just a phase

He's been clingy and doesn't want to leave her side.... not even for a moment. "He's just going through a phase," I tell her. Both  of us wonder if he senses the changes that are just around the corner when his new baby brother arrives. Just look at the way he wraps his flip-flops around her leg, just to make sure he is close to her. I smile at the sight. Not so many years ago, it was my little boy doing the same thing. I tell her to soak it in. It won't last forever. There will come a day when he will want to be off on his own adventures. In the blink of an eye his feet will be bigger than hers and he won't need her hugs and kisses anymore. At least he will think he doesn't. Moms know differently....

blast from the past (installment #1)

We set up our "downstairs" Christmas tree over the weekend. It's the tree that Santa puts all the presents under. The one that nobody sees except family and close friends. The sentimental one with all of the kid's homemade ornaments they made in school when they were little. It's the tree with the ornaments I bought the kids each year to remind them of what was important in their lives at that time. It also has the ornaments I have collected on my travels and ornaments we received as gifts from friends. In all, there have got to be 200 ornaments on this small tree. I am not exaggerating!! We have a "pretty" tree upstairs, but this is by far the favorite. I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you over the next few weeks. This is installment #1. It's 19 years old, and still makes me smile as big as it did the first day I received it:)

back to reality

I've been away...taking a little time for rest, relaxation and being with my family. There's nothing more relaxing than getting away from it all...including cell phones and computers. The only thing I didn't take a break from is my camera. More pics from the trip to come :)   

the big two six

It's my sweety's (AKA Brittany, Roni, Glally, Madera, Sweet Sadie, Sissy, Ben,) birthday. Actually it was yesterday, but we are celebrating it today so that she can have her birthday all to herself.


I decided to write a little something about her today on my post. I could go on all day about the hundreds of things I love about Britt, but I have narrowed it down to just 26 for this special occasion. I'll begin with one of my favorite physical features.


1.  The dimple on her left cheek. I have always loved it and fortunately it is something she has passed on to Tate, so it lives on in the next generation. It doesn't show up in this picture, but when the light hits it just right it is irresistibly cute.


2.  Her extreme fear of opening Pillsbury Poppin-Fresh Dough canisters. The anticipation of the "pop" nearly kills her. She seriously has to have someone else open it because she is too afraid.


3.  Her adventurous side. Brittany has always been a thrill seeker (minus #2), She is the only one in the family who has been or even wants to go skydiving. She loves all kinds of sports including snowboarding and wake boarding. She loves to go fast, which terrifies me for so many reasons. She isn't afraid to try new things and will go anywhere and do anything with me.


4.  Her love of Tootsie Rolls. Yes, you heard correctly. Brittany would rather have a plain old chocolate Tootsie Roll than almost anything else. She also likes the colored ones :)


5.  The way she plays the piano. It's something she doesn't share with a lot of people, but she plays beautifully. I'm pretty sure I know who is getting the baby grand when I die... just saying.


6.  Her sense of humor. Okay, let me try to explain this as best as I can.....   ......   ..... there are really no words. Put the two of us together in a funny situation, throw Brooke in the mix, and it's game over. My abs hurt just thinking about it.


7.  Her shoe fetish. A little known fact about Brittany is that her dream is to own a shoe store. She LOVES shoes and vows to own a pair of Louboutins before she dies.


8.  Her thoughtfulness. Brittany is by far the most thoughtful person, when it comes to other people's feelings, that I know. I would like to say that she gets it from me, but that would be a lie. She just has a natural concern for others and does whatever to takes to help someone be happy. It's a true gift.


9.  Her dance moves. Believe me, she can bust a move! It's hilarious to watch.


10. The way she takes care of herself. Brittany works SO hard to stay in shape and be healthy. We always talk about how unfair it is that we aren't "naturally" thin, but I actually think it's a good thing for us to have to work for it. It makes us stronger and makes us more thankful for every ounce of progress we make.


11. Her beautiful long hair. She has been growing it out for two years now and I'm not gonna lie, I'm jealous.


12. Her love for her brother and sister. I get emotional when I think about what Mike and Brooke's life would be like without Brittany. She has always been, and continues to be the glue that holds our family together. She's the best sister that they could ever hope to have.


13. Her love of balloons. Ever since she has been a little girl, she has loved balloons. She makes sure everyone has balloons on their birthday. I think it matters more to her than it does to them.


14. Her work ethic. Brittany has been working for Bob for over 10 years now and has done a wonderful job. She works from home these days, which is much harder than most people realize. She manages to stay on top of things and still spend tons of time with Tate.


15. Her "Betty Crocker" side. I love that Brittany isn't afraid to try new things. She tries a new recipe at least once a week.


16. Her love of the snow. Brittany is my little snow angel. She has always loved to play outside in the cold. She isn't that fazed by cold temperatures and loves to go sledding and snowboarding every winter. 


17. The way she smells. Britt can wear any perfume and I mean any, and smell good. She must have good pherimones or something. She just smells so good all the time.


18. Her social skills. Brittany has always gone above and beyond to make and keep friends. She truly cares about her friends and works really hard to get together with them and always stay in touch. Once you have Brittany for a friend, she will always be your friend. 


