner/timer/alarm thing or something. Oh please let this not be a permanent condition....

Smile for the camera!

2012-01-24T13:44:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get some new pictures of Carter to show how chubby his cheeks are getting, What a healthy boy! He's 12 lbs already!

We found a way to make Carter smile on command... blow in his hair!

I actually got him to laugh here. And of course, Kendra needed to get her picture too.

And a picture of me too, cause I don't do that much.

Baby Blessing- Jan 8, 2012

2012-01-10T13:39:00.000-08:00

milestones

2012-01-09T14:36:00.000-08:00

I know with Kendra at each milestone I blogged about it. I hope that I wont be so busy that I forget to document Carter's milestones. At two weeks old, I was having Carter do belly-time... and he rolled over. I thought, that was a fluke, he probably wont to it again. Then the next day, during belly-time he did it again. He has since rolled over at ever belly-time, so... not a fluke. I couldn't believe he was able to do that so early. Here's a video of it from today.

Pictures

2011-12-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

My Mom brought my Dad's nice camera so I could take some pictures of Carter. Kendra had to have her turn as well. I'm no professional and I realized it takes more than a nice camera to get good pictures. This is the best I could do...

Introducing: Carter Dustin Brinck

2011-12-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

Carter was born December 10th, 2011 at 6:31pm. He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20 inches long.

They transferred us to the "mommy and baby" unit after delivery with Carter in a Christmas stocking

Carter was sent home with the order to be on the Bili Bed. He was not happy, he loves to snuggle.

Home, off the Bili Bed, and happy!

Princess Kendra

2011-12-06T13:48:00.001-08:00

Kendra LOVES to play dress up and pretend. She makes me "taste" all her treats and "drink" the tea. She also loves to get her picture taken.

Poor girl

2011-11-29T09:21:00.001-08:00

So Sunday morning we were woken up with a surprise in Kendra's Crib... throw up. She was whimpering at her normal wake up time and I went in there to get her out. I don't know how long she'd been laying in it, but it wasn't fresh. So straight to the bath tub we went, I cleaned her up while Craig cleaned the crib stuff. I washed her hair twice and it still smelled bad. She had a rash on one hand, shoulder, and ear where she laid in her puke. This was hurting her the worst it seemed.

Kendra and I went to the Dr. while Craig went to church and taught his lesson and they said it wasn't anything serious and told me what to put on her rash. The rest of the day was spent in snuggling and sleeping and wining. It was sad to see her suffer. She had a slight feaver so I gave her Tylenol and it seemed to ease her suffering a little. She hardly ate for two days. She threw up the next morning as well, but she didn't have anything but liquids so it wasn't so difficult to clean up.

The cutest thing though, is her snuggling Craig and falling asleep in his arms. To see our wild and crazy energetic girl all mellow was kinda nice. She started feeling much better last night. We could tell cause she said she was hungry and actually ate; also, she was singing and dancing around and giving us attitude. I'm glad she feels better but I kinda miss snugly Kendra.

Job openings

2011-11-21T11:51:00.001-08:00

Craig's Company has many job openings. I know that this economy has hit people hard and I just wanted to give everyone this information so that you can spread the word. If you know of anyone looking for work, please direct them to this website to see if anything is applicable. Let us know if someone wants to apply, so you can put Craig as a reference. Hope this helps someone.

http://www.flsmidth.com/en-US/Careers/Jobs/Apply+for+a+Job

taking pictures

2011-11-16T08:22:00.001-08:00

Kendra wanted her picture taken as I was taking my weekly prego pic.

Potty Training

2011-11-12T14:07:00.001-08:00

(This is not Kendra, I just thought the pic was cute)

I know this post is probably premature since I can't call Kendra "Potty Trained" yet. But we had a break through and full potty training is soon at hand (I think). I'm just so excited I had to make a post.

We have been 'preparing' Kendra for being potty trained for the past six months. Letting her sit on the toilet and read books and asking if she's wet or dry, stuff like that. I did try to go full out with pull ups, but I am now a believer that... PULL UPS DON'T WORK!

Kendra LOVED sitting on the toilet and didn't want to get off some times. But.... she would never go in the toilet. I started taking her in with me while I was going and let her sit on her potty while I was going, so she'd understand that was the whole point. But for the longest time, nothing happened. I thought, it must be me, I'm not doing this right. Kendra showed all the signs for being ready and we weren't progressing.

Then one day (about two weeks ago) I sat her on the toilet and asked her to just try and go, and she did! I was so excited, we made a really big deal about it. I decided the next week was panties all day long, stay at home, sit on the toilet every 30 min type thing. And so it began. The first week was 2 good days where she went several times in the toilet, and then the other days I felt like giving up. The weekends are always more failures than successes, but we pushed through. This last week instead of giving up, I decided to keep going just one more week. And then it happened, we sit on the toilet every 1 to 2 hours and her underwear is dry and then she pees in the toilet and gets her treat.

Now I've just got to get her to tell me when she has to go. Not sure how but, I think she'll get that soon too.

Kendra and her silliness, plus more snow

2011-11-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

I got Kendra some snow boots for the winter (only$4) and she LOVES them. They're easy for her to put on and off, although she likes them on the wrong feet. But after a diaper change, before I put her pants back on, she decided she needed her boots on. She stood watching a movie with her hands behind her back and I couldn't help but laugh!

diaper wedgie

Mid yawn

Kendra's first snow experience this year. We don't have snow clothes for her yet so this is what we came up with. She was too cold in about five minutes, but she enjoyed trying to make a snowman with her Dad.

Halloween and snow

2011-11-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

It was difficult getting Kendra to stand still long enough to get a good picture of her in her costume. I made the mistake of waiting until after to take pictures. Here she is with her candy haul. One old couple were giving out whole bags of candy. Kendra got tootsie pops. Her pumpkin bucket was getting so heavy the handle detached, but she insisted on holding it herself the whole time. She was a fairy princess and thought her "butterfly" wings were the coolest. She wouldn't put her star wand down all day. I had a tiara but forgot to put it on, I doubt she'd leave it there anyway.

Oh, and after a great night of trick-or-treating in 50-60 degree weather, we wake up to this. At least it was after Halloween.

Masquerade and Pumpkin coloring

2011-10-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

Every month our friends from the University Village have a desert party. We take turns hosting and it's been so much fun to stay in touch. This month was our turn. I've always wanted to host a masquerade and so that was my quest. I decided to do a murder mystery as the activity for the night as well. They were such great sports and it was all very entertaining. Craig didn't like any of the masquerade masks at the store. (not very many are manly) So when he found this Ninja Turtles mask there was no talking him out of it.

For family night yesterday we decided to do pumpkins. I gave Kendra a perm. marker and let her have at it. She had so much fun, when I told her we were done she cried. She colored many smiley faces and snakes, along with lines and circles. She loved it.

I told her to say cheese and smile at the camera, and she actually did!

Craftiness and belt styles

2011-10-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

We had our super Saturday this last weekend. I signed up to just make one thing. I thought I'd have extra time to help tying a quilt or help someone else with a project. Nope, I started on time and left a half hour late. I took about a 20 minute break to eat lunch, so I was working on this for more that 4 HOURS! I don't know about you, but after spending $15 buying wood and supplies, then spending 4 hours of my time on a project, it's just not worth it. I mean, you can buy things like this finished for $20-$25 and I think my time is worth more that $2.50 an hour. But that's just me. I'm happy with the result and I had fun with the ladies in my ward, and I think being together as sisters is really the point anyway.

Kendra lately loves dressing up in her dresses or putting on necklaces or tying ribbons around her waist. But she also like me to put her daddy's belt on her. Here is the new fashion for 2 year old's.

Jury Duty = extreme anxiety

2011-10-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I got a form saying that I needed to fill it out and would then be summoned for jury duty shortly. This is the third time I've been called for jury duty, the first was in Washington, which I was able to decline because I was out-of-state for school. The second was two years ago in Utah, and I called and was never told to come in. This time, I got the days to call for this week.

