the brunt brood

we're moving...

2010-03-12T10:52:00.001-08:00

we're moving...

This blog has been so good to us, but now it is time to say good - bye. Please bookmark

blue

2010-03-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

Have I completely lost my mind?
Have I lost touch with kid-reality?
Is there anyone out there who would also let their five year old dye his tips blue?

I think I might be going crazy.... ;) Yes, Mom, you can tell me the truth.

quiet house

2010-02-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a quiet house.
2 kids at school.
2 kids at a play-date. I am normally helping in L's class on Friday's but wasn't yesterday. I ran upstairs to change the laundry... and found Wall * E taking a nap, tucked in very carefully on the top stair.
I grabbed my camera to see what else I could find.

I was stopped in my tracks by Wall * E taking a nap a the top of the stairs. I was struck by how quickly these little reminders of my small children in the home would be gone.

creativity

ingenuity

artwork

home decor

free spirits

small tummies

All too soon, it will be so different. I was grateful yesterday morning, for my children. For their smallness. For their presence and their spirits. And grateful for a few hours to enjoy a quiet house to remind me.

my little toothless wonder

2010-02-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

nearly 7..... .

tubing

2010-02-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

We did it. We found something to do. I like Spokane and all, but let's face it, not a whole lot to do.
George took the day off on Saturday which was SO great.

Except that we had nothing to do. I wanted to think of something fun to gently ENCOURAGE the kids to clean up their rooms and get the bathroom clean. By noon, we were no where.

Tyler and Angie had gone snowboarding up at Mt. Spokane. So we thought, "Hey, let's go tubing!" After much more prodding to clean up their junk, a fast lunch, a desperate search for gloves and socks and hats and boots, a stop at Sports Authority for one more pair of snow pants - we were on our way!

Our little snow bunny. She did her own thing the whole time. She is already like so a teenager.

D in his new snow bibs. Lost the other new ones over Christmas.

George took this photo as we were cruising down the hill.

Hooray for fun. :)

Look at your man...

2010-02-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

I know this is a ridiculous post, but I can't help it.
We laughed so hard G couldn't breathe, had to watch it twice.

Enjoy.

The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

Princess & Pirate Day!

2010-02-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

Princess & Pirate Day @ Paul Mitchell the School Spokane
Friday, February 12th 9:30 - 3:30 pm
$10 for the first child, $5 for each additional child - ALL proceeds go to Charity

Princess: makeup, hair style, mini manicure, complimentary tiara

Pirate: face paint, pirate hair style, temporary tattoo, eye patch

See you there!!

baby Ellie

2010-02-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

baby Ellie was born on Friday, February 5th at 9:00 am.
congratulations to my sister and Dan and fam. :)

post edit: more photos from this session here.

wednesdays

2010-01-30T15:12:00.000-08:00

as i write this, i realize it is Saturday. but I need to post about wednesdays anyhow.

wednesdays, George doesn't come home. well, not at a decent hour anyway. it is his late day. back a few months ago when the Paul Mitch School, as Rori calls it, decided to go all night school on us, each staff member was assigned a night to be their late night. George's is wednesday. he leaves in the morning, like most mornings around 7:00 or 7:15 and most nights he comes home around 6 or so. maybe later depending on what's going on. but on wednesdays, it is usually not until 11:30.

so now, wednesdays i lose all motivation for anything fancy. dexter comes home from scouts and then it is usually just whatever we feel like from there. if you know me, you know i don't plan dinner, grocery shop or make menus. so here is a little glimpse from our wednesday afternoon this week. :)

first: all the kids headed upstairs and were happily playing together. so i headed into my office to get some work done. then they started coming down, one at a time....

apparently, the dress up box exploded!

Mom?
Yes?
Is Dad coming home tonight?
Yes. But not until after you are asleep.
This is the night when I won't see him?
Yes. :(
:( I wanted him to see me in this costume.
I will make sure that he comes in and gives you a kiss when he gets home so he can see you!

Nevermind. I don't want to wear it anymore.

their dinner.

my dinner. never had this before??? it is THE best. it is cream of wheat. no 2 scoops of sugar needed!

see? we are all good. they are so happy when they get oatmeal for dinner. dexter even takes of his shirt, he's so happy.

:)

Wednesday.

things we've been up to

2010-01-29T12:19:00.001-08:00

but haven't posted about...

So way back in November, we did go to the Lion King. We had a fun lunch at the Onion with Grandma and all other attendees of the Daines fam (K&H, J&K, Staci & Sydni). Sorry Kiley, but next time it comes through town, I will probably pass.

Then we had Christmas, which I did post about.
Then I got older, which I did not post about. This birthday was hard for me. Harder than 30. 32. NOW I am officially IN my thirties. ouch.

George made his best attempt at my favorite Christmas pie. It was this awesome pie my mom got every year for my birthday from Baker's Square in CA. It was like a french silk mixed with minty goodness that only came out at Christmas time. No longer to be found. :( G did his best.

The day after my birthday, my good friend Candy took me out to lunch and surprised me with some friends showing up. Only, I had to ruin it by changing the time and then no one knew it was changed so it wasn't such a surprise. :P Shame on me. It was a fun lunch though. And Candy treated everyone. And tried to talk me into eyelash extensions. She is so awesome.

Then on New Year's Eve, we went to First Night which I posted the news clip with Rori in it. I think my kids' favorite part was the bus ride. I have to admit I enjoyed it myself. I felt so ..urban.
The whole thing was really well done and well put together. I was impressed with the level of crafts. I am no crafter at home with my kids, so they were in heaven. Glue, scissors, tissue paper, beads, sparkly things, cardboard, colored tape! The list goes on.

On the first Friday after New Year's we went to the Albrecht's Party which has already been well blogged here. Spent WAAAAAY too much at Value Village on gross clothes and spent WAAAAY too much time adjusting the one piece get up I was wearing so that it would fit me. Oh, well. We looked awesome.

On Friday nights, we can now be found at Greenacres Middle School watching dad shoot baskets.

Zips is usually a good option for on the way home.

I had a part in orchestrating 2 showers for Staci (ma soeur) and new little baby girl coming next week!! First, I told Melissa that I wanted to have a shower for Staci and that we should do it at her home. She very graciously agreed. (I can be so bossy!)

Then last night, we did a family shower at PF Chizzy's. It was so fun to get together and talk about hair and babies and who likes the smell of coffee (Kiley & Cassie) and who gags in a Starbucks (me & Staci) and working out and scarves and tickle fights. (Threw that last one in to see if George is really reading this.) BTW Leslie! I received LOTS of compliments on the scarf you gave me for Christmas! Even our waiter. I slipped him my number.
Oh, back to dinner. It was super fun. The Dan-Dan noodles and Great Wall of Chocolate did not disappoint.
After dinner, the weaker, older ones headed home. :P Us youngsters went down the street to the Magic Lantern (btw - it has moved) and watched The Young Victoria. It was so good. I didn't want it to end. LOVED it. LOVE the Magic Lantern. For those not in the know, it is this old theater downtown with old chairs and you can listen to the old school reel rolling the film right over your shoulder. Chairs- cool to look at, not so comfy. I want to do a photo shoot in there...

Well, that covered a lot of what has been going on with the Brunts. Okay, so it was mostly about me.

I'm famous

2010-01-23T07:41:00.001-08:00

So last week, I took a little trip to LA. It was warm and sunny. I was in Manhattan Beach where I had never been before, and I stayed in this hip little boutique hotel called the Shade, 4 blocks from the beach. I was there for a photography workshop with a husband and wife photography team. I am a huge fan of their style and vibe and so I was super excited when I got one of the spots for this workshop. I am in a few of these photos on their blog, see if you can find me. It's like "Where's Waldo" only more like "Where's Big Red?"

I learned so much and was so grateful to G and my family for helping out with the kids so I could go and learn. There are a few more photos on this guy's blog, Quincy who I met. He is a engineer by day, writing test programs for government fighter aircraft in a high security building with no windows in San Jose, and by evening and weekend an awesome photographer. I learned a lot from the other people there too. It was a great experience to feel connected to other people doing the same thing as me, and to get a little feed back and push to do better.

Amelia Lyon is a mom of two little boys and so I really wanted to see how she does it (she has a nanny twice a week) and how she stays sane doing it (shooting over 50 weddings in a year, plus family sessions & engagement sessions!).

I could go on and on. Amelia & Justin were so great. Answering any and all questions, being so warm and friendly and cool and just awesome. Here are a few of my photos from the session.

And this is completely vain, but one of the best parts for me was that NO ONE could believe how old I was. I told them how many children I had and I could see everyone trying to figure it out in their heads... so I would put them out of the misery and say, "I am 32." Jaws dropped, eyes rolled, guffaws were expelled from guts... It was awesome. Okay, maybe it wasn't that dramatic... but still. :)

It was a great little trip. I want to go back.

Yesterday one of the kids asked, "Mom, why is it still winter?" Good question. Because we live in Spokane. I came back so fired up and ready to work, but... it is too cold. :( For now.

on new year's day

2010-01-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

There was some sun shining before we headed out the door... but by the time we started, the drops were coming down.

At the walk's end, we were all wet, and cold and Lilli had to go to the bathroom, but I know they will look back on this fondly.

Right?

I never blog videos...

2010-01-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

but my baby is in this one. don't watch the whole thing... just look for the little girl in the pink crown stretching her arms out wide. :)

have i made a huge little mistake?

2010-01-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

make-overs all over the place all the time.

not as bad as the nail polish on the face (!) comment i got from Ashley though...

