Gibberish to English

Well, Brynlee still does gibber gabber ALL THE TIME, but some of her words are starting to sound like English! It's funny that I'm sad about this b/c I love her little language so much. But it is so nice to be able to understand her a little to know what she wants and needs. Here are a few of the words she knows:

Thank You
Bye Bye
See ya Soon
Hallow! (Hello)
Peek a Boo
Where are you
Lots of animal names and sounds (cow, dog, duck, horse, sheep, lion)
Rob (I accidentally taught her this. Maybe I should start calling him "Dad)
Grandpa
Grandma
Cracker
Candy
Rudy & Abby (Rob's dog's names. Every dog is Rudy)
Bath
Uh-oh
Please
Show
O.K.

Brynlee is VERY good at saying please and thank you without us prompting her to. She is such polite little girl, and is learning so much!

Colorado & Costume

First of all I wanted to brag about how stinkin' cute Brynlee is for Halloween this year! I am so glad I chose sock hop. Mainly b/c of the glasses! She loves to wear them and leaves them on for the most part. I'm proud of my homemade skirt, and I think she would catch any little man's attention at a dance :)

 I had the chance to go visit sisters in CO with my parents this last month. It was so much fun, and was so nice to take a vacation from our own life and have some fun. Brynlee discovered how to dip things. She dips everything now! She loves ketchup so much she decided to drink it once her fries were gone. She even dipped her cookie in the ketchup I had on my hot dog the other night.... uh... gross!

 Brynlee and Liam had a lot of fun catching up and playing. We wish they lived closer!

It was a fun trip! We hope to be able to visit again soon! Thanks Mom & Dad for letting us tag along :)

Josh

My mind has been racing this week. One of my best friends from college went into the hospital this week b/c he was having some issues. They found bleeding in the brain and did surgery.  During the surgery they removed a tennis ball sized tumor from his brain. They weren't sure if the tumor was malignant or benign. The tests came back saying it is the most aggressive kind of tumor you can have. He has a sweet wife, a one year old boy, and another little boy due in a week. He has been attending Palmer Chiropractic School for the past year.

I don't think there have been many moments I haven't been thinking about them. I can't believe what they're going through and what they must be feeling. I've been receiving updates on his condition and I'm amazed at the attitude and strength he has. Most of the things he has been saying have been uplifting and full of gratitude. Including things about his testimony, gratitude for the priesthood, etc. It's during times like these that I am humbled and think maybe my problems aren't as bad as I thought.

Even though this isn't happening to my husband, I have reflected even more on the atonement of Jesus Christ and what the Gospel means to me. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows us so intimately and can give us the peace we need to get through the hard things we face. I am so grateful for my eternal family and the blessings of the temple. Though we go through things we don't know how in the world we'll get through them, somehow we do. And we are never alone. Please keep their family in your prayers.

Twenty-Five

Today I turn 25 years old. I don't feel old by any means, but 25 years means I've lived for a quarter of a century! Kind of fun to think about. Well, I've been thinking a lot about all of the things that I've learned throughout my 25 years, and there are a lot! In honor of my birthday I will share 25 of them with you :)

1. Don't bug your big sister in the bathroom- you'll get your teeth kicked out and your eyebrows shaved off.
2. Families are forever.
3. "Home is where my Mother is"
4. Playing kissing tag only results in being punched in the nose.
5. You can have more than one best friend.
6. Working as a team can accomplish so much more than working alone.
7. It's ok to cry when bearing your testimony. Nobody remembers anyway.
8. The Atonement is real.
9. Yes, if you stick an M&M up your nose, it will indeed melt.
10. If you have a thought to serve someone, follow it.
11. When you're sad about something, have a good cry and let it all out- then move on. Holding it in is too much work and too painful.
12. Laugh at yourself when you make mistakes.
13. You don't need an ACL. After replacing it 3 times, you learn to live without.
14.Treat your family better than anyone- they are the ones you'll be with forever.
15. Having a frosting fight is worth the clean up- most of the time.
16. Being a Mom is the greatest job and reward!
17. NEVER eat a spoon full of cinnamon!!!
18. Live in the moment, not in the future. Don't continually wish for things in the future, enjoy what you're doing now.
19. Going to the temple regularly is essential to spiritual self-reliance and happiness.
20. Go on regular date nights- especially after you have children.
21. Communicate! In every way, especially with your spouse. It takes more than a lifetime to learn to    communicate well.
22. When your daughter poops in the bathtub, don't try to shove it down the drain. Scoop it out.
23. If you're going to start a tickle fight or wrestling with your husband, remember he's much stronger than you are... is it worth it?
24. Take time to play with your children. Time passes way too quickly.
25.  Come What May and Love It