My first call was to be last Friday to see if I needed to show up yesterday. I called and was told that Monday was a holiday but I was for sure supposed to come in Tuesday morning. The problem was, who would watch Kendra? Every one of Craig's family works at least half day. My visiting teacher had appointments. I tried to call and get out of it, but because it was a weekend or holiday, no one answered the phone. Finally Monday night, my mother-in-law was able to trade her schedule around to get work off until two on Tuesday and then Craig's aunt would take Kendra until he got off work or I was done. But there was still the problem of the rest of the week, if I was called and the trial went that long. I would have no one to tend Kendra for a whole day on the spot. Needless to say I've been freaking out since last Friday. I took a breath when I at least had Tuesday covered and decided I would just go in and tell them I couldn't do it if it went into Wednesday.

So I woke Kendra up early this morning to drop her off at her Grandma's. I sat waiting for them to start asking questions where I could answer that I couldn't do it. They told us the trial would last until at least tomorrow and asked if that would be a problem for anyone. I said I didn't have enough day care for tomorrow. They then asked if anyone had any physical limitations that would prevent them from participating in the entire trial. The judge gave some examples and pointed to me and said, "like pregnancy". I felt good raising my hand for that one. I thought, there's no way they'd call me if I raised my hand for two things! And luckily I was not chosen. It was a great relief but I don't think the $18.50 I will receive in 6 to 8 weeks will cover the cost of my troubles. But I'm out of the poll for two more years, yeah!

Happy 4th Anniversary!!

2011-10-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been 4 years, and I'll have to say they have been great! I couldn't have dreamt up a better Prince for me. I know people may not believe that, but it's true. When I was 12 or 13 in young women's we were asked to write down characteristics of what we wanted in our future husbands. We were also asked to write what we wanted to become. I wish I had referred to this list more often during my early college years, I might have avoided stupid, pointless relationships with boys not up to the standard on my list. Thank goodness I stayed close enough to the person I wanted to become so I could catch this guy I described. When Craig came into my life, I realized I didn't have to reconsider any items on my list. He was what I wanted, and he made me want to be the person I should become. And to this day he is what I want, and he makes me want to become a better person. He is a wonderful husband and an amazing father. I love you Craig!

Lip stick?

2011-09-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

No it's not lip stick. It's crayon. She LOVES chapstick and stuff so I have to hide all of it or it's all over her face. But for some reason she got creative and used the crayon on her lips. Good thing it comes off easy, and good thing she didn't experiment on other surfaces. I mean they're washable crayons, but can you really trust that?

The Brinck Grandkids

2011-09-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

(from left to right) Bailey, Bennett, and Kendra

New bookcase

2011-09-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Kendra's Birthday - She's two!!

2011-09-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Her #1 favorite toy given by her Grandma and Grandpa Brinck, her very own "motorcycle" (or at least that's what she calls it)

The 'UP' house

2011-09-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

In the little city in the far corner of the Salt Lake Valley where I live, a home builder has built an exact replica of the house from the Disney movie 'UP'. Jordan and Mariah and Della were visiting and I took them to one of the coolest attractions close to my house. We went while Craig was still at work, but we'll take him back for sure. I guess the picture of the outside didn't work on my camera, I'll have to get one that Jordan took... or just go back soon.

The cabin - Septmeber 3rd

2011-09-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Her early b-day present: a 'Cars' camping chair just her size!

Enjoying nature

one of her many (like 6) 4-wheeler rides. This one with Nicki.

Playing cards

Out cold from the all day fun

One of the many reasons I love Craig

2011-09-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

Many times when I wake up in the morning I find a sticky note on the milk saying, "I love you" or a sticky note on my bookmark in the book I'm currently reading, or like the picture above, Kendra's ABC magnets on the fridge. I can't help but smile and feel a gush of love for my husband. Ah, the little things make all the difference!

More landscaping

2011-08-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

BEFORE
(I forgot to do a before picture so I went on the search to find one, this is the best I could find, it's from May.)

AFTER

So we finished the sod in the back yard, well Craig did while I watched and Kendra played/swam in the mud. Our sweet neighbors, Dad and two 8-12year old boys, came over to help Craig. This guy is a big strong guy and had the job almost finished within one hour! They had plans for the rest of the day and left Craig to finish the last 20%. Craig's Dad and brother showed up later to help Craig with the rest. It started getting way too hot, so Craig decided to leave the patches and edges for later that night when it cooled off. After dinner, Craig started outside again, but a huge thunderstorm rolled in about ten minutes later. I mean huge, like raining cats and dogs, thunder and lighting going off at the same time. Not a great time to be outside. Before it got dark the storm had passed and Craig was able to finish that last part, back aching and exhausted. What a trooper. I love that man! The back yard looks fantastic! But now Craig might need a riding lawnmower, cause our lawn is huge, what with the addition to the front yard as well. At least the summer is almost over.

Oh and last week I put bark in the last remaining dirt patch in our front yard. The crazy thing about this patch is that it never grew a single weed. It doesn't get watered, but still, if nothing grew there, I don't think anything ever will. I didn't bother putting down the weed-block paper under the bark, what's the point?

So I got these flower bulbs from our realtor, I saw the picture but I couldn't really tell what they would look like, but I planted them in as many bare spots as I could in my many flower gardens. They were said to bloom in July and August, well, they just started blooming. But I think they are gorgeous. They were all different colors, I only have about four that have shown their colors but I'm excited for the others to pop up too! I love them.

Busy, busy, busy

2011-08-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

Q- will it ever stop?
A- No, no it won't!

I feel like I haven't stopped going, going, going since the end of June, not to mention the normal chaos of a stay-at-home mom of an almost 2 year old. And of course I forgot a camera most of the time. Not many pictures to document my crazy life.

June 30-July 4th: We went up to WA to visit my family.
July 9th: Home - sod prep
July 16th: Put down sod in our front yard.
July 23rd: Home - plant trees, and shrubs
July 29th-31st: Went to Yellowstone with some friends.
August 5th -9th: Kendra and I went back to WA for my cousin Tori's wedding, Craig had to work.
August 12th-15th: At Bear Lake with Craig's family.

Craig's brother returned home from his mission a few weeks ago and his home coming is this weekend. I feel like I'm a total slacker on my church calling. I mean I haven't been to my home ward in about a month. This weekend I'm away but next week I'll be back, and I think people might ask me if I'm new.... anyway. Life happens and we've had a blast.

This summer is winding down. A family friend is helping us with our backyard landscaping and he's been doing a great job. Sod will go in this weekend or next weekend, and we'll also be putting down bark in all of our flower gardens. Oh, and my birthday is happening in there some where. My Brother and his wife will visit around Labor Day, then Kendra's birthday, and then the summer will be over. Then it's inside to prep for our new baby boy!

Our first weekend away from Kendra

2011-08-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

We (this is to say I or us together) have never been away from Kendra for more than a couple of hours for a movie, or the temple. But we decided to take last weekend of three days and two nights away from Kendra. She was to be dropped off at her Grandma and Grandpa Brinck's and we were off to Island Park (near west yellowstone) to enjoy a weekend with our friends at one of their family's cabins. I figured it was about time for this, for me at least. I wanted something like this at least before I had 2 kids to care for.

For Us: Friday was driving, dinner, and games. Saturday was Yellowstone, Pizza, games. Sunday was church, packing/cleaning, lunch, driving, home. I LOVED driving without Kendra. No trying to entertain or hear her screaming. I was happy to be able to hike and explore Yellowstone at our pace. I'm so glad I didn't have to worry about her waking our friends up if she wasn't sleeping well. I was glad we didn't have to pack twice as much stuff to accommodate her. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the girl, and she is worth all the extra hassle. But... It was nice to get a break from it.

For Her: Friday was chicken nuggets and fries and 'Tangled' until 11:00pm. Saturday was sleep 'til 9:30, Wheeler Farm, Chuck-E-Cheese, nap time and swimming. Sunday was bath time, church (and drive Grandpa crazy for the last hour when they canceled nursery for a special meeting!), and nap time.