But last night, we had some new friends come over for dessert and Lilli asked if she could give their 3 year old a make-over, including sparkly hair gel. Sorry Anna!! My brother stopped by with his 3 year old too. 2 words. Make -over. Sorry Kiley!!

Crayons just aren't cutting it for Lilli anymore. Should I keep encouraging this beauty queen side of her?? I should, right? Right?!

Christmas a la Brunt

2009-12-31T14:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, long overdue. Totally slacking in the blog dept.

For Christmas we went to Island Park, to spend the holiday with George's fam. We haven't been all together with the Brunts in a few years - so I braved the packing and logistic challenges and headed over for a white & cold Christmas.

We did some sledding,
and being pulled behind the truck on a sled-ding,
a little bit of snowmobiling (sad that the only photos we got of this were at the gas station),

and the tradional matching jams from Mimi on Christmas Eve.
This was immediately following our Christmas Pageant. It was awesome. Ryan, you make a good donkey/brown rock-blob.
The boys' jams were 100% silk long johns so they got SUPER amped up because they said they felt EXACTLY like ninjas. What were they supposed to do?

How about some sugar to go with that crazy energy on Christmas Eve? Making cookies for Santa.

Here you go, Santa.

Santa was so nice. He tasted every single cookie, laden with sprinkles.

Christmas morning loot. This photo is of Lilli, freaking out at her Caboodles filled with make-up from Santa. I know. I know.

The guitar shirts with amps that go to 11 were a HIT. Loud, but rock-tastic.

The aftermath.

Dexter with his cousin Weston. They got matching Legos. Santa was on the same page with both boys.... whew.

Rori is my little kitchen helper.

make-over time

ALLLLLL day on Christmas, Lilli sat in the family room with her stocked Caboodle, adding more and more make - up. By dinner time, something had to be said. Sadly I did not take a photo. I took her into the bathroom and very politely told her that she looked like a clown and that the purple eye shadow was not blush because now she looked like she was bruised, but that the bright blue beams through the yellow on her eyes had a very nice effect.

Merry Christmas.

random stuff that didn't fit

2009-12-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

Church Christmas party, '09. I was in charge of photos... and it was actually rather fun. I have some better ideas for next year. I was going to post some of my favorites of other peoples' kids/families, but thought better of it.

These 2 will have to suffice.

"I am only doing this for the candy cane, you know that right?"

I found this photo on my little point and shoot from back in the fall. Played around with layers and masking after watching some great PS tutorials found here.

I call this next series, "Mom, I'm like Anakin when he's a pod-wasuhr."

Did anyone take a photo of my family singing at the Christmas party? I would like to have it, pretty please!!

on a sunday afternoon...

2009-12-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

sunday after church - we tried on Ryan's alpaca hats from Peru.

I think we have an great idea now for next years costumes...

And then there was this guy, sitting in the window light, looking hot.

this post had no purpose. but george has since shaved (YES!) and those hats are like the softest things EVER.

the Christmas Crazies

2009-12-09T15:18:00.001-08:00

have begun...
Last week I was one of the hostesses for our RS church progressive dinner. My house has not been that clean since the day we moved in. No lie. I scrubbed and wiped and washed and cleansed. It was a good feeling. I didn't shower until 2. It was a lot of fun to have all the ladies come through for my soup station. I cleaned. I did not cook. Here is a photo of my children being entertained by Luke and Darth while I played Cinderella.

The next morning we headed to Utah. You can see how swollen Rori's eyes were. :( They watched movies and D & L iPhoned. I wanted to get to Utah this winter to see friends and to attend our annual Black Tie Christmas Party.
But first we did something fun with the kids. Because apparently the Jumping place in Springville is WAAAAAY better than the one here. (But it's not).

This is D and Daphne. They are about a week apart and destined for each other since before their births. They were so cute together even though they barely remember the other.

I found a recipe for Red Velvet cupcakes. So the girls helped lick all the baking utensils while George made the cupcakes. I was busy putting the final touches on our outfits for the party.

They look like little vampires.

So our Black Tie affair is more like a dress-as-ridiculous as you can affair with white elephanting and good food and lots of fun.
our hosts this year - Ryan & Emily - had some good curry going on.
Newcomers were initiated into the group..

Dusten made these Elf costumes without a single stitch from bathrobes.

And here we are as the the parents from Better Off Dead with one of the gingerbread people who seriously went for it this year. Yes, I made these costumes. Don't laugh.
Good times had by all.

Sunday evening we rode Trax up to Salt Lake with George's brothers and our good friends, Matt & Melissa, and 3 of their children.

It wasn't until we'd been on the deserted grounds for a while that we realized that the Christmas Devotional was going on... ooops.

It was SUPER cold - but my children still acted like they had never experienced snow before. It was out of control. Lilli's hands were constantly looking for the next snow pile to demolish and Mercer was in search of the ever bigger snow chunks to throw at George's back. So much for reverence and respect on the temple grounds.... Thanks Matt & Melissa for coming out with us!!!

John and Ryan introduced us to Modern Family on ABC. :)

On Monday I hit Ikea while George got 8 more loaves a bread (does that answer your question Cassie? It is NEVER enough). Then we met up with Vinny & Tierney for lunch (NO PHOTO :( ) at Cafe Rio of course. So fun to see them again. Then we hit the road for home! And we made it in 11 hours. Not bad for us. But if you've seen the van.... But isn't it too cold for a car wash?!

Fun Facts: Did you know there in a In 'N' Out now in Orem?
Did you know that they have over 50 people working there at any one time to handle the demand?

Also - kids have a lot of faith. Sunday night, Rori was so tired of her eyes having "a infection" that she wanted to say a prayer. She asked me to say it so we said a special prayer to our Heavenly Father bless her little eyes because of her faith and innocence and sweetness. The next morning Rori told us how Heavenly Father came down and made her eyes all better. No more infection.

Let the Christmas magic begin. The crazies can just come along for the ride.

where have eye been?

2009-12-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

first mercer caught the pink eye and then gave it to dexter. dexter then beat it and was FINALLY able to return to school. after all of thanksgiving break and 2 more days of being at home with all day pajama party/Star Wars Lego marathons - HE WAS READY TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL, or so I told him.

now rori has it. her little eyes were SO swollen today. :(

I am so far behind in blogging its unreal. i think this is like the longest i've gone without a post.

if you want to see some of what I've been up to - you can check out Kiley's blog. She's been doing some good posting.

New Moon Premier at midnight preceeded by some sisterly shopping and an awesome party at COCO's.

Thanksgiving that was everything it was supposed to be and more with the entire Daines crew out at the lake.

Including: food, Star Trek, some major Lego building, football, ultimate frisbee, photos, Austin's priesthood ordination, 3-4 babies, 15-16 kids, 14 adults, laughter, diapers, spills, Lincoln logs and lots of fun.

Also went to Lion King. Read Kiley's post. Better than anything I can write right now. I shed a tear on her post. Took Rori & Lilli. "When is this going to be done?"

What else.... ?

Heading to Utah tomorrow - still have room for one photo session if anyone is interested!

Lots of other things I am sure. But that is it for now!! Happy December!

sometimes, we go outside

2009-11-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

Today, we went outside.
It is so easy to just stay inside in the winter here. So gloomy and gray. Every day.

We stole G away from the school for two hours (oh, don't worry. he's there working till midnight tonight) to come hang with us on our day off. D went to Grandpa's for some Lego time.

And we went outside. For a walk.

No rain. Just a Hello Kitty umbrella for good measure.

There was a lot of this: puddle jumping.

And this: bushwhacking.

And a lot of hand holding.

And scary stories about bad guys in forests.
You Shall Not Pass.

So we made our own weapons, for defense only of course.

And there was frolicking.

I LOVE how tiny and squishy Mo looks in this picture. Too fast.

And triumph that we did something. Outside today.

HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO PAUL MITCHELL THE SCHOOL, SPOKANE.

So proud of you, G.

storm watchers

2009-11-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

"MOM, MOM, MOM! COME OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW. THERE IS A TORNADO!!!!"

I kinda like how Lilli's head looks like it is on backwards here.

Anyway, same ol' going on around here.
Monday night for FHE, we played rock band. That was kind of a disaster.
Tuesday night was a blur.
Wednesday too.
Thursday Ro & Mo went to the dentist which was like the best thing ever, apparently. Our dentist office here in Liberty Lake kinda rocks.

George headed out of town to jet-set with John-Paul on his private jet to tour a couple schools' grand opening events (he won this prize back in April).
Hey, JP. Yeah, its me George. Oh, you're just putting your shirt on? Do you need any help? Oh that was weird? Okay, I'll just sit back down. Over here.

Friday I helped in Lilli's class. That morning I said to the kids, "I will be coming to your school today." Lilli looked at me and asked, "Who's class are you helping in?" "Yours." "YES!" with a double fist pump under the table. whew....

For dinner last night we had macaroni & cheese and nuggets. AND fruit of course.
Tonight we had Wendy's.
2 for 2.

Realized tonight that I have sharing time tomorrow. And a 7:30 am mtg.

George comes home tomorrow. I'll have to cook something....

Oh, and there's a tornado coming.

the Give Back 09

2009-11-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

I would like to announce the first ever,
mphoto GIVE BACK.

This is a contest especially for you, my friends and clients, to thank you for being a part of my year. I had such a terrific year and I want to GIVE BACK by giving away a free photo shoot!!! This photo shoot and Heritage Makers storybook will go to one deserving family as nominated and chosen by YOU.