September Happenings

Some blog posts don't have a theme to them. This is one of those posts. I have just taken a couple of fun pictures of Brynlee the past few weeks and thought I'd share and document. We were excited to get all dressed up in our BYU attire for the big BYU Texas football game last week. I think she makes a pretty cute lil' cougar if I do say so myself. 

 The past few weeks Brynlee has decided that one of her new favorite things to do is pull my shirts off their hangers in the closet and carry them around, and sometimes put them on :) This is one she did all by herself. She has also put on one of my sports bras and wore it for a few hours before we took it off to eat. What a hoot :)

 And this last picture is one I've been meaning to take for quite a while. Brynlee's room is very unique. Why, you ask? Well, b/c I made it myself. She sleeps in the storage room! Our apt only has a master bedroom, and though it worked to have her in with us for 6 months or so, Mom and Dad wanted lil' miss Brynlee out. I bought some fabric and hung it along the wall to cover up as much of the cement walls as I could. The B on her dresser is something I made for her before she was born. We were even able to fit in a cute purple rug (not pictured), and I made some tissue pom poms to add color and decor. I am quite pleased! And the best part is Mommy, Daddy, and Brynlee all sleep SOOO much better at night!

Camping

We had so much fun going camping as our last hoorah before school started again for Rob. This was also Brynlee's first time camping. We were going to get down and dirty in tents, but b/c of the heavy rain forecast we relocated to some quaint little cabins in Coalville. We stayed perfectly warm and dry :)

 Brynlee had no shortage of fun or attention. She had people begging to walk around with her. It was quite relaxing for Rob and I- no complaints here. And I think that smile is evidence of how much fun she had.

 We also had fun playing all sorts of games with the football, soccer ball, and frisbee. We have an inkling that Brynlee will be some kind of baller- soccer or basketball. She is always carrying around a ball if there is one available.

My favorite part of the trip was roasting marshmallows and making Reese's s'mores! Yum! If you've never tried it... shame on you! Go get some supplies and try it before the weather gets cold! You will be converted to a new way of s'mores. 

Reaching Out

I came across this quote by President Hinckley tonight while reading a book I have, "One Bright Shining Hope."

"Reach out to help one another. All of us need help from time to time. We need encouragement. We need friends who will stand by us through thick and thin. I ask each of you to be that kind of friend."

I love this! I could not go through this life on my own. I am so grateful for the people in my life who lend helping hands. Especially at harder times in my life, I am so grateful for my family and friends who do so much for me. Whether you live around the corner or across the country I am blessed by all you do for me! I have felt all the prayers in our behalf at this time, and the love I feel from those in my life is so powerful. 

I truly believe that the Lord at times sends specific people into our lives at the perfect time to help us through something. I have a friend that has been that person for me through the past few weeks. She knows very little about me, yet she has been the first to offer to take Brynlee, to bring me remedies for sickness, to be a listening ear, to hug me when I cry, and to spread her contagious happiness for life. 

I am so grateful that the Lord is so mindful of us, and knows exactly what we need in times of trial- even before we know the trial is coming. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be strengthened through tribulation. And he doesn't want us to feel alone. I hope every single one of my family and friends knows that at one time or another, you have been the friend that the Lord has sent me to help me. I feel so blessed!