We got to Craig's parents right after they put Kendra down for a nap. We waited for her to sleep an hour and then got her up for dinner. I thought she'd be beyond happy to see me, or at least cling for me for the next week. Nope. She woke up and snuggled for 5 min, which is normal. We gave her a stuffed bear from Yellowstone and after her snuggle time with me had to get down and show Grandma her new toy. There was no clinging, I was able to gather her things around the house and she didn't care if I left the room. Now I know it's good, but it made me a little sad, cause I wanted to snuggle her all night. oh well.

Falls in Yellowstone (big hike)

Falls or the 'Grand Canyon' of Yellowstone

Wheeler Farm- Cow

Climbing

Feeding the horse

Chuck-e-cheese

Swimming

From licking rocks, to this....

2011-07-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

no more dirt!!!

2011-07-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Before

After

We put sod down today in the big dirt area (flower garden) in our front yard! I'm so excited it looks 10 times better already

Dirt

2011-07-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

We're doing a lot of yard work and trying to do something with the many dirt patches we have, Kendra loves dirt and mud. She likes to lick rocks and pick up bugs.

Cereal for free? What!?!

2011-07-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

So lately I've been really trying to get a hold of my grocery budget, so I've been educating myself about using coupons. (with the help of my friend Katy) I'm no expert, but the one thing I seem to be getting a great deal on regularly is cereal. This last shopping trip I think I out-did my self.

So first thing, these boxes were on sale 3 for $5. Which means $1.67. This is an okay deal but not great by itself. The frootloops and apple jacks I had a coupon $5 off 5. So they were $.67. Great deal right? But get this, the apple jacks have a Kellogg's promotion inside four codes (four boxes) gets you a $5 gift card. So after I submitted the codes, Kellogg's would have paid me $.33 each to take these apple jacks off the shelf!

Then I had a coupon for two crunchy nut cereal boxes for $2.50 off. So they were $.83. Great deal. Then I had a coupon for one crunchy nut box for $.70 off. Which is $.97. Total at checkout (with two candy bars for $1.39) was $7.97. Subtract the candy $6.58, subtract the $5 gift card I'll receive in two weeks is.....$1.58 for 8 boxes of cereal!!!!!! That's $.19 per box! I couldn't believe it. It's such a shopping high. I'm going to be sad when I have to pay more than a dollar to buy a box of cereal.

4th of July- no SD card!

2011-07-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

We drove to my parents house in Colville Wa, for the weekend. We also stopped by to see our good friends in Pasco, Wa. I packed everything I needed and I even remembered my camera, which I always forget. But...... when I pulled it out to take a picture, no SD card! I was so upset. I thought we'd just run to the store to pick up a new one but by the time we got to the store it was already the 4th, and no one was around the store to help, so I gave up. My mom has some pictures she took on her blog, so you can head on over there if you really want pics.

Kendra LOVED every minute of it. Well she didn't like some of the driving part, but she was such a good sport, I'm so proud of her. She thought the 'great outdoors' were really great. She loved going on walks, chasing and petting the cats, looking at all the bugs and flowers, finding all the birds and of course the dirt. I realised her cute clothes were not going to cut it, so we got out what I call her dirt clothes. It was much less stressful for me. Oh, and she made friends with my younger cousins who had the energy to run around with her and play on the trampoline. She got so many cuts, nicks and bruises, which shows how much fun it was.

My family, Craig and I had the classic games of Settlers of Catan, frisbee golf, horse shoes and mini golf (well i never did those last two, oops). Oh, and I think Craig played the Wii. We had fun eating tones and relaxing. We got bit by nasty mosquitoes (like 8 bites only on my right foot!). We watched a movie our last night there on the big blue ray screen. I'm glad we went and that Kendra got to have that experience. We look forward to another summer trip next year.

Pregnancy Blog

2011-06-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

Some people have probably already discovered my pregnancy blog. But in case you haven't it's babybrinck.blogspot.com. I will be posting most, if not all, my news about the new baby on this blog. I'm going to make a book out of it later.

Ouch

2011-06-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Kendra had her first scrapped knee on Sunday. She was in her dress and got excited running to the car and slipped on the sidewalk. I felt so bad, she was crying and bleeding. We washed the wound and then I struggled to put a band aid on. We had to hold her down. After that she was so mad about the band aid, she thought it was hurting her. In the car she managed to pull off the band aid, and she was mad that that hurt as well. When she realized her knee still hurt after the band aid was off she started to kiss her knee and say "sorry owie".

New TV, Dad, James and Jordan should be so proud!

2011-05-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

So we did it. We finally got a new TV. It is such an upgrade to what we had before I don't even know what to do. It makes our front room look like a TV room. Now our old TV will be our work-out TV I'm so excited!

Who's Bad?

2011-05-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

What's wrong with this picture?

2011-05-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

That's right....SNOW!! In the middle of May we are being cursed with snow! Utah is no desert this year. We are wet, and cold! I have a feeling real Summer will never come. We get 2 or so days of great spring/summer weather and then we are punished for it a few days later. BLAST!

Kendra's room

2011-05-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

shadow boxes. $6 on KSL! I still need to put stuff in them.

pictures of flowers my dad took.

a temple for her room

the cover I made for the arch in her window.

Animals and Bugs and graphic tees

2011-05-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to the Zoo. It was forested to be a wonderful day, but they were a little off. When we entered the park it was super windy, and a little cold. Soon the wind died down and we were able to enjoy the rest of the park. After seeing all the other animals we went in to see the bats, then we stepped out into the rain. So our Zoo trip was finished. Kendra has been clingy lately, she wouldn't let Craig hold her to take some pictures. He did hold her some of the time at the zoo, I forgot to take pictures then. But, at her favorite animals, she wouldn't switch hands for a picture. What are we going to do with her.

Kendra was in the garage Sunday and spotted a beetle, she kept saying "Bug!" so we captured it, in order to get her back inside. She kept wanting to pick it up and carry it around the house, so we decided to stop scarring the poor bug and put it back outside.

You may notice a shirt that Kendra is wearing at the Zoo. Yes it says "Big Sister" for a reason. We are expecting a baby mid-December and are super excited! (tax baby, just in time!)

New Paintings

2011-05-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

I found a great deal on these paintings on KSL (local classifieds). I love how big they are. The wall was so big I had no idea what to do to fill it. This looked awesome, I think. My house is coming together! Now our TV looks really bad, oh well all in due time.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

New Family Picture

Easter Egg Hunt

No more eggs!

Fo-fur

Easter Weekend was a lot of fun spent with Family. Craig's parents had dinner at their house on Sunday and then an Easter egg hunt for the girls after. The weather was so cold. I forgot a coat so I wrapped myself in a blanket from the couch. Kendra ate too much candy and didn't get a nap so she was fussy once it hit 8:00.

Easter Egg hunt with friends

2011-04-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Kendra and Carissa

Kendra with her basket

Carissa and her Mom, Emily

I hosted a play-date at our house for an Easter Egg Hunt. We usually have four mom's with four girls, but two were unable to attend. We still had a great time. We filled the eggs with fruit snack, Trix, Cheerios,vanilla wafers, and marshmallows. The girls loved it!

Triathlon Training, Goals achieved

2011-04-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

I decided in January to start training for my third triathlon. I'm doing the same one I did last year. This year it's June 4th. I've been training hard and am feeling great these days. This week I've re-dedicated myself to eating healthier. I bought turkey, tomatoes, lettuce and avocados for sandwiches, grapes, bananas, yogurt, and carrots for snacks. I'm trying to curb my chocolate addiction as well. With spring coming soon, I want to make sure I'm ready to enjoy it, like going on long walks and hikes and bike rides.
I've looked at my training from a different angle this year. I've always had my goal be the minimum for success. I always finish, but I never feel too great. This year my goals are beyond the mark. I'm training like this triathlon is twice the distance. I'm already at the fitness level I usually end at, and I still have over a month of training left!
I ran over 4 miles today and feel great about it (the triathlon only requires 3miles). If weather is permitting, and I think it will be, this weekend Craig and I will go on a long bike ride (20 miles is my goal).
The great thing about setting a goal that requires so much discipline and consistency is the feeling you get when you've achieved it. I'm not done yet, but I've built up so much momentum it would be hard to stop now. It helps me remember that you can achieve anything if you really want to. Lack of time or energy is just an excuse. Making the time for what's truly important gives you more free time, and expending energy seems to give you more energy. It's like magic.
Wish me luck as I continue toward my goal, and I'll see you on the other side.