Here are the details:

Between now and November 15th, please nominate a deserving family who you think could use, would enjoy, or NEEDS a family photo shoot. Send me a little summary explaining why they deserve this. Also send me their most recent family photo!

I will gather all the nominees and pick my favorite top 3.

Then on November 16th (or thereabouts) I will post the top 3 nominees and YOU will vote on them and choose the winner of a free photo session!!

Important stuff:
-Photo shoot will take place sometime between 1 December 2009 and 1 December 2010.
-Photo shoot will take place in Spokane or in a location I frequent - Seattle, Utah, Island Park, or -Orange County. Exceptions might be made. ;)
-Photo shoot will take place on a date mutually agreeable between myself and the deserving family.

Winning family will have a certificate made for them that you can present to them, stuff a stocking with, or use as bribery.

Be creative. Look around you. Maybe there is someone you know who could really use some some joy, some love, some m photo to brighten their year. Maybe it's you!

THANK YOU to everyone for helping me have such a great year!

All submissions can be sent to
flutterpix@gmail.com or
PO Box 852
Veradale WA 99037

thank you! looking forward to hearing from you.

randi M

this is halloween, this is halloween

2009-10-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Batman..
Yeah...
Are you staying for the party?

If I stay, there can be no party
I must be out there in the night staying vigilant
Where ever a party needs to be saved I'm there
Where ever there are masks, where ever there's tom foolery and joy I'm there
But sometimes I'm not, because I'm out in the night,

Staying vigilant

Watching, lurking

Running, jumping

Hurdling, sleeping

No I can’t sleep, you sleep.
I’m awake, I don’t sleep, I don’t blink.

Am I a bird, no…I’m a bat.

I am batman,

or am I?

Yes, I am Batman.

Happy Halloween.

because all i want to do is....

2009-10-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

....play with photos ALL DAY LONG.

Some different stuff for me.

need a vacation?

2009-10-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

forgot to mention - this vacation is with lilli.

spelled honolua wrong. sweet.

happy cold wet chilly gray damp fall, spokane. :P

finally, some family time

2009-10-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

I don't work on clients' photos on Sundays. I reserve that time for family, resting, observing Sunday worship and working on family stuff. Today I sat down and went through these images again and picked out some of my favorites. It was fun to go back through them and notice my kids' faces.

The first time you go through the photos - you are only looking at yourself. The second time, you are only looking to see what your body looks like. The third or fourth time you might look to see what you husband is doing. Then finally, you look at each of your kids and see what they were doing during the shot. Dexter was giving some great looks and Mercer was in his own world... so funny.

I am okay with using photos that I don't look great in. I am not photogenic, so there are few that I love of myself. LOVE. Ha! Anyway, I look for composition and for connection between us and for the feel of the photo. Those are the ones I love. :) And these are some of the ones I love that Janna took of us.

Now, I should probably go see if there is any food for dinner...

warning: unnecessary overusage of stripes ahead

2009-10-24T23:59:00.001-07:00

You know life is going by too fast when your oldest says, "I can't believe how fast this year is going. I can't believe it is almost Christmas again. It feels like we just had Christmas."
Yes. Life is going by too fast.
Way too fast.

the redheads stuck on Indiana Jones. Technical difficulties due to an overabundance of stripes.

we had a great trip to OC. of which I am sure I will post more. along with more family pictures from back in Sept, Hawaii pictures, and life going on at tornado wind speeds. but tonight as I should be working, i unloaded my cards onto the computer, I was looking for this photo. I had Dexter take this photo of me and mo (i have learned to just ask sometimes so that I can be in the photos).

He had fallen sound asleep on my mom's lap around 7:30 at Disneyland, as Dexter and I went on Star Tours again, waiting for the fireworks. When I came back and saw him, all I wanted to do was hold him. Time is going by so fast. I can't lift him anymore - the kid is rock solid. But I can still hold him. And I was so grateful. Soon he will be 8. Then 12. Then gone. And it was just Christmas.

I think George felt the same. As soon as he got back from Space Mountain, he took him from me.

pumpkin patch, 2.O and 3.O

2009-10-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

On Monday night, I wanted to go to the pumpkin patch, before G & I and the boys headed out of town. So we loaded up and headed for Carver farms. First we made a little stop at LL elem for D to pick up his work load for the week of absence. In the parking lot, G & I decided this would be a nice dream car for him to dream about owning someday.

I turned around and found Rori very prepared for any type of inclement weather we might encounter out in the countryside.

Surprise! Carver farms is closed on Mondays! What?? In October? Sorry carver. That is lame.

Pumpkins, plan B. Call friends who are somewhat in the country and ask if they know anyone selling pumpkins.

Pumpkins, plan C. Drive around Otis until we find some.

Score.

free hay ride. plenty of people to haul. including 2 sets of twins.

and this kid. :)

after a LONG hayride, which included but was not limited to: smashing pumpkins (not the band) by our driver, lots of curvy snaky trails through what was left of the corn, smashing squash, humor and keeping Mercer seated; we stopped to get some corn.

this kid was there too. :)

and Rori found some special corn, and actually posed this way for the photo.

everyone hold still and smile!

thanks mercer.

afterward, we invited the fam over for some dinner and caramel apples.

they were a hit!

next time I won't stick them on aluminum foil before chilling.

There you have it. Pumpkin Patch, v. 2.O and 3.O.
1.O was the field trip with Mo's class.

update

2009-10-19T20:44:00.001-07:00

Its been a while since I've posted anything about our going-ons. So here's some of the latest.

With the cold weather that sapped up all our fall, me and the littles found some entertainment coloring on the huge cardboard that came from a print order. Thank you Heather for ordering large prints. The kids colored for 2 days.

Dexter started scouts.
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand its great for him to be spending some time with more boys his age on a regular basis. He's learning some fun stuff and can earn badges... blah, blah. On the other hand I feel like it is JUST ONE MORE THING THAT I AM GOING TO FAIL AS A MOTHER IN. PERIOD. It is so over my head, and what is more - I don't have any inclinations to learn the program, get with the program or be extra super supportive of the program (SORRY JESSICA!). I just don't love scouts. Too much... uh... scouty stuff.

But look how cute he is in his brand new shirt from Grandma. That's right. It wasn't me that got the shirt, the patches, the necktie, ironed the shirt and sewed the patches on. That was ALL my mom. HUGE thank you for that.

We also marched, or danced rather, in the Valley Fest Parade. We donned our black, hid our bad hair and paraded down sprague, tune-age in tow.

Lilli has changed from a daisy-picker soccer player into a super aggressive, elbow-throwing, dirty looks -tossing, goal scoring machine! I don't know what happened. One day all she cared about was the water bottle and how wet she could get her shirt before the end of the first quarter. Now she is all about the ball! I have missed quite a few games this season due to travel and shoots, but I caught her game on Saturday, and was quite impressed. Way to go Lu!

Mercer and Rori and I went with his preschool on a field trip. I had such a crazy week that I almost didn't go, but I am so glad I did. I knew this was probably the second to last pumpkin patch field trip for me to go on. :( So I went and IT RAINED THE WHOLE TIME. Everything was a soggy mess. BUT the kids still had a great time. Miss Amy does a fabulous job with the kids.

When I got home, the rain had soaked through our jackets and we were ready for some hot chocolate and grilled cheese.

What else??
The PM school is going great. They started over 30 students in September and then also a night class. They had a fashion show when I was gone in Hawaii and G said there were over 400 there! I will make sure I am at the next one to get some photos.

Some of us leave tomorrow early, for the OC. Disneyland here we come. :) 4 photo shoots and CPK to look forward to!

We established a new schedule to help us get through the mornings and afternoons, to fit everything in. Wake up time is 7:00. But there is just one person in the family who CAN NOT get the hang of it. Every morning they ignore the wake up calls and linger in bed until about 8:00, making everything behind schedule. Then crankiness and lateness ensues.

Can you guess who it is????

Give, if only a little

2009-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my previous post, my extended family is grieving at this time.

A fund has been set up to help raise some money for sweet Abby and her 6 little girls, ages 9-1. If you could take a moment to go to this website, www.nakisgirls.com, and donate even just $5, I would really appreciate it.

This is so heartbreaking, and you can read the story on this website. Luckily, we know that our families can be eternal.

We know that our Heavenly Father is a loving Heavenly Father who watches over His children and His plan for us is what will bring us true joy.

We know that Jesus is the Christ and died so that we might have eternal life if we but keep the commandment and love one another, and follow in His footsteps.

My prayers and thought have been with Abby and her family the last 2 days. Every few minutes my eyes well up with tears as I think of the long road ahead of them...

Please post this link on your blog.

Spread the word.

This family will need your prayers, your love, your support. Naki is no Nie-Nie. He was a great father, brother, husband... and leaves behind many who miss and love him.

www.nakisgirls.com

thank you.

sad heart

2009-10-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

this morning my heart is heavy and sad.
we received the news that Cassie's brother in law, Naki, died suddenly last night. He leaves behind a beautiful wife, for which Cassie's Abbi is named, and 6 beautiful girls.

this is the link to their family blog.

my heart and prayers go out to them and the Davis family.

photo taken at Matt & Kami's wedding in June

little eyes

2009-10-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

here is a photo essay of our trip to Hawaii.

by Lilli.
age 6.

Did I mention that my little camera has a handy paint feature, built right in?

my much less interesting photos to follow. as soon as i catch up over here.

test

2009-10-07T00:17:00.001-07:00

clouds rising off Mt. Haleakala

YES!

