Briggety Brigg

Somebody really loves gum!
Yes it's the good kind!!

Our little Brigg turned 4 on the nineth! He is such a funny kid and makes us laugh daily with his sayings, actions, and quirks. Here are a few of them:

• "Mom, you're in for it"
• At our ward Christmas party he whispers in my ear, "I'm ready to get out of here"
• He's a squatter; on the toilet when he goes to the bathroom,on the counter when he brushes his teeth, when he plays
• "There's a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy", I think he got that from Yo Gabba Gabba
  

When we decorated for Christmas I put some different sized jars on our buffet with candy in them. Brigg would constantly climb on it and sneak some chocolate kisses. Finally after a few days of this happening more frequently (and finding 5 in his bed, no wonder we can't get him to sleep!) I hid them so when he woke up they weren't there. Then this is what happened next,

Brigg- "Mom where are the chocolate kisses? "

Mom- "I had to hide them because you kept getting into them without asking"

Brigg- "I need to tell you something"

So I walk over to him.

Brigg-" No, down here" pointing downward. So I bent down thinking he wanted to tell me a secret. He then proceeded to grab the front collar of my shirt and say with his teeth clenched

"When I say give me the chocolate kisses, you give me the chocolate kisses!"

I was so stunned by the whole thing that I was almost speechless. My 4 year old was acting like a mobster and threatening me! So I had to try real hard not to burst out laughing. I grabbed the front of his collar and said with as much seriousness as I could muster, "When you say you want a chocolate kiss, you don't get a chocolate kiss, you ask me nicely for a chocolate kiss and you don't grab mom's shirt." He later said sorry.

• He loves going to the car wash so much and even finds things around the house to play car wash calling them "the Matic 2000". Not even sure where he came up with that one. He will make me put my head in his car wash or crawl through his car wash as he swishes a hand towel or string back and forth.
• "Mom you're my best friend" I love when he says this.
• He always finds the beauty in things and tells the girls when they curl their hair that they look "beautiful".
• He can burp on command.
• He loves string and calls it his rope-ige, and he hangs things from the stair rails so you can't go down the stairs without getting hit by something

The list could go on and on! We love this little ball of energy and imagination! He gives awesome hugs and kisses but only few get to kiss him back like MOM!! He's my little buddy when all the other kids are at school and for that I am grateful! I love you Brigg!!!

BURRRRRR!

It is so stinkin cold here right now! Yesterday was trash day, so knowing that I would only be outside for maybe 30 seconds, I slipped on the flip flops that I keep by the garage door. BIG mistake! I ran out and pulled the large can out to the road and it was like my toes had FLASH FROZE! You know when you want to get your coke cold really fast and so you put it in the freezer for a few minutes, well I know how that coke feels now!! OUCH! My toes hurt by the time I walked in the house and hurried to the fireplace to thaw those piggies. I don't think the temperature got above 15 degrees yesterday(at least that's what my car said)! That's a bit of an eye opener! Welcome to Colorado! BURRRRRRR!

Our Traditional Red Breakfast

The made to perfection, ebelskewers.
Not sure exactly what the big deal is but he's happy to be apart.

The morning crew.

Wow, here we are at December 1st already! My kids look forward to this day as the year comes to an end. Every December first we have what we call our "Red Breakfast". This is due to red plates and cups that we use. Why red you say? Well red is the first color of Christmas, symbolizing the Savior's sacrifice for all. But along with the red dishes, we traditionally have Ebelskewers. Dec. 1st is the only day of the year that we make them so that makes it fun. Rich's ancestors came from Denmark and so that is where the ebelskewers come into play. They are like a pancake that is shaped in a ball. Of course we make hash browns, bacon, fresh strawberries, and whatever else we can get done before the older girls are off to seminary. And let me tell you getting up at 5:45 to start it all was not my favorite part but seeing the kids excited and anxious was. And I have to give some credit to Rich, because even though it took him 30 minutes just to make the batter, he made every ebelskewer perfect and they were delicious!

Here and There

My pics were suppose to be at the end of the blog but I forgot what I was doing and they ended up first. I guess it has been too long since I did all this.

The boys after Cade's class program.
Proud pilgram.

Cade in the back with the striped shirt.

Raegan and Halli in there costumes. In case you can't tell, Raegan is a gypsy and Halli, obvious.

My little devil!

My stinkin cute kids!!