Back in working order!

2011-04-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

In the past month Kendra turned a year and a half, we bought a house, have moved and got settled in. We had a laps of Internet in-between and I've felt detached from the world. But we are back!

I'm excited about all the new beginnings this year. Last year we had a lot of adventures and spent a lot of time together, but most of our dreams, hopes, and goals for the year were delayed or just completely missed. In contrast to this year, where everything that has happened so far has been beyond our expectations. Craig's job, our home, etc.

Our home will be a work-in-progress for many years to come, but I will show some parts now. We have painted a few rooms, but that's it. We haven't bought new furniture (except a fridge, but that doesn't count) we just brought what we had and are working from there. Our home is bigger than expected so our furniture seems even more insignificant. It was bank owned (but for only 1 month and in very good condition) so we got a steal of a deal! I mean really, we would never be able to own a home like this.

Kendra is learning so fast. She loves to sing songs and dance. She loves to use her new words, she learns at least one a day. At her check up she was almost 50% on height, she was 10% on weight. Her body is super long and her legs are short, her dresses are all above her knees but her pants are always too long. She loves signing time and loves to teach other people how to sign, even her doll, but especially her Grandpa Brinck.

She boycotted the home at first, it took 3 days for her to realize this is where we live now. She loves the open space and uses it to run around, be chased, and play peek-a-boo.

Kendra at 18 months

Front of House

Kendra's Room

Family Room

I swear I'll show more pictures later, these are the walls I've painted so far. The whole house was white when we moved in. So we're adding a little color. This weekend we're putting up shelves in the family room. I hope to do some more vinyl in Kendra's room, I don't like what I've got going on right now. Then I'll post an after picture. As rooms get finished I will post before and afters, and maybe I'll do a video walk through soon. Who knows.

Living Planet Aquarium

2011-02-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

Kendra LOVED the fish and turtles. She had just recently learned the word and sign for fish and was saying it like it was the coolest word ever! She also said and did the sign "birdy" for the penguins. She was running from tank to tank just to point and say fish and then she was down and off to the next one. We went around twice cause she took us through so fast the first time. It was also Saturday which is a wild and crazy busy day for the aquarium so it was tough to weave through all the people as fast as Kendra could. It was windy and raining outside, the perfect day to stay inside and have fun.

All Settled In....Sort of.

2011-02-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of our new apartment, or the presentable parts. Oh and Kendra thought the flash was cool and posed for a few pictures as well.

BIG update

2011-01-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

New Job:
In November, Craig got put on furlough, which is a temporary layoff that most likely will become permanent. After only four months, and moving us all the way to Washington, we lost the job. We found out they hired Craig to get some projects but they didn't get the ones they wanted so they didn't have work for Craig to do.
So we went on another job hunt. It was interesting to have Craig home all day with me. It changed my daily routine, but we got to spend a lot more time together and with my family in Spokane and Colville. Kendra liked having Dad home all day.

He had about 5 interviews in the following two months and about 5 Job offers right after Christmas. Meanwhile, Craig found out he passed his PE (Professional Engineering) Exam. We accepted an offer in the beginning of January who wanted us to start on the 17th. The job that we accepted was back in the Salt Lake Valley. It was kind of a bummer, we met some great friends and were finally getting comfortable. And we had changed our driver licenses to Washington ones, and our car registration. But we felt that was the job we needed to take.

Back To Utah:
So January 14th we loaded up a moving Truck, with the help of Craig's parents. We drove to Boise, stayed the night at my Aunt and Uncle's, then drove to Herriman, UT on the 15th and unloaded the truck at our new apartment. Kendra did so great on the drive, thanks to the help of my mother in law and our new portable DVD player and Toy Story 3 (Kendra's new favorite movie).

I've spent the last week getting things unpacked and settled in. Kendra's been great through this whole process. Now that we have Internet and we're all unpacked, I'll be able to take some pictures of our new place. Also, Craig's Dad took pictures of us loading the truck and stuff that I need to get from him so I can post those as well.

Christmas

2011-01-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

We had a LONG Christmas vacation. It started with a drive to Colville Monday the 20th to visit my parents. Trissa and Gavin joined us there. We had family over, played games, went shopping, did crafts, watched movies and opened presents. Kendra had fun playing with Gavin and Grandma and Grandpa Divis.

We drove to Spokane Wednesday to visit James and his family. We got to see baby Saidie, who is so cute! I got to hold her and I'd forgotten how little newborns are. James got up early with us to drive us to the airport for our flight at 7:00. But we left Craig's wallet at James' house, so he couldn't get through security until James went back and got it. Thanks again James!

We got to Salt Lake City just after 9:00 Thursday morning. Craig went straight to a job interview and Kendra and I relaxed. Christmas eve was spent with Great Grandma Brinck and then off to bed, a little too late for Kendra. She had a horrible night sleep and woke up with a terrible cold. She was miserable all Christmas morning and went down for her first nap at about 8:00AM.

We got to deal with Kendra's cold the whole next week and everyone else who came near her got sick too. Except me, of which I'm very grateful. We were able to visit my Grandparents in Orem which was great and we had lunch with friends while we were in Utah Valley.

We saw Tangled and Voyage of the Dawn Treader and had dinner-date with just Craig and me (we hadn't done that in a long time!) We missed church the first Sunday because Kendra was sick and the next Sunday she screamed the beginning of the last hour and we had to go home early to put her to sleep.

That night at 10pm (UT time) we flew home, well our flight was delayed and we arrived in Spokane at about 11:30(WA time). James and Jordan came to pick us up so that we could drive straight to Richland from the airport.

When we finally got home Kendra slept for like the next two days. She was so glad to be home in her own crib again. Overall though, our vacation was really good, we got really good presents and had a lot of fun with family.

The sad thing is that I brought my camera everywhere we went so I could take pictures and I didn't take it out once! We videoed opening presents but that was it. Sorry. It's just hard to think about taking pictures when everyone is sick and we're doing nothing but watching movies...oh well.

Christmas Pioneer/ Little Red Riding Hood

2010-12-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a loving sis-in-law, Audra, Kendra has a very cute Christmas dress this year. I'd like to have her wear it most of Dec since it can't be worn any other time of year. She got so many comments in church today about either being a pioneer or Little Red Riding Hood. It came with a coat and hat (as seen in photo). The dress looks like the coat without the buttons or sleeves.

Daddy Daughter

2010-11-21T15:57:00.000-08:00

As I was making the previous post I looked over and found this.... Just thought I'd share my moment of happiness!

Craig was playing a video game and Kendra just had to sit in Craig's lap!

All things to be grateful for...

2010-11-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

I am grateful for...

MY FAMILY- My parents for bringing me up in the Gospel, my siblings for being my friends, my in-laws for bringing Craig up in the Gospel, and my husband and daughter for making my life fulfilling and bringing me the greatest joy!

THE GOSPEL- For teaching me about Christ, the Plan of Salvation, the Atonement, and how to return again to Heavenly Father with my family.

THE LAW OF TITHING- To remind me that all things are God's. All blessings, spiritual and temporal, come from him. All things given to the Lord are returned ten fold.

OUR SAVINGS- Living within my means and saving every month has blessed me with peace. And I know that it is there for times of trial and the unexpected things that life ~~may~~ will bring.

OUR EDUCATION- That Craig has his Masters Degree and can support our family. That I was able to get my Bachelors Degree. That learning never really ends.

A FREE COUNTRY- That I have the right to live and practice my religion. That I have the right to vote for leaders and laws where I live.

MY BIKE TRAINER- (I know it sounds odd, but...) I love my trainer! I can work out any time I want! This helps me in so many ways, I get my workout in; which is healthy and balances out my food intake. I also get my stress release, it helps me sleep better and gives me more energy. Craig has been using it too, which is great!

EVERYTHING- I know that's too general but I can't list everything which is why I tried to generalize my list. But I truly am grateful for everything in my life, all things not listed as well. My life is full of joy and happiness and I couldn't ask for more. All the important things in my life, that I can take with me when I die, are great!