WE have color. And size. THIS is how my photos are supposed to be seen! It will be a whole new blog for everyone's viewing pleasure! TOO BIG?? NAY! Bigger is better.

tell all your friends...

2009-10-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

I had 2 spots open up for OC. One on Wednesday October 21st and one on Friday October 23rd.

Interested? Know anyone in the OC who is?

flutterpix@gmail.com

Thanks!

somewhere back on the normal side of the rainbow

2009-10-06T00:28:00.001-07:00

I am back home.

It is good to go to Hawaii.
It is good to play in the ocean with your daughter and watch her drink from a coconut.
It is good to see rainbows everyday.
It is even better to come home.

Aloha

2009-09-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

We are in Maui! Woohoo!
Just took some photos of my camera, wanted to post these of Lilli having fun in the sun & water. It was a long journey to get here.
Spokane to PDX. Sleep in Portland. Wake up at 3:30 and fly to SFO then onto Maui.

Lilli has been super good and we've had a great time so far. Ate at Bubba Gumps last night. What? That's a seafood place? Oh, no problem! Just got them to change my 'chef's special' to chicken. ;)

Can't eat fish. Too fishy.

Should be doing my photo shoot in the morning. My mom is relaxing and enjoying our suite.

ALOHA!

Love. AND Logic.

2009-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

My amazing talented beautiful smart sexy wonderful stylish happy creative MOTHER OF THE YEAR sister in law is teaching another Love & Logic course. Trust me. This is SO worth your time. It is so good and she is such a great teacher.

Mother of 7.
Parent extraordinaire.
Sister most excellent.

You will LOVE this class. Grab your hubby. Come by yourself. I learned so much from it.

Starts next Tuesday. Goes for about 6 weeks. If you are interested you can email me randi@brunts.org or Heather - heather@daines.net.

THANKS!

Vegas baby, Vegas

2009-09-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

I went to Vegas this past weekend.
I went for a Heritage Makers annual reunion... my first one. I was a little unsure at first. Here is me, in Vegas. Courtesy of the iPhone.

But I had a G.R.E.A.T. time. It was such an inspiring and uplifting weekend. I met a lot of great people and got all pumped up. It was super fun. I even got an award for advancing to Director and walked across the stage, got a plaque and everything. :)

We have such a great company. I believe in its value. The importance of story and preserving our values, preserving the things that we want our children to know and believe in and telling our stories. It was worth the trip to Vegas to celebrate that with about 500 other consultants from all over the country.

Photo from the awards banquet

Come share my excitement! I am having our monthly workshop/digicrop this week. Wednesday the 23rd @ 7:00.

Plus - everyone gets a FREE greeting card just for coming! Bring a friend, and I will give you 2. Hope to see you there!

www.rstorybooks.com

in the middle

2009-09-15T00:50:00.001-07:00

Mercer started school today.

Preschool that is. He could have started kindergarten, but I decided to hold him back.
Why?
Because I wasn't ready.

When Dexter was 4 turning 5, there was NO question that he was starting school. He is very young for his grade, but with my 4th baby just 2 months old, and him just turning 5, he HAD to start school, even if it was only for half a day. Plus, he was ready. Socially, emotionally and otherwise. And I was ready.

But I wasn't with Mercer. He would probably be ready too. If he weren't a middle child. If he was read to more. If his mother spent time doing flash cards and letter games and educational coloring books with him. If only his mother took him on field trips and special outings to museums and libraries. If only his mother started him in soccer when she started the other kids, or summer day camps and swim lessons. But - not for the middle child.

"He can wait another year..." has been a common phrase when it comes to Mercer. I am so busy with D & Ls activities and education and papers and homework and games and practices and first day ofs that I am now admitting - Mercer has gotten the shaft. Big time.

Dexter started preschool at 3.
Swim lessons at 3.
Soccer at 3.
Day camps at 5.

Mercer none of that. One year of swimming. And a little preschool.

score: Dexter 18 - Mercer 2 & 1/2.

I feel so awful. Am I playing favorites? Or was it just to give the older ones something to do because I was so busy with the little ones? And now the tables have turned on me. Us. The older ones are so busy that the little ones don't get any time to do anything.

In my back to school blessing from G, he blessed me that I will be able to find ways of spending meaningful quality time with each of the kids. That is something that I am acutely aware of with Mercer.

Make time for him. Meaningful, fun, important time.

He came home from school and peered around the corner... "Guess who's home? The school boy!"

sunset on the hill

2009-09-13T21:30:00.001-07:00

cool.

looking for models for some night shooting. ;)

thanks TANGIERS (my new nicname for Tyler & Angie) for being such good sports.

and so it begins...

2009-09-13T20:43:00.001-07:00

happy back to school.

first week over and done. now onto the real stuff.

yes i was happy they went back to school.

yes, i left the school crying because dexter got THAT teacher. you know. the one that yells.
but i was also crying because they are old and moving onwards and upwards and its scary and exciting and sad...

yes. it begins again.

baptism

2009-09-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

9 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.

10 And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

Dexter was baptized last week. We were joined by Aunt Erin (thank you Erin for coming!) and Mimi & Grandpa (thank you for driving all the way from Cody and for the 10 loaves of BREAD!) and almost the entire immediate Daines clan. Thanks to everyone who came.

We are so proud of Dexter.

I asked him a few weeks before his baptism if he had a testimony....
"No."
"Do you know what a testimony is?"
"No."
"Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus and that he translated the Book of Mormon?"
"Yeah."
"Do you believe that we can live with Heavenly Father again and that we can be together with our families forever?"

"Yeah."
"Then you have a testimony."

"Yeah, I do."

"A testimony is having a belief or even a hope that these things are true and that you can repent and be baptized and live with and like our Heavenly Father."

"Yeah. I believe that."

The 8 things I shared about Dexter at his baptism:
1. he has one brother and
2. two sisters
3. he is going into third grade at LL elementary
4. he has played soccer for four years
5. when he was five, he fell off some monkey bars and broke his arm
6. at age six is about when he started to love Star Wars, Legos and Lego Star Wars. Also six is the average number of times per week that Dexter eats Cinnamon Toast Crunch, orange juice and chocolate muffin for breakfast.
7. he was born August Seventh, 2001.
8. he has lived in eight different houses since he was born.

We love you, Dexter.

go here

2009-09-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

you can see a few of the pictures I took of Janna's family here, on her blog.

isn't she beautiful?

happy

2009-09-09T07:38:00.001-07:00

Family pictures make me happy.

Especially these. The kids were so good. But then again I wasn't expecting us all to hold still and say cheese. That is not how we are. That is not how our family pictures should be.

When the yellow flowers of my intended site were dying, I was a little stressed out. Everyday for a week I would tell George, "We still don't have a location yet." It wasn't until Saturday that Janna & I decided that downtown would work for both of us. I had already done 2 shoots there last week, and was a little hesitant. But now, I don't know what else would have been more perfect.

and this series is just priceless to me. how do you choose between these? 2 of my most favorite people in the world being happy and lovey. warm and sunshiny.

we are standing right in front of a B. Clearly. For Brunt of course.

I am sure that I will post more of them in the future.

Here you go Mom.

happy.

Janna Beecher, Helena MT photographer

2009-09-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

I called Janna on the way downtown.

"Are you stressed?"
"No. Are you??"
"Kind of."
"Don't be. We are so casual. I want us laughing and crying. Fighting or happy.... Whatever."

"Okay. Now I feel better."

I am in love. Can't post them all tonight. But let's just say... if you are ever in Helena....

Thanks so much Janna.

indulge me

2009-09-06T00:28:00.000-07:00

or don't.
doesn't really matter.
i am posting more pictures of my kids. way before the 6 other sessions i still need to edit.

in my defense, i am trying out some new action recipes. right? so its like research or homework or something...

aannnnnnndd, one more of my little girl. mint chocolate chip.

number 5 is alive

2009-09-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Leprechaun juice and waffles. A new Batman shirt. Scooter. Triple Play with his dad for bumper boats and go-carts. Chili's for dinner (so mom doesn't have to cook) with the Seligers and Great Grandma. Robot cake. Hold the ice cream. Presents. Bed. F-I-V-E.

musics

2009-09-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Last night, I felt like I was 20 again.

When I met George he was in a band. We spent our dating months and first year of marriage hanging out at the studio, then June Audio, and at shows at night at the Zephyr in SLC and the Wrapsody in Provo. When I wasn't at one of George's shows, we would go see other bands. When we lived in NYC, unfortunately we did NOT spend money or time going to all the museums or places of cultural significance. We walked by them. But at night we went and saw bands that no one had heard of here yet. Modest Mouse, Cat Power, Ida, Innocence Mission, Elliott Smith, Low... George went to way more than I did. But that is what we did. We also saw Morrissey in NYC too.

Then we had kids. George kept going to shows and occasionally I would go if it was someone I was really interested in. But living in the OC and Springville, we didn't get out as much as we'd like.... Time. Age.

Last night we went to see Cass McCombs and Band of Horses. Both of which I love. I was shocked first of all at how nice the venue was here in Spokaloo. The Knitting Factory is big and really cool. Then, there were SO many people there. George and I were musing at how so many people in Spokane knew of Band of Horses when no one I have ever talked to has heard of them... but then again, we could have been 2 of the oldest people in the audience.

It was such a good show. I totally had goosebumps through the first 2 numbers. The crowd was awesome and it made me wonder why I had stopped going to shows. But then, I started to notice the crowd around me:

First there was lovey-dovey couple in front of me. Each new song that started earned the boyfriend a big doey eyed smile and a wet kiss and a rub of her head down his shoulder. I kept thinking, "Yeah, they're going to make it..."

