You're a Mean One, Mr. Hall...I mean Grinch

Good Christmas Gift for any devout University of Utah Fan.

My New Moon Party - Oklahoma Style!

Here is the invitation to our New Moon party. The top reads, "Just bite me already!" A necessary phrase, because the way we look at it, we're all thinking it, right?!

This is the New Moon cake Tiff and I ordered from Walmart. Talk about eye candy (literally!) And just for kicks and giggles, we made it half vanilla, half chocolate cake. Yummy (in more ways than one!)

Here is Bella's vegetarian platter. On the other side of the table (not pictured) was the Edward veggie platter full of cold cuts and cheeses. I loved eating off of Edward and Jacob's faces and then crinkling Bella's face on my napkins.

The Twi-hards from Oklahoma. (Pictured above.)

Shown above is the New Moon "swag" we collected from our party, complete with chocolates, buttons, stickers, and even type O negative red pop to drink!

In true twin fashion, we have chosen opposing sides. Brooke is Team Jacob and Tiff is Team Edward. And yes, we wore these in public. Thanks T, for being as die-hard, I mean, Twi-hard as I am! Glad I you joined the ranks of all those women out there who have dishes sitting in their sinks, kids with dirty faces, and husband's who went to bed a long time ago - all because we were busy reading Twilight! If you count up all the pages through all four books, and Midnight Sun, you've read over 2,500 pages! Go us! Long live vampires and werewolves!

Owen's Abstract Art

Mr. Potato Head arrived at our house shortly after Dallin's birthday, yet amazingly enough, Owen has found a new means of expression. If you look closely, Owen has created a tongue-nose and a nose-hat, not bad huh? We think it has a Picasso-esque style.

In this one, Owen must have been going for Salvador Dali, or perhaps Henri Matisse? If you don't know them, Google them.

Lastly, Owen started using his own body as a canvas. Disney stickers were the preferred medium. I call this one "Cartoon Massacre via Polo."

Got My Own Wheels Now

It's been a swarthy fight since birth, but Dallin manages day-in and day-out to find something to play with. They may weigh the same, but Owen's Nursery survival skills give him the advantage when it comes to dibs on toys. Not to mention, Owen lives by the basic rules of toddlerdom:

1. It you see it, it's mine.
2. If I was playing with it, it's mine.
3. If I am no longer playing with it, it's still mine.
4. If you're playing with it, I'll take it, because it's mine.
5. If you think it's yours, it's mine.

And so on...

As such, Dallin has never had much toy selection at our house. Until now! Dallin was spoiled with wonderful toys at his 1st birthday party and can now claim dominion! One of those toys is, Mater, his push car. He can now speed past Owen without any more worries. Though mom keeps a close eye out for road rage.

Still Wonderful After Eight Years

(This is our engagement picture above.) Jesse and I just celebrated our 8th anniversary, which plunged me into a few moments of reflection of just how far we've come since we met, wrote during the mission, and walked out of the Salt Lake Temple hand-in-hand.

What I've learned, after 8 years:

I've learned that there's a lot of truth to the saying "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

I've learned that moms always know where everything is in the house. Things like keys, wallets, watches, phones, shoes, cleaners, extra diapers, and all sorts of random stuff that are hard for other people to find when they need them. I think moms (and all women for that matter) are just born with a built-in radar that help them keep a running inventory of "stuff."

I've learned that I still really look forward to 6:30 PM, when Jesse comes home from work. Now, more than ever.

I've learned that no matter how late it gets, ice cream with my husband always sounds good before bed.

I've learned that love is a living, breathing thing that can be both fragile and strong at the same time.

...that love is a privilege that should never be taken for granted...

And last, but not least...

...that love gets better with age just like cheese, California Redwood trees, and old letters.

Sure love ya Jes. Thanks for the eight years of everything.

Your Eternal Best Friend, Brookie.

Grew Up With This One, and I Still Love It

I love watching this movie when the holiday season starts up again. Holiday season meaning the air is cold, football has started, the Halloween candy is on the store shelves, and I can start wearing my sweaters again. I just love those movies that warm your heart, so I guess that's why I watch them at this time of year, as cheesey as that sounds. It's one of my favorite musicals, right up there with Singing in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I think Judy Garland is adorable and Liza Minelli is hideous. You'll have to tell me what you think...

My Little Man Turned One!

Little Dallin, or shall we say BIG Dallin, just celebrated his very 1st birthday on September 24th. We kicked it off at the park with not just one birthday cake, but two. Dallin got his very own smoosh cake to play in, courtesy of Harmon's bakery. (We asked for red & white frosting in order to start the Ute brainwashing as early as possible.) As you can see, (above) Owen was more interested in the dump truck cake, so the brainwashing has already misfired on our firstborn.

This has to be one of my favorite birthdays with babies! It's one of the few times in life where parents sit and cheer on their kids to get dirty! (Well, I guess that and mud wrestling would be one too.) As you can see, Dallin had no problem with the dirty part.

However, he did have a problem with the FAST part. We quickly learned that Dallin likes to savor life, and goes about eating his cake slowly, relishing every bite. Dad got a little impatient, or hungry maybe, and decided he needed a taste too.

Dallin's reaction to dad stealing his cake!

So here's a clean shot of my little one-year old smiley guy. Pretty soon he'll be talking, playing video games, trading baseball cards, and doing all kinds of older kid stuff. My mom always used to tell me, "Who told you that you could grow up?" I never knew how to reply, but now I know exactly what she meant.

Last, but not least, here is Dallin performing his latest trick, pulling himself up to stand, just in time for his birthday! As usual my tubby kids do everything a little later than most, but mom is always so proud of her beached-whale boys! There's just more of them to love!

Only 54 days to go!

Because Tiff and I are such Twi-hards, (die-hard Twilight fans) we're going to see New Moon together! I am flying to Oklahoma for a twin-trip, and I figured why not do something together we both love? It's worth a once-a-year trip, right? So, Tiff bought us tickets for opening night at 12:01 AM! We're going to "vamp-up" with some Twilight tee-shirts, host our own junk-it party at 10:00 PM, then skip over to the theater and watch Edward and Jacob battle it out. Go Team Jacob!! November cannot get here fast enough! Only 54 days!

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair

Owen loves these mechanical thingies, and begs us to get on them, but we can't ever tell by his face. He could be listening to General Conference, by the looks of it.

We got a better reaction out of the LIVE animals.

Dallin just smiles at everything, even the backsides of cows.

Owen touched a goat this year without mom & dad forcing him! Wow!

This is the first time we have ever tried rides. We chose the kiddie train, for obvious reasons, and even as train-obsessed as Owen is, he wouldn't get on. I think we overdosed at Six Flags.

The X2 Experience

This is the best roller coaster I have ever been on in my entire life - X2 at Six Flags! The hype before you get on the ride is intense. They claim it's a TOTAL sensory experience, and they aren't kidding. You have speakers in your head rest that play hard rock while you ride. Your seat turns 360 degrees. And to top it off, you feel hot flames on your face!! It's pretty incredible!

Most of the ride is done backwards and upside down. This is a must-conquer for any roller coaster junkie! I think I got a year older after just one ride!

And yes, they really do blow fire at you during the ride! My eyebrows are gone. Oh wait, I'm a redhead, so they were gone already! Ha! Ha! J/K