Halloween Party

Brett's parents have had a really fun tradition for the past several years of doing a Halloween party with all the family that live close by. They have been themed in the past with things like Harry Potter, the past few we have done minute to win it games as teams. Brett's team won thanks to his amazing talents :)

"This Blows" blowing up a baloon and using the air to knock 8 cups off the table.

 

"Baby Rattle" shaking all the gumballs from one side of the bottle to the other.

"Play it by Ear" listening to the sound/feeling the weight of coins in 8 differnt cans and lining them up in order.

 

"Noodling Around" Putting 6 penne pasta noodles on a piece of spaghetti while balancing it in your mouth.

 

We all had a great time playing games with each other. Brett's mom always makes special treats to end the evening with as well. We are grateful for these fun times we get to have together.



A Day Out

My sister Heather doesn't live too far away, but because of work schedules we don't get together super often. She called on Monday wanting to get together today, and since I had the day off it worked out well :) We went to Gigi's (super awesome food/cooking store) in SLC to get makings for Italian sodas as a thank you to the person who designed our pass along cards (should be here tomorrow).  Then to JoAnn's for material. They were we having a great sale and we needed some for a service project we were doing with girls for church. Heather, her daughter, and I grabbed lunch after. Her daughter is only 2, and did great at lunch. Pictures of fun material and lunch date below :)

Under Construction

This is a blog we are currently working on. Feel free to look around, but please be patient with us as we get things "just right."

Travel

We love to travel and see new places. There have been some really amazing trips we have been able to take together, and experience new things together.

Our trip to Costa Rica we totally LOVED!! We were able to spend time in the jungle, at the beach, in the rain forest, and at volcanoes. This zip line was truly amazing. We had 15 different cables, and one that was over 1500 feet long across a beautiful open valley.

 

 

This was the first time that Jenny had been to Disneyland. We went with Brett's side of the family, and truly enjoyed our time there.

A few years back Brett had to go to Orlando on business. Jenny figured she might as well tag-along. This day we were able to go to the Magic Kingdom, a first for both of us.

On the same trip to Florida we were very fortunate that the space shuttle had a launch scheduled while we were there. Jenny's dad works for a company who makes the boosters for the rocket and was able to get us tickets to go out to the site and see the launch. It was one of the most incredible things to see and feel (we were about a mile away by bird flight across water, and the ground still shook).

We were able to spend a week in Oregon at the beach with Brett's family. His younger sister lives in Oregon, and the rest of us made the trek up there. We went early morning digging at low tide for shells, rocks, and anything of interest :)

We were able to go to Mesa Verde, visit the cliff dwellings, and enjoy the scenery there on the way to a family reunion in Durango.

Good With Kids

We both love children! Jenny decided early on to go into elementary education so that she could spend more time with them.

When Jenny taught public school she worked with third graders. This is one of them hard at work :)

Every year in preschool we do different holiday parties. At halloween one of the things the kids love to do is a pumpkin roll relay. This little guy is almost there, then he just needs to head back to the start line!

One of our sisters asked us to take the girls out while the boys had a birthday party at her home. We gladly obliged. They are all so much fun!

Brett loves to work with kids and teach them new things. Here is a niece and nephew working on a toy box with Brett.

A Good Home

We have a great home, and one that is filled with love. We can't wait to share our home with your child.

This is a photo of our home. We truly love it here. We have done so much to make it ours, and are always working on a project to improve things and make them better.

This project has taken us a little while, but we are so excited for this space. Together Brett and Jenny built raised planters. The posts you can see in the picture is for a pergola that we are still in process of building. It is going to be a great area to be able to spend time outside in :)

Our Family

We love to spend time with our extended family. We feel very blessed to live so close to most of them, and it makes it easy to see each other.

My mom and I have been able to get together for the past several years and attend Women's Conference. It is always a very uplifting experience, and good time to spend together. I am so grateful that she is close enough to do this with!

Jenny's younger brother is currently attending BYU, so it's not too far to come for a visit. He came on the same evening as Jenny's sister and kids. This is a fantastic new park that they put in our city. My nephew was a bit scared to begin climbing to begin with, but quickly overcame that :)

Jenny's mom's family gets together every 2 years for a family reunion. Her mom's siblings are literally scattered from coast to coast so sometimes this is the only chance to see cousins. Here are most of the girls in the family after riding a tram to the top of the mountain.

Jenny's brother and his wife had twins a few years ago. This is just a fun family gathering at their home after the boys were blessed. Our family has grown with nieces and nephews a lot over the past few years.

*Disclaimer* this is not a great photo in general (like you needed me to tell you that), but it's the best we could find :) This was our first camping trip together with Brett's family. We went camping on Memorial Day weekend. It was SO cold, and actually ended up snowing on us as well. Needless to say we took down camp and came home early.

Brett's side of the family participated in a bike ride to benefit Parkinson's Disease. We all got together, cheered each other on, and enjoyed time with one another.

Jenny took a few of her nieces and nephews on Brett's side to this fantastic art day in Springville. It is put on by the city, and the kids and make and take home up to 20 different art projects or activities. It was a day filled with fun, and lots of first experiences for them!

Brett and Jenny feel that it is important to take time to do things as a family. We love camping, and went with our neighborhood in September. The little one in the picture with us lives next door and loves Brett immensely!