Next there was too big bag girl. You know the girl that brings her HUGE Dooney & Burke clearance bag when everyone is smashed in together and she is swinging around with her baggage knocking into everybody. What is in there that you need at a show??

Then there is never-been-out-in-public boy. Its the kid that worked his way to the front of the stage, turns around and jumps up and down through every song, facing the crowd, arms flailing about. Even in the slow songs, the jumps just get a little softer... I got his number.

Those are just a few of the fun fans around me last night that reminded me why I had taken a break from shows. All those aside, it was a fantastic show, complete with delicious post-show Slurpee for the drive home.

for myself

2009-08-31T22:25:00.001-07:00

just to tide myself over. I have 7 other sessions to edit before this one... but I just couldn't help myself this afternoon. so I just did a FEW.

Mercer also had a birthday and turned 5, which HE & I are both in denial about. George and the crew at PMTS started a night school course. yay? Will we see him this week? Not sure... Dexter is getting baptized this Saturday. Dinner at our house to follow. Get food. Family coming into town. Clean house. Family pictures on Sunday. Lose 15 lbs. And school is FINALLY starting next week. I feel like I just need to keep treading for one more week. Anyone else? Can we vote to move school up 2 weeks??

Other than that... things are grrrrrrreat!

We went over to the Nebekers the other night and played a way fun game called WHO, WHAT, WHERE. Definitely look it up and get it. Fun party game. Good to get out and laugh with friends and eat yummy food, even though we were the only ones who didn't bring ANYTHING and smelled the sweatiest. Did anyone notice?? We were so gross/lame. What was up with Mike not being able to get anyone's pictures??

And I finally got an outline together for the Primary Program which is like 1 1/2 months away. I always bug George about being a procrastinator...

children of the corn

2009-08-26T09:07:00.001-07:00

never seen the movie. never want to. don't want to know anything about it. but for the past few years, in moments of frustration and complete inability to understand the behavior going on around me, I have called out in exasperation, "CHILDREN OF THE CORN!" meaning my four darlings who NEVER do anything wrong or exasperate me. EVER!

Sunday night, they fulfilled my words.

We got a text, A TEXT no less, from Jarom saying most of his field was already gone and if anybody wanted any corn we needed to get our red necks over there and get some. So after dinner, we loaded up and headed out to the country, Otis Orchards.

The kids were a little timid, not sure of their environment or who was watching or if they had the right shoes on, until Dexter pulled out THE FIRST CORN OF THE EVENING and everyone relaxed, and went for it.

This is Lilli yelling, "HERE MOM." Because apparently I was supposed to approve each offering.

"See Rori, this is corn. C-O-R-N. Like, you can eat it."

"No thanks, I'm good over here, picking my nose."

Children Of The Corn

P.C. (post corn), we, I mean Jarom, got a fire going and we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. I brought frosting instead of chocolate bars, because who likes hard Hershey's bars next to soft, smooshy warm marshmallows? None. Frosting is the way to go.

All in all it was a win - win evening. The kids picked us some of the most delicious corn ever. They got their camping experience in for the year (yeah, that's right) and I had like 4 s'mores.

sneaky

2009-08-24T09:17:00.001-07:00

"You're probably still asleep, but I just have to share my joy. I snuck out this morning to play a quick round @ Corbin. Hole in one ace!!"

He signed his name there on the basket. GEORGE SKIP ACE 8-24-09

If you are wondering, like I was, what a skip ace is, it's when the frisbee hits the ground first and then skips up into the basket. Skip ace.

anniversary tree

2009-08-19T13:09:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, our anniversary, we had plans to go to the temple, then get some dinner. Those plans changed when I got home from leaving the 4 darlings at the lake with some of my WONDERFUL siblings and their spouses, and found my sweetheart with THIS!

It's like a 20 foot tree. :)
He knew I wanted some trees for our yard. So he went all out. He dug through my email correspondence with VaLynn, our landscape designer extraordinaire, and found which tree I liked and which nursery to go get it from and knew generally where I wanted it. (I did show up in time to correct his first location though.)

I said, "So we're not going to make our 3:45 session."
He said, "We have time."
I said, "No, it's like 2:00."

I was right.
It took quite a while, some muscles (thanks Tyler for coming home just in time to help us), a pick axe, Dan & Staci's shovel, and a few more bags of compost. I think we finished just after 5:00. We are so handy.

After we got the tree in, we cleaned ourselves up and headed out to dinner.
We had a great, yummy dinner at Hay J's, great food, worst location ever, and then headed back out to the lake to get the kids.

Yay for our anniversary tree. I love it!

Stay tuned for more posts about our yard work handiness.

update:

2009-08-18T08:16:00.001-07:00

OC sessions are full!

Thanks everyone! Didn't even have to do an email blast! That warms my heart. :)

eleven

2009-08-15T08:38:00.001-07:00

byu, nyu, sunfall, dexter, lake, payne&fears, irvine, lilli, santa ana, plano, mercer, springville, groundloop, fuse, irvine, rori, paul mitchell, spokane, liberty lake. shmily, lightning storms, bike rides and the beach. in n out, banana republic, versani and our blue dresser. harry potter in the car, low up on stage. road trips, christmas parties, disneyland, cold stone, encinada, seattle and provo. every minute of everyday, every week, all year for eleven years. together.

i. love. you. more.

more than eleven.

week end wrap up

2009-08-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Despite my best efforts, Dexter went ahead and turned 8 on Friday. The nerve...

He awoke to streamers on his doorway, down the stairs and around the table, his own box of CTC and no chores (he made sure of the chores thing like 2 weeks ago).

It was pretty rainy all day, so he stayed inside, got to open 1 present early and then we decided to go to the new Kroc center in Coeur d'Alene. The pool is awesome! Lazy river, big water slide, fun kids' area. Really nice. Just don't bring your camera. They will tell you not to use it because they are 'family friendly'. Fine. As if I can let my son turn 8 without documenting the whole day.

Ha. Snuck that one in there...

When we returned, (after my photo shoot with the Kenworthy's!) it was onto a very orange dinner. .. Macaroni & Cheese, Cheeseburgers, Cheesy chips, and orange soda. There were other things too, but the dominating color and theme was orange cheese.

the crew that came out to chow

apparently Dexter's party was so phenomenal that they had to tweet about it, right then and there.
Landon got the memo that it was a Star Wars party...
hence the amazingly accurate Luke Skywalker cake,
complete with Death Star and Naboo cupcakes.
Good thing Aidan was there to help him blow out ALL those candles.
He had a good day, if I do say so myself.

fun with dry ice and home made root beer, courtesy of Dan

Sunday, after 2 bail outs, George and I headed to Seattle for a quick little, pre-anniversary trip. It worked out well. To keep him awake, I started reading the HOST outloud. I will keep my commentary to myself until I have finished it.
He tried iPhoning while driving. Boo. I am precious cargo. I am allowed to do it while I drive, but not him.
We spent the night with some friends, Steve & Jana, and then the next morning G rented a car and went down to Olympia for some meetings for the beauty school law making group society support network of friends and faces. Or something. I spent 4 hours at Ikea! Hooray for cheap frames.

After that, I had 2 photo shoots at 2 of my favorite beaches there, both with families that I shot last year. The kids all said, "Oh, Miss Randi is taking our pictures?! Okay! I like her!" :) If that doesn't warm the soul, I don't know what does.

Oh yes I do. Meeting up with the Chambers for some delish Thai food and then going to DEPECHE MODE for the 4th time. Whoo Hoo. Say what you want, I am still a fan.

It was a quick but very fun trip! I read the host on the way home to keep us awake. Along with some York 100 calorie bars, corn nuts, Red Bull and a Slurpee. We got in at 4:00 am. Happy early anniversary to us! :)

eight is enough

2009-08-07T00:56:00.000-07:00

Enough.

Seriously.

We don't need any more years piled on just yet.
It has gone by like the millennium falcon in light speed. Just the other day he was starting kindergarten and losing his first tooth. And just a few days before that he was in diapers and learning to crawl. And before that he could fit snug and tiny and small and soft in my arms for snuggles and kisses.

And now. 8. It's too much. He's too big and old and independent. His feet are huge. His legs stick out the bottom of his pants every 3 months. He's losing more of his teeth and the roundness in his cheeks is all gone. Skinny long arms replaced his soft smushy ones. His cute little square baby teeth are missing and in their place large adult chicklettes.

His laugh sounds the same.
His voice sounds kind of the same.
His personality is changing.
His height is constantly on the move. He has experiences that I now know nothing about and am never a part of any more. He doesn't come to me for every little thing. (which is good). He can ride his bike to school and check out library books. He can swim by himself and score soccer goals.

What's worse is that it is so hard for me to remember back to when it was different. Most of the little things about his littleness and smallness are gone.

And I am just sitting to the side watching. More and more. Bigger and bigger.

Enough. 8 is enough.

where have I been?

2009-08-06T00:13:00.000-07:00

HERE.

Speaking of... I am getting ready to announce my Orange County sessions at the end of October. A session in Disneyland anyone?? Seriously.

rockin' country

2009-08-04T09:27:00.001-07:00

Last week, Lilli went to Eden's birthday party, Rockstar style.

Sunday, we (minus Lilli) headed out to Freeman area for a photo shoot wrap up... I don't work on Sundays, but I just needed to get a few more photos of some cute boys in their wheat fields before they were all mown down. Mown?