I know, I know. I promised that I would stay on top of my blog. I honestly don't know how time slips by so quickly. So here's what we've been up to since end of Sept. I took a road trip with the kids to AZ to visit the fam. Thank you to all who helped make that possible and you know who you are! We had such a great time! I was able to spend time with my dad who had spent the last 5 weeks in the hospital recovering from two surgeries. My sister Jodi (who has 8 kids of her own) was kind enough to let us crash at her house for a few days. I helped her paint her entertainment center while I was there and I know she was quite nervous about it. Then we moved on to the next sisters house, Robin. Her husband, Justin, makes the BEST homemade popcorn on the stove! We bugged him every night to make us some! Robin's school had a FAll Festival that we got to attend. The kids had a blast! Cade, Kennedi, and Brigg got to chase baby chickens and if you catch 'em, you keep 'em! Cade and Brigg both caught one and were so proud of themselves. Shoot! I didn't think they'd really catch on so what were we going to do with them now?! Well we carried them around for a couple of hours and then this guy wanted to buy them for a couple of $ each. Yes! Problem solved!

The little kids also chased a goat that had dollar bills attached to it and Cade walked away with $6! It was hilarious to watch! I don't have any picks yet because I was using my mom's camera and she is still learning the download process.

We also fit in a BBQ with the Kempton side, lunch at Reynosos (Kempton family fav), pumpkin carving, cookie decorating, necklace making, flower hair accessory making, spend the nights with cousins. It was a full and fun time for all! Thank you to our families! We love you so much!

Then of course there was Halloween.

And now here we are nearing Thanksgiving.

Happy 9th Birthday Kennedi!

Notice all the girls hair. So cute!
The girls!


Oh yes, gum and a Target gift card! Two of her favorite things.

Yesterday was our sweet little Kennedi's 9th birthday! If you can believe it, it actually snowed here in Colorado too! She has never been able to say it has snowed on her bday before. We threw a small party for her last Saturday which turned out to be alot of fun. Raegan, Halli, and Kendal were in charge of hair, make up, and nails. Each girl was told to bring or wear their favorite dress up outfit or something they felt fabulous in. After everyone was beautified, we took pictures and did a runway show. The girls all had alot of fun doing that. Kennedi loved all the gifts that were given. Thanks girls!

Kennedi has been such a joy in our home. She has said and done so many cute and funny things since she was little. Story-My sister in law had made our family a quilt one year for Christmas. Kennedi was only about two at the time and she decided that the quilt had all the right qualities of a good blankie.. She called it her red blankie and when she got tired she would turn to the closest person and say, "Do my back". At first we couldn't figure out what that meant but then realized that she wanted us to put the blanket on her back and she would then lay on the floor and roll up in it like a cocoon and fall asleep. It was so cute. She continued to say that for a few years and still uses that same red blankie today. It is quite tattered and my mom has had to do some major repairs to keep it intact. But it has been well loved by it's owner.

Kennedi is very responsible in fact she has her own alarm clock and if mom isn't up on time Kennedi is in waking her up. She is very good at looking after her little brothers, especially Brigg. She will let him tag along with her to the park or to friends. She likes to wrestle with Cade and is always good to remind him that she's older even though they are the same height and shoe size. She loves to help mom in the kitchen and has a great imagination. We love you Kennedi!!

It's Time

After being uprooted from my close friends in Las Vegas and moving further away from our families in AZ, I decided it's finally time for me to accept that this is the way things are so I need to DEAL WITH IT and get on with my life. We moved to Parker, CO 6 months ago and thinking I was dealing with it, I seemed to stop all connection with anyone and anything (my blog) that would remind me of what I left. Although I looked forward to the change in scenery and reuniting the family (remember Rich was working here for five months before we finally got moved), I have found it alot harder than I ever imagined. I have always considered myself a strong person but this has made me wonder how strong. I have a better understanding of depression and feel for those who suffer on a regular basis. I also realize how much my family means to me and what a good support group I had in Vegas. Jill, Janette, Skye, Lani, Jaycee, to name a few. I miss you guys terribly!

In fact what sparked this "dealing with it" decision was when I looked on Jill's blog today and saw what I had missed over the last six month not only because of the move but because I wouldn't look at anyone's blog since then either. Of course the tears began rolling(and haven't stopped yet) and I suddenly picked up the phone and dialed her number. It was so good to just hear her voice and hear her reassure me that I could do this. Thank you Jill! So I am committing to getting back on track with my blog and keeping in touch. My family and Rich's will be ever so grateful too. I will begin bringing everyone up to speed of our last six months in Colorado in my next few posts. And Jill.....THIS BLOGS FOR YOU!!!