19. The way she looks in hats. Any hats. It's been a long-admired physical characteristic of Brittany's. The truth is, she has the absolutely perfect size and shape of head for hats. I mean absolutely any hat. We have put it to the test many times. It doesn't matter if it is big, tall, short or small, it looks fabulous on her. It's actually a very strange phenomenon. And, coming from someone who has the exact opposite problem, I hope she appreciates it!


20. Her street smarts. She has either been trained very well by her father, or she is just as gifted as he is. Brittany is amazing in a crisis. She can calmly assess any situation and figure out what to do about it. The only exception to this is when her "Bear" (Tate) gets hurt. Then all reason and calmness go out the window.


21. The way she puts her make-up on. I don't know where she learned it, but she is really good at it. I'm pretty sure having that beautiful smooth skin helps! 


22. Her obsession with pajamas. No, not for her, for Tate.
She has purchased so many pairs of pajamas for that little guy in the past two years that it would amaze you. Such a funny thing to be obsessed with.


23. Her phone manners. Seriously. I have heard her on the phone when she is working and it is a beautiful thing. I know that seems silly to mention, but it doesn't come easily to a lot of people, but it does to Britt.


24. Her shoulders. They are awesome to cry on. I should know because I have used them many times. Britt is my sounding board and my go-to person when nobody else is there for me. She has cried for me and with me many times over the years. It's great to have a wonderful husband, but sometimes only another girl gets it. I'm so glad we have each other for those times.


25. Her Mommy skills. Believe me she has an abundance of them. Brittany is the best mom ever. She is so patient and good to Tate. She makes his days fun and teaches him things along the way. He may not be able to tell her now, but some day he will wrap his little arms around her and say "I love you, Mommy."  BEST DAY EVER!!!


26. She is my daughter. I get emotional just thinking about how much I love her. She's my ray of sunshine, my positive energy and my happy place all rolled into one. I love her for so many reasons, but mostly because she has always loved me. She has never made me feel like she was embarrassed to have me for a mom. She has always been kind to me (except for the teasing about my slow driving, spinach smoothies and obsessive cleaning habits)and she has always been such a wonderful daughter. I have watched her turn in to an amazing mom and it does my heart good to know that my grandchildren are going to have her for their mother. They are so lucky, and so am I!! 


I love you Britt and hope you have the best birthday ever. 

hockey galz

Oh, I live for days like this. Days when I can retaliate for all of the jabs I get from my daughters. "Jabs" like the fact that I drive too slow, or that I am a digital immigrant, or I'm too obsessed with cleaning, or I chew too loud. Yes, I too enjoy a good jabbing now and then. So, with that in mind, I present to you the sight I saw when I walked to the back garage last night. (Fortunately with my camera in hand)

Let me point out a few things that have caught my eye here. (besides the fact that my daughters are both in their 20's)
1. Brooke's lips.(click on picture to get a better view)
2. Brittany's INTENSE eyes.
3. The fact that they both know how to hold a hockey stick.
4. Brittany has no shoes on.
5. Brooke is wearing my shoes.(which is interesting since her foot is 2 sizes bigger than mine!)
6. Brooke is playing hockey with a cell phone hanging out of her pocket.
7. Brittany is playing hockey with a skirt on.
8. Neither of them is really playing hockey at all since there is no puck in sight.
My abs still hurt from laughing. I love you girls!!

Tennis Anyone?

Well, the nets are finally up,

Our shoes are dusted off,

Our balls have been brought out of storage,

And we are ready to play our first game of tennis since October.

(Well, technically it's our second game

but the first one didn't count 

because it was below zero

and we had gloves on.)

Brittina Bratilova is looking

especially competitive and ruthless this year. 

I tried to document our match with a few pics,

but, as you can see, it is dang hard to hold a camera 

and play tennis at the same time.

This isn't even our court!

We tried to look like seasoned veterans of the game.

You know, all graceful and light on our feet.

But we mostly looked like this,

and this.

(feel free to click on these  to get a close-up

of just how bad we really are)

In the end, it was really fun.

I won't say who played better . . .

but there was only ONE person who needed a water bottle :)

I'm just saying . . .

Hey look. . .

. . .it's a Pen taking a picture of a Penn!

(sorry, photography humor.)

A Night At The Pitch

I spent tonight with these three 

at the Real Salt Lake soccer game.

You would think the best thing about the night

was watching Real crush the Chivas, wouldn't you?

Well, it wasn't . . .

. . . because they didn't.

We lost 1-0.

But, even if they had won,

the best part of the night would have been 

watching Bubby eat his first churro.

And, watching grandpa with Bubby 

before the game,

and at half-time.

Such a proud grandpa.

Such great memories!!

Girl's Week Out!

I  get to spend the next week 

with these two.

There will be laughing!!

More pics to follow. . .

Wish me luck:)

America's Next Top Models

I have two beautiful daughters.

I have told them this many times.

It has been a dream of mine to do a photo shoot of them before I die.

Today, after much coercion, my dream was realized.

Today,

as a gift to their mother,

they finally agreed to let me capture their beauty.

And my personal favorite . . . .

Yes, I have Beautiful, UNIQUE, daughters.

Eat your heart out Tyra!