I brought the gang so they could enjoy the scenery...
we enjoyed a pick-up ride out into the fields... I felt SO country. :)

on top of the bales

they have the tallest swings you have ever seen

which you can't tell from any of these pictures

my favorite picture from the evening

best riff trax

2009-08-01T09:27:00.001-07:00

ahhh, last night after a long day we wanted to watch a movie (staci, steven & cassie, tyler, g & I). I was on my computer while waiting for the kids to settle down and tyler comes rushing into my office (yes, rushing, tyler). He pushed my hands off the keyboard and went to rifftrax and said, "They did Twilight."

After watching the little preview it was a done deal.

I was laughing so hard my stomach aches this morning. My eyes were puffy from crying. Haven't laughed this hard in a loooooong time. Enjoy.

"Llllllllllllllllllllllladies........"

down by the river

2009-07-27T09:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I took these yay-hoos to the river. The water level is so low right now, I wanted to go check it out as a photo location... The kids enjoyed our little field trip and got out some energy. It was almost 8pm and I realized we hadn't even gone outside once except in and out of the car at church.

The kids kept calling these "wish pom-poms" and I heard Sydni & Dexter saying, "Yeah, except they don't really work."

Mercer: "Do you really get a wish Mom? Do they work?"

Isn't this a nice spot?

I had Dexter take this right as we were leaving. I LOVE how Rori just wrapped her whole arm around my face. :) Her soft squishy skin is my favorite.

as a side note: this wasn't the quiet, peaceful, remote location as I have portrayed it, exactly. There were about 20-30 twenty-somethings hanging out here as well. This is the get out point for floating down the river from Post Falls, so it was quite the populated spot last night. Still beautiful though.

lately

2009-07-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

hanging out at the lake on Saturdays,

more baths happen in the summer

our yard is changing! whoo hoo!

samantha & skylee were here for a week! we miss them now. :(

rori face

and again. goggles during scriptures. sure.

enjoying our summer evening view. (iphone pic!)

toilet tag. (who came up with that one?)

mo's new look.

today. rori and her buddy.

i think i have been taking summer vacation way too literally. everyday is mostly carefree, schedule-less, hot. breakfast has been happening around 9:30 when the last child finally rolls out of bed and meanders downstairs. that is not too much later than me... i have been sleeping in like a teenager. after breakfast we laze around, me on the computer, the kids hanging around asking to play games on my phone or building train tracks in the play room.

lunch happens near 1. sometimes 2. dinner is whenever we feel like it and i have been staying up way past my bedtime. every night. look at me. my apologies to Laura & Jessica. I have been the worst running pal. went to the premier of Harry Potter. At 12:30 am. in costume. how old am i ??

this is a random post. just needed to catch up.

****

Mercer asked the other day right after George left for work: "Where's Dad?"

"Where do you think, Mercer?"

"I don't know, like Africa or something?"

****

We were at a park a few weeks ago and Lilli was on the swing next to another girl. The other girl looked at Lilli and then said to her friend, "That girl has blue hair. I am going to get my hair dyed blue too."

Lilli looked back at me rather pleased.

****

George got 2 new pairs of glasses. His other ones broke when he got kicked in the face in a cage fight. I mean, while pushing one of the kids on a swing. Same diff. Anyways, let's just say that I like ONE of the pairs. The other one, not so much. He conveniently scurried off to Vegas for the weekend before he could take any verbal abuse. I will definitely get some photos for all those who are interested in George's fashion. AND he finally got his haircut. Thank you to all of you who put up with the latest cut. This one is better. NOW you are ALL interested.

****

Lastly and lately,

I have found my true calling. Today I went to J. Crew to look at their sale stuff. I identify my style with J.Crew even though I own like 3 shirts from there that were on clearance and one pair of jeans... anyways, I went there and they have this behind the scenes page from a photo shoot they did in Carmel CA, etc. That is my new dream job. NO. GOAL. I want to be a photographer for J.Crew. Just putting that out there. Maybe it will come back to me. :)

That's what's been up with our brood lately.

LATELY LIST:

Listening to:
Interpol. Josh Ritter. Cass McCombs. new Depeche.

Eating:
Hot dogs. BBQ chicken. Strawberry lemonade from a mix. strawberry miniwheats.

Doing:
Lots of photos. Sprinklers (thank you Seligers). baths. geo-trax. reading WW 2 books survival stories. why? not sure, but they are good.

Wishing for:
a trampoline. new wardrobe. new hair.

Grateful for:
a lot. we are happy and very blessed.

favorite shoot of the year!

2009-07-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

This was my most favoritest.

for Jason & Christie!

Chores

2009-07-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have struggled with finding a good system for our chores. I had rotating wheel chart, but we could never remember which way we had turned it. I had a cork board with smiley faces and pictures that fell off and never got rotated... follow through is not my strong point.

Finally I decided to make this!

I bought a 18x24 poster credit through Heritage Makers (about $13) and made my own chart. It arrived about 6 days later and then George took it to Kinkos yesterday and had it laminated ($9). Then I took some very fancy painter's tape and taped inside our cupboard. I can't even describe how excited the kids were. It was ridiculous. They were EXCITED to get their chores done yesterday - hilarious.

I realize that Mercer does NOT look excited in this photo - however we had just gotten back from a walk. I was inviting all our neighbors to my OPEN HOUSE on Thursday morning. AND YOU ARE INVITED TOO!

Thursday July 23rd Morning, 10-12.
My house. (if you need directions, email me: randi@brunts.org)
Open house and showcase.

OR

There is our bi-monthly digi-crop

Thursday July 23rd evening, 7-9
23403 E. Mission Ave (2nd floor, Computer Training Lab)
Workshop & Training

You are invited to either or both!

Come make a chore chart even! :) The possibilities are endless.

death of a cookie

2009-07-12T15:36:00.001-07:00

the crime scene:

the weapons:

the position:

the blood bath:

the evidence:

the remains:

does anyone else's kids eat their cookies this way? by gouging out all the stuff with their fingers and the leaving the outter shell??

mom, i know you are dying right now, seeing rori on my counter. i let kids (not pets) on my counters. we were never allowed such a privilege.

all things Island Park

2009-07-12T08:28:00.001-07:00

This was kind of how the weather was everyday on our week - long trip to Island Park this summer. Sunny and beautiful in the mornings and by afternoon, cloud bursts that looked like this, lasted for an hour and blew away.

We spent a lot of time out on the reservoir this year. The kids LOVED tubing. Even Rori got into it this year.

Mercer was not so sure at first. He watched from the safety of the boat.... feeling things out. Once he saw Rori and Dad go out there, then he figured it was safe and he could go. :)

Then he go into it. :)

The boys loved riding the little ATV around and around and around the driveway. It is so fun to watch them. Mercer has a perma -grin and he is so proud of himself. Dexter acts like he's been riding for decades.

Then we got a whole group together with our household and the Kenitzers and headed off on a longer ride. It was a PERFECT day for it.

Our little dust covered family at the peak of our trip.

4th of July was spent doing some sparklers, watching a few fireworks at the cabin, then driving down the highway to the big show. Unfortunately my camera battery died en route, and the others were laying out on my bed, so... no awesome photos of the insane show. But I had to watch it from inside the van anyways: Rori asleep on my lap and Mercer covering his ears (it was midnight, afterall.)

This year, we finally went to the sand dunes in Saint Anthony. I had been wanting to go for years, but George HATES sand. So we never go. Okay. He doesn't hate sand. He hates sand ON him. The day was warm but not terrible, but the sand was HOT. We still had great time.

Rori, feeling left behind and overwhelmed at the climb.

family jump

A lot of time (and energy) was spent helping the littles climb back up the hill. It involved a lot of pushing on their buts and me sliding back down. George opted to just carry them up. Show- off.

and somebody should have warned Dexter that his face was gonna look like this....

if he did this.

On Tuesday, our friends the Childs, drove up from Salt Lake. We did some more tubing and then Wednesday morning we were off and brought their 2 girls home with us. Full car!

"I would like 6 happy meals please..."

home.

for Ellie & Jesse

2009-07-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Ellie called me a few weeks ago while they were here from AZ and said do you have a spot for us?
I said... hmmm yes, only tomorrow!
I am so glad that we got together at one of my favorite locations (Lindsay's yard). How adorable are these 2 kids?!

my favorite shot of the day

no, this one is my favorite

Thanks Ellie & Jesse! Hope you guys had a good trip!

we're back!

2009-07-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

We are back from Island Park. We made it home safe and sound. Lots of boating and ATVing, etc. Longer post to come. Love this photo. All the kids faces, including George's, are just awesome!

"The bread at home is stale... no wait, that's your blog."

2009-06-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

text message today, courtesy of Tyler. I don't see him blogging around here....

Since we are on the subject of bread...

let me just say a huge T H A N K Y O U to this family pictured below. (that's as big as blogger fonts go.)

I had the pleasure of shooting another wedding for the Davis' this week. And yes, technically this post kind of jumped the queue of photos I need to edit, but ... one of the eight sisters pictured in this photo brought me 15 loaves of Grandma Sycamore's bread. 15!!!!! (Or there abouts.) So just had to give a shout out.

LOVED the wedding.
LOVE this family.
LOVED the love that was here.
LOVE Grandma Sycamore's bread.

LOVE this shot.
6 girl cousins. Born in the span of one year. That's the Davis family. :)

week end things

2009-06-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a great time.
George's parents (and brother Ryan) drove over from Island Park for Lilli's dance recital. She had been inviting them for several months and we are so glad they came. On Saturday we went to Corbin Park in Post Falls for some rock throwing and feet dipping and frisbeeing and picnicing. It was most pleasant.

