Thanksgiving in Montana

We made Brynlee's longest trip and first time out of the state for Thanksgiving in Montana. She is a great traveler. And so are Whitney and Kenna. We are spoiled parents. I love having a holiday specific for remembering our many blessings. And they truly are many! We were the only ones at Grandma and Grandpa's house so we got to have our "only us" trip after all. It was very laid back and relaxing - just the way I like it.

Sorry about the bad lighting - but we had a yummy feast!

These two are the best of friends! This is a completly unposed picture. I know - hard to believe that my girls weren't posing, but I loved to see them all snuggled up and just giggling hysterically. When I see them like this and laughing together it is payday!



Playtime with Grandpa



Brynlee wore him out! "Grandpa . . . Grandpa . . .Grandpa?"

And Grandma too.

Looking at Grandma's amazing scrapbook

We went for two hikes - one Friday and one Saturday. Heavenly Father has sure blessed us with a beautiful world! This is at the top of the "M". I hadn't ever hiked it before - it sure has a gorgeous view.

Mike carried Brynlee in our little kangaroo pouch and she just slept. I love this outfit - notice how I matched up the stripes.

What's a family get together without some games? Mike didn't tell me he was taking this picture - can you tell I was getting beat?!

Princess Brynlee

"Don't look at me - I didn't do it!"

"Now seriously, Mom. Do you have to take pictures of me in the tub? A girl can't get any privacy around here."

"Put me in, Coach!" Yes those are real pockets.

"I'd give her a ha and a hi-yah . . ."
(Name that movie!!)

Santa

We went to the Festival of Trees this year to watch the Desmond girls (All 4) do their clogging performances. They all did great - it is fun to live close so we can go to things like this. There was a Santa there and Brynlee got to meet him. It made for a cute picture.

This would have been this year's Christmas card, but cards didn't happen yet again this year. So this will have to do. Maybe I will send Valentine or Easter cards instead.

Proof

This is proof that you CAN have a picnic in November in Idaho. (November 8th to be exact). Notice Whitney isn't even wearing a coat. We didn't even see one flurry of snow the entire month of November. It has been a gorgeous fall.

I had to take this picture of our little pear trees. They blossomed this spring and then were beautiful this fall! They were two of the last trees in the neighborhood to loose their leaves. I can't believe how much they have grown this year! I LOVE the fall!!!

More Halloween Pictures

Here are some more Halloween pictures - I got after my friend for not posting any pictures of her on her blog and I don't want to be guilty of that - so here is one of me and Bryn.

We had to get Brynlee and Cooper in their outfits together - don't they make a cute couple? They are almost the same size now. It took him a little bit, but he has caught up.

Brynlee and Brody. One of my Young Womens' leaders, Arianne, stopped by when they were in town. Brody is her grandson. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures with the two of us. It was great to see Arianne and her family and meet Brody - thanks for taking time to come see us!

Beautiful Brynlee. Arianne took this picture of Bryn to give to Mike's Mom since she hasn't been able to meet her yet. (Jessie and Arianne are in the same ward.)

Bedtime with Three

Bedtime with three is a little different and Whitney and Kenna love the change. Most nights they each get to snuggle with Brynlee in their beds for one song or one chapter of the book we are reading. They love it. It just warms my heart to see how much they love their sister! Sometimes she's awake and sometimes she's asleep. They especially love to snuggle her when she is asleep. And they also like to pretend they are sleeping too. I couldn't help but take these precious pictures.

Mike puts the girls to bed most nights to give me a break and to spend more time with them. He is such an amazing Daddy! I am pretty sure they have him wrapped around their fingers. (But they would do most anything for him, too!) On a regular basis he falls asleep singing to them on their floor. A year or so ago I started spending bedtime playing the piano. While he reads, I practice and then I accompany him for songs. It has become a fun tradition and makes me take time to practice the piano. And you know - I have discovered something . . . when you practice you get better and songs come easier. Can you even believe it?! For the past month we have been working on our library's Winter Family Read-Aloud Program. So instead of playing I have been joining them for books. We have read Hello, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and are now working on Charlotte's Web. I remember all of these books from my childhood but didn't remember much of the storylines. They are fun books. Thanks to Uncle Norm for intoducing my family to Mrs. Piggle Wiggle when I was a kid - and now my girls love them. If only there was a Mrs. Piggle Wiggle in my neighborhood I could call for some magic to cure my kids when I am having troubles with them!

When he does fall asleep the girls are quick to wake him and remind him that he isn't finished singing yet.

Jess and Jake's Visit

Jess and Jake were up in our neck of the woods and stopped by to meet Brynlee. Jess was trying to convince Brynlee that although Emily did get to meet her first, that doesn't automatically make her the favorite Burnett Auntie. Sounds like a challenge to me! I guess time will tell who REALLY is! We will be expecting the bribery to begin anytime. (Ha ha!)

Finding Fall All Around Us

Living here in southeast Idaho, we are extremely blessed to be so close to so many of the beautiful things that nature provides. A week or so ago, we went for a drive toward Ririe and ended up finding Fall in all its splendor! Seeing the colors of the season always prompts Katrina to share a favorite memory of her mom being so enamored with the array of red, orange, and yellow hues that signal the changing seasons. I am grateful for this generational love of all things beautiful.


I can't wait until we can get them all smiling!

This pose was Whitney's idea. My budding photographers.

They are so funny about coming up with their own poses. Kenna is explaining how she thought they should be for the next picture.

This was Mike's first blog post - he did pretty well. I just wanted to add my two cents. Our plan was to go for a nice hike to enjoy the colors, but the trail we went in search of ended up having a "No Trespassing" sign on it. So then we tried taking what we thought would be an adventurous side road. It was adventurous for about 100 yds and then opened up to an RV park. It was a nice idea though. Our next stop, where we took the pictures, wasn't a hike, but we had fun. This past General Conference President Monson talked about not being so worried about the destination but enjoying the journey. We were a little disappointed that we didn't get to hike like we had planned, but decided that our goal was just to spend time together and create a fun memory. So we played in the leaves and laughed instead. I think too often we worry about getting things done and don't enjoy the doing enough. This is something we are trying to work on. We had a great time being together as a family.

Random Brynlee Pictures

Here is a collection of pictures we've taken of Brynlee over the last few weeks. We think she's pretty adorable - and getting more adorable every day!


Sweet Dreams! (This is the life!)

"Mom has this thing with my feet. They're cute...what can I say?"

"Bath Time...one of my favorite things!"

Even little angels can have great Pouty Faces!
(It's hard not laugh at this.)

Caramel Apples

I have a roommate from Ricks College who married one of Mike's roommates. Heather and Rich came up for a vacation to Rexburg two weeks ago and stopped by on their way home. They brought caramel apple fixin's and introduced our girls to the art of caramel apple decorating. (I realized that we haven't ever done them with the girls.) It was a little on the messy side but their creations were beautiful and super tasty! And everyone had a lot of fun - that is what mattters, right? It was great to see their family! We had some great times with them in college and I am so glad that we have kept in touch.


Sophie and Whitney

Kenna and Peter