Random around the house

2010-11-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Super Kendra brushing her teeth after her bath getting ready for bed. She liked using the towel as a cape.

A walk in Daddy's shoes

The best seat in the house.

Watching Super Readers. The only TV show that keeps her still. She loves it!

Big Vacation!

2010-11-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

So Kendra, Craig and I have had a busy week and a half!

It started with Kendra and me flying down to Utah on Friday for my cousin Jonny's wedding on Sat. Oct 23. Kendra was great on the plane and we met up with my Mom and drove to Orem Friday night.

Saturday morning at 11:00am was the ceremony at the Mt. Timp. Temple. My Mom and I got there in plenty of time, my Grandama Chipman watched Kendra. We drove back to get Kendra for the Luncheon at 1:30pm. Then hung out at my Grandparent's house until the reception that night at 6:30pm. I got to see so much family that I hadn't seen in so long. It was a great reunion-type get-together. I also bumped into my long-time friend Sally!

Sunday was spent at my Grandparents, we went to church and got a visit from my great friend Cassie and her son Kade.

Monday my Mom, Kendra and I headed up to Salt Lake. We had lunch with my Aunt Lyn (my Mom's sister) and got to visit my old co-workers/friends at the U of U. Then I dropped off my Mom at the Airport and headed to my in-laws in South Jordan to spend the rest of the week with Craig's family.

Tuesday I spent a few hours with my friend Katy and her daughter Kayla for a play date. My sis-in-law Nicki and I went on a walk that night and half-way through it started snowing so bad, we weren't dressed well for snow and had to call her Dad, Dennis, to come pick us up.

Wednesday Nicki and I went shopping for her and my Halloween costumes. She was looking for Cat Woman and I was looking for Marilyn Monroe. We were both successful and I had a great time shopping! Pauline, my Mother-in-law, played with Kendra to make up for our time away in Washington.

Thursday started with a walk around the mall (before shops open) with Pauline and her neighbor. Kendra, in the stroller, loved the fast pace walk and all the cool things to look at. Nicki and I took another walk in the evening. Craig got on an early flight and cut our walk short with a call that he was at the airport.

Friday, Craig woke up early to head down town to take his Civil Engineering test for 8 hours. The rest of us (Pauline, Nicki, Dennis, and Lori-Craig's Aunt) went to the Gateway Mall to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum. Kendra's favorite part was the kids land where all adult stuff was the size for her. Little lawn mowers, vacuums, ironing boards, cars, kitchens, etc. She could have spent all day there. When Craig's test was done we went to dinner at Wingers to celebrate. Craig's brother, Cory, his wife Katy, and their daughter Bailey arrived that night to spend the weekend.

Saturday we let the two girls, Kendra and Bailey, play together all day. Then we got in our Halloween costumes to go Trick-or-Treating. (cause it's Utah and it's just a known thing that if Halloween falls on a Sunday you just celebrate it on Saturday). I was Marilyn Monroe, Craig was a Mobster, Cory was a Soccer Player, Katy was Snow White, and the girls were Strawberries! It was bitter cold and raining so we only went to about 6 houses, but it was still fun.

Sunday was church, dinner, and then getting Craig to the airport for his flight home. Also another long walk that night with Nicki (love to walk and talk with you Nicki, great times).

Monday was off to the airport for Kendra and me. We were headed to Denver to spend the day with my sister, Trissa and her son Gavin. Kendra took a nap on the plane. We went to the Denver Zoo and watched Iron Man 2 and ate pizza. Then back to the airport to fly home. Kendra was not happy about flying instead of sleeping in her crib. She slept most of the time but when she wasn't sleeping she was crying, poor girl. We made it home by 11:30pm and went to bed.

I'm glad to be home to my own bed, but we had a great time. Here are the pictures from the trip...

Sally, Me and Kendra

Aunt Jill and Kendra

Cousins Jenna and Ryan

The happy couple

Four Generations

Kendra Dancing at the Reception

She fell asleep when I was making her lunch.

Cousin Bailey

Strawberry Kendra

Halloween

compare

2010-10-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

You probably can't see the little pictures in the scrapbook page I made a long time ago (unless you click on it and zoom), but I just saw a lot of similarities. I'm not sure how old I was, but I think it's pretty close.

My how she's grown!

2010-10-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

Kendra decided she wanted to sit in this chair today and drink her milk. It reminded me of when she would spend almost all day rocking or vibrating in this chair. Now she's too big for it... awe.. the memories!

TV Stand

2010-10-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

It makes me think we need a new TV?

If you knew what we used before you will be happy to know that we threw it out!

Piano

2010-10-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Kendra loves to play on the keyboard. I set her down there and then I can do the dishes!

One Year Photos

2010-09-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some (more to come) of Kendra's one year photos. My sister Trissa's friend offered to take pictures of Kendra and Gavin (my sister's son) for practice and her portfolio. She took these at her house.

Yard Sale STEALS!

2010-09-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Bike Trailer/Jogging Stroller (lightly used, seats two. New $200) Got it for $30

Kitchen Table and Chairs (Solid Wood, could use a refinish is all) Got it for: $60

For under $100 I got what we needed.

Now Craig and I can go on bike rides together, or walks (we only had an umbrella stroller before) and I can go for a run when ever I want!

Before, we were using a card table (my scrap booking one) for our kitchen table and some old DI chairs I used through college. Now Craig can spread out his study books on the table instead of using the floor where Kendra LOVES to help him flip pages. Also we can invite people over. With only 4 chairs before, that left only one left over, now we can invite our friends!

Seattle Trip

2010-09-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

We went to Seattle for Labor Day weekend. We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle in Puyallup. My cousin Rachael and her two boys were visiting as well.

We purchased the Seattle City Pass and were able to do most of the stuff on our list:

Saturday we went to the Pacific Science Center (finding out later we missed half of the exhibits on accident) Then we walked down through Pikes Market along the shoreline on our way to a one hour Harbor Tour. We had dinner on Pier 55. It was late so we headed back to the city center and took a ride to the top of the Space Needle at sunset.

Our family and the boat with the skyline in the background

Craig and Kendra on the Harbor Tour boat

Me and Kendra on the Harbor Tour boat

Kendra and a crazy mirror in the Pacific Science Center

Kendra in the noise making room for toddlers in the PSC

At the top on the Space Needle

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Craig and Kendra at the top of the Space Needle

Me and Kendra on the top on the Space Needle

Sunset on the top of the Space Needle

Kendra looking over the boat on the Harbor Tour

Sunday we went to church (where Kendra had her first real tantrum) We were joined by my brother James and his family for church and Sunday dinner (thank you Aunt Annette for hosting!) The older kids had fun roasting marshmallows in the back yard. Did I mention how beautiful it is out there? Thick green trees surround you everywhere! I guess it's just a huge contrast to the Tri-City area.

Monday we got packed up went to the Museum of Flight. We lost Kendra's Binky in the exhibit somewhere. We haven't used a Binky since...she doesn't seem to miss it at all. Then we were going to head back down to Pikes Market and the Aquarium. The weather was pretty cold and rainy and when we got there decided that spending $20 for parking wasn't worth it for a half day of things we'd already seen. So we ended up driving home (Kendra slept almost the whole time, I think the weekend wiped her out). We rented a redbox movie and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Kendra as an astronaut

Kendra driving a helicopter

Kendra flying a plane

Close up on the pilot

(Sorry the pictures are kind of out of order. I don't know how to fix them, oh well.)

Kendra's Birthday Party

2010-08-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

Kendra's first birthday party. Her birthday is not 'till the 9th of Sep. but we did her party early up in Spokane with my family. We combined her party and my 24th birthday party. It was more for her though.

Kendra and a tissue box (Idea from Hillary Divis). But I think I used the wrong kind of box, the tissues were so crammed in there that she couldn't pull them out without ripping them. On her actual birthday we'll get the right kind of box

Kendra unwrapping her gifts

A little sugar rush

Kendra Eating her Giant cupcake! She dug right in!

Kendra's favorite toy (from Grandma and Grandpa Divs, and William), She gets the biggest smile on her face when she plays with it. She cuddles it and carries it around everywhere. It talks to her when she moves it. It's loud and annoying but she loves it!

birthday gift!