After a quick nap, it was time for the big event. Costume, make- up, jewels, photos...

a quick dinner from Zip's before we head inside...

and then the show!
Yes it was too long. Yes there were TOO many filler numbers - but the moment my little girl stepped on stage with her beaming smile, I could barely see for the tears. :)

Look at that posture and poise... You can't teach that! She's such a natural. ahhh...

The post party included flowers from parents and grandparents, a stop at the DQ and then home to bed.

On Father's day, we had German pancakes with George and his dad. That was cool to have him here with us. Then we watched a movie. It was a movie I spent about a month making where I interviewed the kids, got some good answers and some funny answers and then added music and photos.
I cried.
George didn't.
So there you go.

Then we had church and after church... mad packing! George's parents took Dexter & Lilli with them!!!! How nice was that?? We took pot roasts over to my parents' house and then the Brunts hit the road with 2 chatty children in tow. THANK YOU!!! (Don't worry - we see them in about a week or so. Maybe.)

Oh and Mercer cut his own hair. With Lilli's kindergarten scissors that say Grace on them. So that was good too.

True Life: My Dad Works at a Beauty School, My Mom's a Photographer; I don't have a chance.

2009-06-20T08:45:00.001-07:00

some L's

2009-06-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

Loving the lightning here in Liberty Lake....

and Lilli.

(I took over 100 pictures to get the lightning shots. Exposure was 10sec, ISO -100, 6.3. Should have been more stopped down... but oh well.)

the face of 3

2009-06-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

my baby is 3!!!

RORI R BRUNT...
was born on June 15th in Irvine CA around 7:00 ish pm. She came with her fist up by her face. Ready to go from the start. :)

From the moment we decided to have another baby, we knew that whomever he/she was, she was going to be a special spirit. She brought such a peace into our home immediately, and I knew we needed her.

She is joy and love. Sunshine and smiles.

Spirit and fire. Energy and kisses.

We love our Rori - girl. :) Happy birthday to my baby girl!!

for Staci

2009-06-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

STACI: CLICK HERE!

:)

~r

if you have a minute...

2009-06-05T15:19:00.001-07:00

even if you don't have a minute, take 10 and go cry looking at these AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTOS.

The Choker

2009-06-05T15:18:00.001-07:00

The Choker

Posted using ShareThis

serious problem

2009-06-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

I now have studio lights.

In my house.

And I am learning how to use them.

I thought I was addicted before.... now? ... watch out.

2 days of my boys

2009-06-04T08:00:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, 4:30 pm. Outside. Best light that day.

their matching "bug shoes". this post sponsored by OLD NAVY.

Tuesday, 7:00 pm. Inside. Save the Plants, starring Dexter G as Peapod #1 and Aphid #1.

Tuesday, 8:00 pm. Outside. The supporting crew. Orangey sunset glow.

Wednesday, 6:00 pm. First ever studio light set up inside PMTS.

Hats provided by uncle Ryan, brought back from Peru. Thank you Ryan!!

I love my boys.
Crazy, loud, busy, wiggly, silly, gross, funny, happy, ridiculous, warm, sweet, smart, energetic, fast, pale and wonderful.

for Matt & Kami : engaged

2009-06-02T08:54:00.001-07:00

click here to go to my other blog for Matt & Kami.

show

2009-06-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

we had about 20 people show for our living room show.

paul and dustin were amazing and cool and neat and fun and awesome.

thanks for all those that came and i think we'll do it again.

mancation 2007

2009-05-30T17:24:00.003-07:00

2007 - G flew down to UT for a mancation. They started in Provo and drove through the mountains to Colorado to catch a Wilco show and then drove back. Frisbeeing all the way.

Chris LeSueur

Darin LeSueur (here with his hole in one shot)

Dustin LeSueur

Paul Jacobsen

Scott Wiley

Mancation.

This year, the dudes flew up here and are headquartered at the lake house. 2 full days of frolfing so far. And today they went to Missoula. George's brothers also came this year. And ....

THEY BROUGHT US 10 LOAVES OF BREAD!!!!

So, I was a little more okay with mancation 2009 after that. :)

summer requirements

2009-05-27T23:15:00.001-07:00

I have here, a list, of all (well, most) of the things we require for a good and fulfilling summer:

1. GRASS

2. SMILES

3. KOOL - AID

4. GUILT FREE DESSERTING, LIKE on a COLD STONE

5.NATURE

6. DINNER AL FRESCO

7. WATER

8. SUGAR & SPICE

9. SHELTER

10. A WINNING ATTITUDE

On Saturday night - we were graciously invited over to J&K's for a BBQ. YO! She just had a baby. But still, we didn't say no. They have the best yard, and it was so fun to watch the kids consume more and more sugar then try to go jump it off on the trampoline.

Here is G warming up for his DUDE-CATION going on this weekend.

Think dudes with beards and frisbees and coolers. Yeah. DUDE-CATION.

Guess we need dudes too... maybe not so beardy though. Oh, and iPhones of course. Why wouldn't we need to pull them out and fight each other even over burgers?

pssst... pass it on

2009-05-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

There is going to be this really cool show.
Monday night.
Our place.
Live music.
Good live music.
Folks and fun.
Come.

Post this on your blog, leave a comment that you are posting it on your blog, and you will be rewarded.

over the edge

2009-05-23T21:25:00.001-07:00

this week has been so nice.
warm weather. sun. mostly happy kids. dan made the best tom kai gai soup EVER last night for dinner at 10:00 pm. (THANK YOU DAN!! SO GOOD. did I mention that was my most favorite food ever?) So You Think You Can Dance started... all good things. Last night after we watched SYTYCD, George says...

"If it wasn't so much work, I would want to do whatever it takes to learn how to do that." Hilarious. We are too lazy even for our own aspirations.

I have taken SO many pictures this week. Over 500. Including the wedding I shot today down by the river, outdoor fun with hose yesterday, fun in J&K backyard this evening at BBQ, and Lydia's newborn photos. YEAH! So LOTS of photos to come... once I step away from the edge. :)

squeaky clean

2009-05-17T14:49:00.001-07:00

and the winner

2009-05-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

[for now] is.....

[click here]

change is coming

2009-05-15T09:17:00.001-07:00

Been wanting to change my name for a long time.... Now's the time.

Which logo do you like?

new post

2009-05-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

new post here.

finally.

the rotation

2009-05-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Dexter was not yet 5 when Rori was born. Lilli had just turned 3 and Mercer was not yet 2. Some friends of mine told me I should get a cleaning lady as we were living in the OC, help was readily available, to put it nicely.

So I got a recommendation, and once a week I had a team of 3 ladies/girls in our 1800 sq ft condo scrubbing, dusting, wiping, washing, mopping, polishing and cleaning the place - top to bottom. It was amazing. After Rori was about 2 months old, we went on a long trip (up to Spokane actually) and I never reinstated my cleaning ladies when I returned.... something about feeling guilty or inadequate on my own or some such nonsense.

Now - I still have no cleaning lady. I have a ROTATION.

It is not written down.

It is not well thought out.

It is just this: If I happen to have an hour and a half, and one particular area of the house is ready to be attacted - then it is on the TO DO RIGHT NOW list.

Today the playroom was not on the list.

My children were not on the list.

wedgie and insideout underwear

The floor was not on the list.

That cobweb that has been there since we moved in and that I look at EVERY SINGLE TIME I come down the stairs was not on the list.

The kitchen counters were not on the list.

BUT: (trumpets please) My master bathroom counter & mirror are spotless!

Notice I didn't say the floor, toilet, sinks, tub or shower. Not on the list.

for myself, on mother's day

2009-05-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day started on Friday afternoon, when the doorbell rang. The kids (& I) were ecstatic to see the sugar cookies all wrapped in cellophane. Thank you mom & dad!!!!

It was a beautiful day yesterday. After a pancake breakfast from G, we got ready for and attended church. The primary children were the opening number. Lilli rocked it out. RS was great for me. I was very emotional all day and I was asked by the RS teacher to share a little bit. Let's just say that I do the ugly cry... but it was an uplifting day at church for me. Jessica R. shared the story behind the song "I often go walking" and I will never sing that song the same way again....

After snack and watching the gift from our bishopric, the Testaments, I wanted to get outside and take some pictures. Actually I wanted G to take some pictures of me with my kids on mother's day.

We found a great spot. :)

not sure where Rori's photo is.....

Here G told the kids to be robots. Like robots, they obeyed.

Tree blossoms and sunshine.

the end.

soccer in spring

2009-05-09T22:23:00.001-07:00

Last night instead of soccer practice, Lilli's coach treated the team to dinner at Red Robin where Lilli got her very first trophy. She was so proud. So proud in fact that we called grandma on the way home to tell her, and then she washed it off in the hose outside today.

"This trophy is golden, and gold is rich, so how did our coach get these for all of us?"
"Well, it's not real gold, honey."
"Well, its real metal and metal is rich."

Today was the last day of the spring soccer season around here. Here are some photos. I finally took some pictures. (Sorry in advance for the over-sharpening that happened somewhere between iPhoto & picasa web albums. Did not happen on purpose.)

I like this one where Andrew is showing Dexter where he should be. And Dexter is unaware.

I like this one where Rori looks like she is practicing her form. She really just missed the ball.

I like this one where D and his team mate are about to kick each other in the shins.

I like this one where Dexter looks tough. He's not. Well, not that much.

I like this one where Lilli almost came close to a goal. (She actually did score one today. It was a very proud moment for me.)

Silly string for some silly girls.

