Quips of the Week

My kids say and do so many fun things and I know if I don't write them down they will be lost forever. So today I am going to write a few funny things I watched my kids do recently.

It's funny how Madeline can't talk yet I find myself constantly smiling at everything she does. It is so fun to watch her grow and do new things. Her latest fun accomplishment, playing peek-a-boo. Anytime she has anything made out of fabric in her hands she throws it over her face then whips it back down and gives me a big, one tooth, grin before I can even say a word.

Austin is such a hoot too, and the more he talks the more I realize how many crazy things are going through his head! The other day we where at Walgreens standing in line at the pharmacy counter when Austin started to hang from the bars that keep all the people in a nice straight line. I looked at him and said "You are a monkey!" about two minutes later, after he had run around and climbed some more, he comes up to me and says "Hi monkey!" I tried to tell him he was the monkey but he simply wouldn't listen. I have been called Monkey ever since.

More and more I am seeing Madeline working to grab the attention of everyone in her sights. Last week on our drive home from Colorado she managed to hold everyone in an Applebee's in awe. She was being her usual squirmy self while I was trying to eat my food and she had caught the eye of the table behind us and across from us. Finally the table across from us couldn't deny her a moment longer. They started saying hello, and she didn't disappoint. She started to scrunch her nose and raise her eyebrows and just generally show off all the funny faces she knows how to make. Once the attention of the table across from us turned back to their food. I heard one lady say "I love it when they know how funny they are!" All I could think was, I have quite the diva on my hands!

Austin is starting to make bigger decisions now and it makes him feel so important that I will often ask him questions to make him feel like he is in control of his surroundings. Yesterday I asked the whopper, "What do you want for dinner?" he looked at me with his little brows pulled together and I could tell he was really considering what he might want. After a long pause he finally comes out with it. "Dinner!" he screams feeling so proud to be part of this decision. "Oh," I say "you want to eat dinner for dinner?" poking a little fun. He looks up at me and does a little jump while he says "Okay!" Boy that was he a big help, not!

Summer Adventures

Whew! This summer has just gotten away from me! Three weddings, family visiting from out of town, and venturing out to visit with family some more! Time has just gotten away from me. Madeline is already seven months old and Austin is going to be 2 & 1/2 on the 19th! Between potty training, feeding Madeline, and traveling I feel like I have been missing out on the fun little things my kids do each day. Good thing for cameras to help us remember things we would otherwise have let pass in the moment. Here are some highlights from the summer-

Aunt Annie came to see us

We went to go see Nana and Poppa who where
staying with Grandpa Van in Mapleton

We went up to Idaho to visit with the Grandparents Bennett

Austin had fun playing in a stream by their house

We went to Colorado and got family pictures (see sidebar)
and got to ride the Cripple Creek Railroad

We spent some time in old Colorado City

And we went to the Colorado Springs Zoo!


We got to feed the Giraffes, birds, and fish, and see all kinds of fun animals!

Madeline had a really good time!

Overall we had a great summer seeing everyone and doing so many fun things. Now it's back to reality!

Yummy!

Today Madeline had her first taste of yummy veggies. Today's selection, green beans!





She was sucking on her hand so only half her face is covered, but it is still so cute!

Say Cheese!

It's that time again, time for new and exciting pictures of the rugrats! So without further adieu..

The big rugrat and his daddy

Making a face for the camera

The two rugrats together

Our Beautiful girl

Gotta love this face!

Isn't she sweet?

I feel truly blessed to have these two amazing children in my life!

One Fabulous Lady!

This is my Great-Grandmother Martha Lane Brink. She turned 94 today. For the past week and a half she has been on a downward slope. I was hoping to go see her one last time but by the time I was able to go she was too incoherent to even know I was there. Before she got to this point she told everyone she wanted to make it to her 94th birthday, and that she did.

This morning she passed away after seeing her son, my grandpa, one last time. I have decided that in memory of her I would write all the things I could remember about her so that she would always be in my heart.

The #1 thing I think of when I think about my Great-grandmother is a story teller. She could talk to you for hours on end and still have plenty to say. She loved history, and would love to share stories from her past. She knew in her final years she wanted to be remembered so she would tell her stories over and over and tell us not to forget. This is the one thing she wanted in her life is to be remembered and have her stories passed down to the generations that would go on past her.

You could call my great-grandmother a pillar of strength. She had been through many hard things in her life and it made her an incredibly stalwart person. She worked hard to get her art degree from, I believe, (family correct me if I'm wrong) The University of New Mexico. She lost her first husband at the young age of 27, only a year older then I am. She had a very young son at the time (my grandpa). Her husband, strong of valor, died in the battalion death march in Japan during World War II. It was after this that my Great-Grandmother found the gospel.

She began a legacy that I will be eternally grateful for. If she had never found the gospel, my grandfather would have never had it, he would have never converted my grandmother and my mother never would have known it. Had my mother not known it I would not be able to be sealed to my husband this day. How grateful I am for this. To have been born to a mother who through many advertises never stopped having faith, and lead me to the knowledge of the truth. This would not have been possible where it not for my Great-Grandmother.

My Great-Grandmother was never afraid to share the gospel. Two years ago I had the privileged of going to see her so that she could meet her 1st great-great-grandbaby, Austin. While there we took her to The Albuquerque Museum of Art and history. I was wheeling her around a suit of 1500's Spanish conquistador armor. She then proceeded to, with a couple standing next to us, in her loudest voice possible, testify that "The White God" the Native American's where looking for was in fact Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon testifies of his visit to the America's! The couple gave us polite smiles and continued to look at the exhibit around them as if they hadn't heard a thing. This was the type of person she was.

Shortly after she joined the church she had a distinct impression that she was related to Joesph Smith. That's when her fascination with Geneolgy began. She discovered that she was in fact related to Joesph Smith, a 3rd cousin 4 times removed. (if I did my calculation correctly) Lucy Mack's grandfather was a brother to my Great-Grandmothers great-great-great-grandfather. Wahoo!

Anyway something else I wanted to mention about Great-Grandmother. She was in good health and mostly good mental health (she just got people mixed up sometimes) until a week and a half ago. This woman wasn't big on exercise (although she did swim occasionally) and she wasn't big on eating healthy but she sure lasted a long time. No heart attack or cancer did her in, even though I once saw her put extra butter and salt on a microwave TV dinner of mac and cheese. So who says you can't enjoy your food?

She also had a talent in art. She loved to paint Native Americans, and very stylistic landscapes. her last painting that I know of was of the Albuquerque Temple dedicated just 10 years ago. She knew many talented people and loved painting to her dying day.

She loved New Mexico and once told me that she would never leave, and that she did. She was the type of person that if she set her mind to it, there was no faltering and no changing, she believed what she believed she did what she believed in and she never apologized for that. I admire how strong a person she was right to the very end. I love you Grandma!


I am so glad you had the chance to hold one of my children, I can't wait until Austin is old enough for me to show him this picture and tell him all about you.
Love,
Your Great-Granddaughter.

Roll Over, Madeline

Madeline is four months old today! I set her down for her usual tummy time, and she surprised me by rolling over. I was so ecstatic I thought we would try it again, on film. This is the result:

It's been a while

Wow, a lot has happened since Halloween last year! The #1 thing being, we had a baby girl! Since I didn't do it before here are a few newborn pictures.



















We feel so blessed to have this new bundle of joy in our lives!