2010-08-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

Bike trainer! (Turns my bike into a stationary bike.)

This way I can ride my bike through the winter, through all my pregnancies, during Kendra's naps and at night if I want. It's really quiet and I can watch TV and still not wake Kendra up! It stores way small and it's easy to set up and take down (takes like 2 minutes). It was pretty expensive, but with all my birthday money pitched in, it wasn't too bad.

( It looks so cool, huh? All neon green and such. I love it!)

Nap time

2010-08-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today I went in to put a blanket on Kendra after she fell asleep for her nap....and this is what I found! I then tried to move her legs back into the crib, they were so wedged in there that Craig had to help me and it woke Kendra up. She went back to sleep pretty quick though, now that her legs were free.

P.S. Please ignore the boxes in her room, we have no storage in this apartment, her room has doubled as a storage room.

New Desk

2010-08-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Because Craig's Ikea desk was completely destroyed in the move (it came back in broken pieces) we needed a new desk. We went desk shopping and found out how expensive desks can be. We decided to just go with the walmart "trying to look expensive" desk. We like it and it serves our purposes nicely!

Kendra walking!

2010-08-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

So, when our appartment was totally empty we used it to our advantage. Kendra loved going on box rides and she learned how to walk in the open space. This was around July 24th and 25th.

Boating on Utah Lake

2010-08-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

We took Kendra on a little boat right in the bay, we're not sure how she felt about it.

July 16th we went to Utah Lake. Craig went out with his Dad, sister, and Dustin first, while Kendra, Craig's Mom and I stayed on shore. We filled a little baby raft with water and let Kendra slash. It was about 100 degrees that day!! Then we took her to the shallow water and let her kick her feet (that was her favorite). When Craig got back it was my turn. I had my best ever wake boarding! The water was perfect! Kendra enjoyed the day so much she didn't take a nap all day! We dropped Dustin off with a friend in Provo and then headed back home to meet the movers.

The Zoo!

2010-08-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

Kendra Loved the ostrage, they came up right to the fence and were eating some bark.

Kendra with Dad and the giraffes

July 14th we went to the Hogle Zoo. Craig didn't have the work the whole week so we took advantage.

Camping at the Cabin

2010-08-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

Four wheeling

Kendra in her camping gear

Kendra Playing with a flashlight

Craig's family's vacation was spent at their Grandpa Bushell's cabin July 8th-10th. Craig, Kendra, Dennis (Craig's Dad) and I all went up Thursday afternoon and were joined my everyone else Friday mid-morning. We stayed until Saturday afternoon. It was a lot of fun and the weather was good (just a couple of quick warm rain storms). The only problem was in the night, both babies played off each other and we didn't get much sleep, oh well.

What a relief! (long post, sorry)

2010-07-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

First: Always listen to the spirit.
Second: "Come what may and love it" Joseph B. Wirthlin
Third: Don't second guess "Things will work out" Gordon B. Hinckley
Fourth: Give thanks!

First:
When Craig finished his masters degree December 2009 we began looking for new work. His current job just wasn't paying enough and he wanted to see if he was worth more than that. After 6 months of searching we were beginning to believe his current job was the best we were going to get. Then an opportunity came up in Richland, WA. We prayed about it and felt we should take the job. So we gave our two weeks notice and began the preparations to move.

With only two weeks to find a company to move us and an apartment to stay in, I was getting stressed. Luckily the moving company had a slot open and an apartment had a last minute cancellation. (All the other apartments were at capacity until Aug 1st or later) I felt like things were just working out. The quote from the moving company was good and they even said they'd pack us. Because we didn't have to pack we decided to take the last week and a half to play and do things we hadn't yet done in the Salt Lake area, Dustin also came to visit and help us drive to Richland (Pictures to come).

Second:
We were scheduled to move Friday night but we went boating that day anyway. We got to our apartment after the moving company said they'd be there and no one was. I called and they said they were running a little late... 3 1/2 hours later two moving guys arrived. Apparently they didn't know they were supposed to pack us as well. (this is at 8:30pm) So they began packing us and being the nice guys they were, after they packed the master bedroom, said that we'd reach the quote amount on the packing portion. (The lady who gave us the quote was so far off!!!) We were suddenly in a crisis situation. (it's 9:30pm now) Luckily Craig's whole family was upstairs at our 'going away party'. We enlisted everyone (who wasn't taking care of babies) to help us pack up the rest of the house. By midnight everyone had to get going home and by 1:30am the papers were signed 40% paid and the truck finally left.

I thought this was going to be the only crisis we'd have to deal with...but I was wrong.

Our second, older, car broke down in Boise, ID on our drive up to Richland. It's been running perfect and then it just stopped and wouldn't start again. We called a car hauling company to get it to Richland. (there goes another wad of money) Then Dustin spoke about a talk he had given the week before on Joseph B Wirthlin's talk "Come what may and love it" and we put smiles on our faces and laughed about our situation. We crammed all we could into our Focus and drove the rest of the way. We arrived at 11:30pm.

Third:
When our second car broke down I was thinking " Someone doesn't want us to get to Richland. Did we make the right choice?" Then Monday Craig started work. He got home not sure about the job and wondering again if we made the right decision. Tuesday we got a call from one (actually like 3) of his co-workers from his previous job. They closed down the whole Salt Lake office Monday and everyone lost their jobs!!! "Oh my goodness" was all I could think! If we hadn't listen to the Lord we would be out of a job! Things did work out, we didn't even begin to understand how bad it would have been.

Fourth:
I'm just so grateful that the Lord watches out for us. He knows our needs and our situations better than we do. Sometimes you have to step into the darkness, even when it seems gloomy, and then he sheds his light on the path. This may not have been the choice we would have made but I'm glad the Lord knows what he's doing because I don't!

Moving to Richland Washington!!

2010-07-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Well I'm totally stoked!!

Richland is part of the tri-city area in south central Washington. My parents live near Spokane about a 2 1/2 - 3 hour drive. This is bad for Craig's family; as I pointed out earlier: to be closer to one is to be farther from the other. Sad, I know.

When we received the offer we just couldn't believe it. All I'm going to say is that the offer was good enough that we are willing to move to the largest nuclear waste dump in America.

I'm glad we were able to find this opportunity. What amazes me most is that they completely switched the job around to change it to Craig's qualifications!! We're not sure why, but I think it's because Craig is just so great, and someone is finally appreciating him. It all feels too good to be true. And maybe it is... but I'm willing to explore this opportunity to find out.

Our start date is scheduled for July 19th!! I know it's coming up fast! I have to pack in less than two weeks. The good thing is that they will reimburse us for moving expenses, so we're hiring a moving company to load and haul and unload our stuff up there.

I also have to find a place for us to live, and hope they have availability in two weeks. I'm going to be making a lot of calls today to apartments and moving companies to see if I can find the best ones for the best price.

I know that Heavenly Father watches over us and cares about the small and big things going on in our lives. He protects us and guides us and most of all teaches us. Even though it took 7 months to find this job I'm glad we found something close to family and one that will provide well for our needs. I'm so blessed and I try every day to live worthy of these blessings and I hope that by Jesus Christ's grace he will make up the difference.

Washington Vacation

2010-07-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

We went to visit my family in Washington and because my brother is leaving on his mission in July we took family pictures. Our family won't all be back together for another 3 years.

Play Date

2010-06-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Katy and I go swimming with our two girls on Tuesdays sometimes. Then our girls play together, or one sleeps while the other plays or both sleep... anyway, it's usually my time to talk to Katy and have a good friend to friend talk. We have such a great time having lunch together, here's a picture of Katy's daughter Kayla and Kendra playing.

I miss my family

2010-06-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

I moved away when I was 17 just after high school. That was 2004. I've tried to come home as much as possible throughout the years but I find I still missed out on a lot of family things. My brothers went from little boys to men, and now our family has grown with many new additions (a niece and nephews and in-laws).

At times I deal with my home sickness well, but days like today make my heart ache. After a week at home for vacation I feel recharged and ready to get back to reality, but it doesn't take long before the longing for home returns.