Soccer was followed by Dexter's first piano recital...

the solo

the duet

The end.

Happy Mother's Day

update

2009-05-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

(photo by my mom ... yes that is why i got into photography)

just a quick update....

My mom suffered from a medium size stroke over the weekend. Monday morning, a friend came to the house, noticed her speech was little slurred, and a few other things and told her to call the doctor immediately. My aunt Michele took her to the ER where Tyler & I met up with them. She spent the night in the hospital undergoing several tests to determine where the stroke took place, causes, etc. The stroke missed, although narrowly, the major functions of her brain and she is expected to make a full recovery over the next 3 weeks. She is on doctor ordered bed rest.

If you know anything about my parents, you know how private they are. But I wanted to post this to thank all of you for your prayers and cards and calls and meals for my parents.

T H A N K Y O U.

Again, she should make a full recovery and be back to normal.... But it was a wake-up call to us 6 children to do a little more, and be there a little more.

sunday afternoon

2009-05-03T21:28:00.001-07:00

Sunday afternoon laziness...

Today after church, we were truly lazy. Me especially. On all fronts. I broke my fast with 2 cookies. then cereal.

I curled up on the couch and turned on some random bug story about following rules for Rori & Mercer. I sent Tyler to fetch my camera. Too far for me to walk.

We keep our church clothes on all Sunday. A habit and tradition from my youth that I now appreciate. My kids were apparently too hot. So Rori de-robed. So did Mercer. Too lazy to do anything about it.

Then I went up stairs, curled up in my bed and read for a while (the blood of flowers... pretty good so far. what's up with all my reading lately?) then I curled over and took a cat nap in the sunshine.

Too lazy to even think about making dinner. (George has been gone alot at nights so by the weekend I am pretty burnt out... I don't enjoying cooking. If I ever bring you a home cooked dinner: 1. It probably won't taste that good, and 2. It is true love coming from me.)
So for dinner, we baked a loaf of bread from Fred-Meyer, G cut up some fruit, deli meat and some cheese. Perfect.

(too lazy to get up from my corner on the couch, I made the kids sit next to each other so they would both fit in my viewfinder.)

Lazy Sunday.... Don't I get a few of those?

****

Welcome Lydia V Daines!

my bawbie

2009-04-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I went grocery shopping at Walmart (it happens occasionally). I had been telling Rori that once she goes poop 3 times in the toilet she could get a new barbie. To urge her along we went to the toy aisle and I steered her to the $6 barbies and she picked out a purple ballerina. She held it in the car, very gently pulling at the corners of the box, with reminders given through the rear view mirror from me that she couldn't open it yet. (Yes this is still the month of no extras. Is this REALLY an extra? Really it is saving us Pull-Up costs, right?)

"Can I just have her crown?"
"No...."
"Her shoes?"
"Not yet...."

So she spent a few days playing with her "bawbie" in its box. I didn't know that you could carry on a conversation with a barbie in a box.

Her barbie fell down and got hurt. Apparently she was hungry and told funny jokes, all from inside her box. Rori wrapped her up in her blankie and carried her all over, even to Grandma's house.

But yesterday - her bawbie got to come out her box. She is so much more fun uncaged. She has a skirt that can come off. She can move her legs to 130 degree angles. And her arms! Her hair is soft, and she tells even funnier jokes. She slept with Rori and kept her safe. She made it to my bed at 6:15 am.

Rori and her bawbie.

the sound of hayley mills

2009-04-28T10:18:00.001-07:00

I have taken so many pictures of the the sunset up here that now the kids tell me to "Run, grab your camera mom. Take a picture of the sun." Great advice.

G has been out of town since Friday am. We are awaiting his return this afternoon. He won a contest at the PM Summit. His prize is a spot on John Paul's private jet for the next school openings tour.

Sunday after church, I really wanted to watch Sound of Music. So much so that I was singing Do a deer as loud as the kids would let me as I was making our fancy Sunday night dinner of grilled cheese and pears. Rori wanted to watch Ghostbusters. We don't have Sound of Music so I sent her to the neighbors' house to borrow it. 2 minuts later my sister called.

"What is she asking for??"
"What did she say?"
"She said she wanted music. I asked her what kind of music and she said 'Ghostbusters music'."

:) Nice try Rori.

No dice on the SOM. So they sent over the Parent Trap. Oh, how I wanted to be Hayley Mills when I was little. The clothes, the houses, girls camp... not so much the hair. We haven't finished it yet, but the 4 kids and I had a good time watching the twins go at it all in my bed on Sunday evening.

On another note, I have taken a strange addiction to cinnamon bears, or bunnies as the season dictates. Every time I go over to my parent's house, I eat about 15. But happily I can not find 'cinnamon bears' on my LOSE IT app, so they apparently don't count.

I can be glad about that.

in process...

2009-04-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

working on layout. roux - if you'd be home once in a while - we wouldn't have this problem....

family time

2009-04-27T20:27:00.001-07:00

Almost done... you can see I haven't finished the forgiveness and work pages... Those are probably our problem areas. :)

This proclamation is almost 15 years old I think. And yet, it is even more important and pertinent today. Values and morals and integrity are slipping away on every front. The family is so sacred. Read through this proclamation again if you haven't read it recently, and have a little family time.

poop snake

2009-04-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

it has been a long time. and not for any REAL good reason.

here's what's been going on...

Last Saturday I woke up at the crack of dawn, like 5:20 am, and got ready for my day in Seattle. George drove me to the airport and I enjoyed a whole 35 minuted flight all by myself. I got to Seattle and the sun was shining. It was going to be a good day. I got my rental car and headed to my first photo shoot at Carkeek Park. It is a must if you are going to Seattle and have kids. Such an amazing park.

I met up with a great family all documented here. (How do I luck out??)

After the park I headed downtown to Pioneer square and met up with Bianca's family. They are so international - it was cool. Germany, Switzerland, Australia & now Seattle. Their photos will be up soon.

After my shoots I went to a Japanese terraced park that was a little run down but had an amazing view and blooming blossoms. It was so nice.

I got back to the airport a little early so I would have time to read. It was such a relaxing great day. On the flight back, I felt something on my tongue - hmmm cement from the "retaining" wire on my lower teeth. Dental emergency. On a Saturday night. Luckily G's home teaching partner is a pediatric dentist. The chair was small, but the service - awesome.

It was also my mom's birthday Saturday. But she whisked herself away to Utah so - no party.

Sunday we had to speak in church. Faith in trials. I studied. I pondered. I prayed. I still gave a kind of pathetic talk. I really have a hard time speaking in church. George's was amazing. As I was listening to his - I had an insight from the spirit. I keep having the same trials because I am not passing the test. I fail everytime. I go through the same few trials again and again because I am not learning what I need to learn. I lack the faith through them that I should have. It was a great revelation for me. And I am glad that we had to speak for that reason alone. Since Sunday my attitude about a few certain sore spots in my life has totally changed.

For primary, I am in charge of taking a photo of each child so we can learn all their names and also for a little Mother's Day project. I really want to post some of them. No words. Maybe I will soon.... :) Here's Rori's to give you an idea.

Sunday night we had the quarterly Daines Family Home Evening at my Grandma's house. I should have taken some pictures. My aunt Suzanne did a great lesson about spring and we had cups of dirt and worms for dessert. It was a lot of fun.

Monday after dance we had a good FHE with the Seligers about the importance of family prayer. How family prayers bring families closer together and closer to Christ. It was great.

That night for family prayer, I prayed that Dexter would practice the piano.

Also on Monday night - the most amazing thing happened. We were given a laundry basket full of delicious, soft, moist, chewy, fresh, tender,

Grandma Sycamore's Homemaid Bread.

Ohhhhh it has been months without this goodness. Thank you so much to aunt Michele and uncle Ken for bringing it all the way back for us. Hope you kept some for yourselves....

So now that Rori is almost completely potty trained we are still just working on one thing: not holding the poop in for 3 days.

Last night as she was sitting at the table eating her chocolate chip cookie (after 1/3 the container is almost gone, I decided to actually BAKE the Tollhouse cookie dough) she started screaming OW and holding her butt. I picked her up and ran her to the toilet. She has some sort of irrational fear about pooping in the toilet.

I will spare you the details but Mercer went and checked it out. He came back with the most disgusted and confused look on his face. "That was like adult poop!"

As Rori is flushing, "Bye bye poop snake!"

"We should cut the poop snake in half."

Indeed.

a smile

2009-04-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

i think my mom has about 50 pictures of me doing this...

Her poor thin, short hair. It will grow in.
I remember my grandma coming over, rubbing my head and chanting the same thing.

Easter is the time

2009-04-13T13:48:00.001-07:00

to remember what is important,

to remember why we are here on earth,

and where we are going after this temporal state,

and who we want to be with forever,

and how it is all possible,

and why it is possible,

and to be grateful,

and humble,

and happy.

Because of our Savior.

***

We took these pictures on the way to Steven & Cassie's ward for the blessing of baby Abby. So sweet. Not the picturesque fields I was hoping for.. but good enough.

So Saturday night after my primary meeting, I came home, took care of some Easter bunny duties and got ready for bed. George asked if he should shave then or wait until morning. I suggested then. But I fell asleep before he was done... Sunday morning I got up to go to the bathroom and came back, looked at George and he cracked his eyes open, saw the look on my face as I noticed the hair he missed above his lip, and started laughing. HE was laughing, not me.

We are now having a contest to see who can hold out longer... he's not getting anything from me until it is shaved. He thinks that his magnetism will overpower my desire to preserve the skin on my face.

we'll see who wins.