I talk on the phone with family and it seems to make me miss them more. I read blogs about all the fun they are having together and I wish I were there. I know I am blessed to see them as often as I do, knowing others have it tougher; but, I still can't shake the feeling.

It's difficult when Craig's family lives so far from mine. To live close to one is to be far from the other. I want Kendra to enjoy both families, and I want both families to get to know Kendra. But in the end, where we live will probably depend on where the job is. Even if I could choose where to live it would be difficult to decide.

When I feel this torn I wish magic were real. I wish that we could travel by floo powder, like Harry Potter, and distance wouldn't matter. I know that families are forever and that we have eternity to spend with family, but family is important in this life too.

I hope that wherever life takes Craig, Kendra, and me, I will still be able to be in my and Craig's family's lives. I know that even if we're far apart, we will still love our families just the same. I'm grateful for the wonderful family I have and the great family I married into. I hope life will give us plenty of opportunities to make beautiful memories with both families.

Triathlon post #2

2010-06-09T15:47:00.003-07:00

Before the race

Kendra my inspiration

Craig getting ready to get into the water

Nicki and Me starting the race

Bridge overlooking the swim

Me in the swim

Craig Exiting the water

Me exiting the water

Craig on his bike

Me on the Bike

Transition to the run for me

Transition

Running shoes

Craig finished playing with Kendra

Kendra playing with the cow bell

Me coming up on the finish line with Kendra

Finished!

Resting with Kendra after

Kendra exhausted from a long day

Triathlon post #1

2010-06-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, we brought our camera but forgot an SD card... So Craig's family (Mom, Dad, Aunt, and Uncle) took pictures for us. I haven't got these pictures from them yet so I don't have any to post. I will post pictures as soon as I get them.

I've been training for about 8 months for this triathlon, slow and steady. I went from walking for a half hour a day 3 days a week to training hard an hour or more a day 5 days a week. The reason I decided to do a triathlon was for a goal. When I set a goal, I have to achieve it. My goals were to return to my pre-pregnancy weight by the date of the triathlon. Also, my other goal was to finish the triathlon in less than 1 hour 45 min and to not walk.

I am proud to announce that I have met all my goals! I got pregnant at 152 lbs and am now 150 lbs. (I know, why would I admit my weight to the world!?!) I finished the triathlon in 1 hr and 42 min. And despite the huge hill in the last 1/2 mile of the run, I did not walk!!

I told Craig I wanted to run across the finish line holding Kendra. We did the hand off at about 50 yards and I ran with her the rest of the way. This was to show that it is possible to finish a triathlon with a 9 month old baby!

Craig and his sister also did the triathlon. Craig didn't train as he usually does for this race, he did it to support me. Despite his lack of training I think he did well, not his personal best but faster than me by far. His sister also didn't train much, about a month before is all. And despite this, she did awesome! She placed 6th in our age group! Can you believe that! She even had to stop on the bike to put her chain back on! She also did the run faster than Craig, what an animal! Congrats to her! I finished 14th in our age group but I feel great about that.

It's nice to have achieved this huge goal. It's a good thing I made this goal; Kendra never stops moving and if I wasn't in shape, I would never be able to keep up with her. I'm so grateful for Craig's support, motivation, and encouragement. I love my family and I want to always stay healthy for them and myself.

Vacation

2010-05-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

We took a 3 night vacation down to Moab Utah. We rented a cabin and spent two days hiking Arches National Park. The days before and after we spent traveling. It's a four hour drive one way (without stopping) but Kendra didn't like being in the car that long so we took a 45 min break to walk around and get some of her energy out. These photos are in order of occurrence.

We started our adventures with an easy walk around Balanced Rock

Craig had Kendra on his back most of the time.

We then ventured to a longer walk to Double Arch. The last part was too steep so we took turns standing under the arch.

Craig

Kendra and me in front of the arch.

We tried to explore the Devil's Garden, we got to Landscape Arch when Craig noticed Kendra out cold in the pack. But, the way I walk seems to bounce her quite a lot. Her head kept bouncing from side to side. We decided to take her out and carry her in our arms (still asleep) back to the car. In our haste we forgot to take a picture of the monument. The wind was fierce as we exited the cliffs and Kendra eventually woke up.

Because of Kendra's narcoleptic behavior we decided to be done hiking for the first day.

We woke up the next day bright and early to hit Delicate Arch as the sun was rising. We were up and back down in an hour and a half. Boy was it windy!

Again because of the danger we didn't take Kendra down to the arch, but if you look closely you can see me under the arch

After going back to the cabin for breakfast and a nap, we saw the matinée of the new Shrek movie.

We then went back into the park for more hiking! We planned it this way because it's much cooler in the mornings and evenings. It's best not to hike in the heat of the day with a baby.

We started our evening hikes with Park Avenue. Kendra LOVED IT! She was talking and smiling the whole time.

This is an overview of Park Avenue

This is The Organ

On to The Windows. This is the North Window

The South Window (on the right) is hidden by this rock in the middle and we almost didn't go over there! But I followed the path and we discovered the other one

This is the Turret Arch

And of course our last stop, probably should have been the first...in front of the sign!

Kendra and me in the cabin

Kendra driving us home. (Craig got sleepy and needed a break)

Before and After

2010-05-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

Kendra got her second haircut yesterday, she was in need of some bangs.

Before

After

Today

Raspberries and walking

2010-05-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Two of Kendra's favorite things to do...

Blog updates

2010-04-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

So as some of you may have noticed, I've made some changes to my blog. As you can see I have a new link to our wedding book my Dad made. Because we started this blog after we were married we never had any of our wedding photos on here. These are to be enjoyed by anyone who has a moment to spare.

Also, I had a section for my "Quote of the week" but I don't really care if it's there for a week or more... the idea is it's a quote that has to do with what I'm feeling/thinking at the moment, so I've changed it to be my "Quote of the moment" because it seemed more accurate.

Officially Crawling!

2010-04-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

Kendra's been trying really hard for the past few weeks and over the last few days she's mastered it. She crawls and climbs everywhere! If I leave the room for one second, I hear an excited squeal which means she's found something to stand next to.

She does this thing with her pacifier that is just hilarious. I'm not sure if it's going to be a hazard when her mouth gets bigger. We hope she'll be off the pacifier by then.

So close!

2010-04-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

I did a ponytail in Kendra's hair, with bangs! I thought it was cute! I don't do her hair very often.

Over the past two weeks Kendra has been trying to crawl. Even though this new skill will make things a little busier for me, it's exciting to see her learn so fast. I know I'm just going to look up in the next couple of days and see her crawling.

Patience

2010-04-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

"We wait for things which at the time may appear so right and so good to us that we can’t possibly imagine why Heavenly Father would delay the answer....The answer didn’t come immediately. But eventually I learned that God’s promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways." --President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (April 2010, Priesthood session)

I've had to learn a lesson on patience in the past few months, well I'm still struggling actually. Craig graduated with his Masters Degree in December and we set out searching for a new and better job for Craig to make a career out of. One that would pay enough for us to settle down and buy a home.

We'd been told since we were young that if you sacrificed now, it would pay off in the end. To us that meant, get done with college fast and well,while trying not to get into debt. Not to mention keeping the commandments as best we can as well. By sacrificing time and money now, in the pursuit of a degree, we would get a better job with better pay later.

Well I feel like it's 'later' and things aren't coming together. Friends and family around us are getting good jobs and buying homes, and here we sit not progressing at all. Now, the economy isn't what it used to be but still. We feel we've done it all the right way, shouldn't we get the reward?

But as I read President Uchtdorf's talk, I realized I wanted the rewards on my time. Apparently the Lord's time is a little different. I still believe the rewards will come, I just have to make the best of my life right now, even if that means not getting what I think we deserve. A good, higher-paying job and a nice inexpensive home is waiting for us out there somewhere, I just have to wait a little longer.

I love coupons!

2010-04-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well actually I wish I could just get deals without using coupons, but because this world isn't perfect I enjoy receiving coupons that are really a good deal.

I got two sets of coupons in the mail from Sears Portrait Studio. One was for $5.00 and the other was $7.00 both with additional free prints as well. Kendra had just turned 6 months so we decided to get some more family photos. I figured for this price I couldn't print pictures for that cheap.

Kendra is a natural! She is so Photogenic! Because we did the cheap package we only got one pose of our family. oh well, who needs more than that anyway?

This one was a free character collage. It'll be a cute bathroom photo. Don't you just love the look on her face in the tub?

Don't you just love the crinkle nose!

Kendra looks like such a big girl!

Trissa and Gavin over for a visit!

2010-04-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

Gavin's big smile

Kendra trying to crawl (she's so close!)

Kendra and Gavin playing tug-a-war

Gavin helping Kendra put the toy in her mouth (like she needs help with that)

Olive Garden Lunch

Gavin shared his bread stick with Kendra, she liked to slobber on it

Gavin with his bread stick

Trissa and Gavin at the table

Easter

2010-04-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Craig surprised me two days before Easter with these flowers. The lily's weren't bloomed yet. He bought it that way so I could watch them bloom over the Easter weekend.

Kendra next to the life-size Duck!

Kendra's Easter basket. (I helped her eat her candy...I mean I ate all her candy... really I got it for me anyway!)

Cousins

2010-03-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is Kendra with her cousin, Bailey (on Craig's side). These two were born about two weeks apart. They were playing at their Grandma Brinck's house the other weekend. It was fun to watch them interact. Kendra was going crazy with her odd screeches, coughs and grunts. She loves playing with other kids. Too bad we don't get to play more often :(

Forts, Inventions, Sleeping Positions, and Go Utes!

2010-03-30T12:25:00.001-07:00

Kendra hasn't crawled quite yet, but she sure does get around the room quickly. She rolls and scoots and rotates all over the place. Her favorite places to go are under the couch or chairs. She seems to like the cover. We think she's going to love making forts!

Because Kendra spits up all the time I've been pushed into inventing. She spits up on her bed sheets and I feel like i'm changing them every day! I used to just put a spit rag under her head while she slept, but now she moves and grabs so it's not safe anymore. So Craig's Aunt and I made this yesterday. A burp rag that stays put! Now I just have to change and wash these.

Kendra passed out while watching Craig play video games on Saturday morning. Her butt was up in the air and it was so cute I just had to take a picture!

Craig put his hat on Kendra and she loved it. I think she just likes getting her picture taken.

Video

2010-03-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

They always say kids grow up too fast and I thought I knew what that meant. Now that Kendra is 6 months old I can't believe it's been that long! She is such a little girl now, not just a baby. She rolls over every direction, she can sit up on her own (she topples over every other minute, but still) and she loves to hold just your hands and stand on her own. She is always laughing, talking, or making some kind of noise. She's really happy all the time, unless she's tired, then she's a nightmare! It feels like she's on the verge of crawling and pulling herself up on things. Craig and I need to baby proof now so that we are prepared when she does.

We've been using our video camera more these days so I tend to have more videos than pictures lately. But I think to catch Kendra's personality you have to get her on video.

She got her hair cut, just in the back. It was all uneven and looked homeless. It's cut into a cute bob now. It's not a very exciting video but it's a must have.

She got a new jumper gym and she loves it, she's really cute in it.

Enjoy

Squash

2010-03-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we fed Kendra and she actually ate baby food. We knew later that some of it when down because her spit up the rest of the day was tinted orange. She will be six months tomorrow and we're hoping to make baby food and a bottle at least part of her daily diet by the end of the month. Wish us luck!

weight lifted

2010-02-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

well... the deed is done. It was a lot easier than I thought and everything worked out great. I don't know what I was so afraid of. The thing I thought of last night that helped me, was: who do I fear most, God or man? The answer was easy. Thanks everyone for your support!

Divine Intervention?

2010-02-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

I pose this question without any particular detail but I kind of want to express my thoughts anyway. There are times in my life that I pray for Heavenly Father to tell me what to do. I usually have two choices and I say "which one's better?" But the answer usually doesn't come. Which usually means the answer is that I have to choose one and then ask if I made the right choice. But, a lot of the times it means that both choices are good, and it doesn't matter which one I choose.

But....Sometimes I get answers to questions I haven't asked. These answers are clear and tell me exactly what I should do. One example of this is early 2007, I was reading the scriptures probably about war or something and an impression came to my mind. It said, go part-time at work. Now, at this time in my life I was going to school full-time and working full-time. I thought this was working out fine. I didn't have much of a social life, but I was dealing with it. So this impression came as sort of a shock. But out of fear more than anything else I obeyed.

In retrospect I'm really glad I did. This was the year that I met and married my husband. Had I continued full-time at work I probably would have had to declined more dates that Craig had asked me out on. (I had said no 3 times due to an over-booked schedule)

So currently I have had another similar impression. One that shocks me. Out of the blue i'm told to do something, or really not to do something. It goes against logic in some ways. Logic is what I used to decide to do this said thing. But more than anything I'm afraid of what might happen if I ignore this powerful prompting. There are some complications in my decision though. I've sort of made a commitment. How do I explain that I'm no longer going to do what I said I would do? Do I say, "Well, God told me not to"? As I struggle with the 'How' question I hope I have the strength to do the right thing regardless. Even if I don't understand why now.

Tricks!

2010-02-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

So my last post said that Kendra is rolling over, so I decided to get it on video. We got her to roll from back to front to back again!

New Progress

2010-01-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

Ever since Kendra learned how to roll from back to front, she does it all the time. This is how I found her this morning. Yesterday during her nap I found her like this but one of her legs got stuck between the bars. She was grunting cause she couldn't move.

Good morning sunshine!

The good thing about this new development is she can now play with more of her toys. This one makes lots of noise, she loves it.

The bad thing is I usually don't give her belly-time until about an hour after eating or she spits up everywhere, now there's nothing I can do but watch for spits. Now I don't have to ever schedule belly time again, she gets plenty of it throughout the day.

Sleeping Beauty, Hair Cut extreeme

2010-01-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

Sleeping Beauty

So I decided one day to go get my hair cut short. I donated 8 inches to locks of love. My hair was falling out in wads after having Kendra. I was finding hair every where and I was sick of it.

flip flop Kendra

2010-01-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

I haven't written in a while and I thought that after all the post of just pictures I should write about things I can't take pictures of.

I thought I was so lucky when Kendra started sleeping through the night at 2 1/2 months. She had also been taking a bottle for about a month and things were going really well. When she hit three months I had finally started sleeping through the night as well and started feeling like a normal person again.

We put Kendra on the bottle early so she could have one on the plane. But I guess giving her a bottle once a week wasn't enough. About two weeks before we left for Washington, she refused to take the bottle at all. I didn't know what I was going to do on the plane, breast feed? I wasn't that great about concealing myself in public so that wasn't my plan. We decided to try and give her a bottle and if it didn't work, hope the Binky did the job. But the last five minutes of landing she was screaming in pain because she wouldn't suck on anything! It could have been worse, she didn't make any fuss except for that. So in Washington, Craig got a cold, and then gave it to Kendra. This cold messed up her sleeping through the night pattern.

On the return flight she took a bottle enough that there was no screaming, thank goodness. I've always dreaded being the person on the plane with a baby that everyone hates. I was hoping that once her cold was gone and we were back home on our normal schedule again that Kendra would slip back into her sleeping through the night pattern. No can do! All the books I've read say that by four months your baby should be sleeping through the night. Well I guess she was, but now she's not. And this is the reason for the title of my post. She has flip flopped.

2010-01-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

New Years Family Pictures

2010-01-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

Kendra's Big smile

Family Pictures

2009-12-27T15:35:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve

Jordan's wedding

Christmas

2009-12-08T07:56:00.001-08:00

Countdown to Christmas

This countdown I got from my Grandma Chipman who got this from her relief society. Its scrap booked magnets on a muffin pan. You put candy in the cups and each day you uncover the treat.

3 foot Mini Christmas Tree

Craig's mom had this mini tree from when they first got married. Because Craig and I didn't have a tree, she let us borrow it. Lori (from Upstairs) provided me with the decorations. I don't think it looks too bad. For our first tree at least.

New Hair Do

2009-12-03T13:48:00.001-08:00

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