Brooklyn Turns One!

Today, my baby turned one year old. I can't believe that first year has already gone by. It's amazing what they learn & how much they grow in that time. She has been so much fun in our family. She makes everyone so happy with her cute smile, blowing kisses, giving hugs or waving her arms all over when someone comes home. It was fun to watch her try to figure out what to do with her presents. She really had no idea what to do & had very little interest until we got it open to where she could see something was inside. She got so excited over such little things (great lesson for me to remember). One of her presents was a stuffed monkey that laughed when you touched its foot. She held onto that monkey & hugged it like it was her best friend she hadn't seen forever. She also got a toy train with animals that played songs & rolled along the floor. She had so much fun watching it move away from her & then she would catch up to it. She also liked dancing to the music. She just sits on the floor & twists her body back & forth to the beat. Brooklyn, we all just adore & love you so much. You bring so much happiness into our home. Happy Birthday Princess!!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra--Really, a rock concert?

A month or so ago, Jake & I bought tickets to go to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We didn't know a whole lot about them, but thought they were probably similar to Mannheim Steamroller. We were very excited to go. When we got there & they were just about to start, the leader was introduced. We were told he used to be a part of the Mega Death band. Jake just started to laugh & I just thought "What a change for him to go from that band to this one". Next thing I hear is "Are you ready for a rock concert?". I started to realize that it was a rock concert. I wasn't quite sure what the rest of the night would be like, but little to my surprise, I really liked it. As one person explained, it was like Mannheim Steamroller on acid. The music seemed somewhat similar just rocked out. Anyway, the show was very loud, the lights were very bright at times & we got to see these musicians play their electric guitars like a rock band does. I actually thought it was kind of funny at times watching them play their guitars while standing with their legs stretched apart, their guitar hanging as low as it could go, their hair long & straight & they'd swing it all around & then at times just lean their head back like they were so relaxed. After taking this all in I started to feel the rocker in me wanting to come out. It was really a great concert. They did a great job with their christmas message to be kind to your neighbor, they had an amazing light/laser show with their music and the concert lasted 2 1/2 hours (no intermission). I'm not sure I recommend my parents go to the concert, but I can see most of the rest of my family going. Jake & I even thought Melissa & Brittany would find it very entertaining. We definitely had a new experience, but as usual, we find that if we give something a try we may just end up liking it.

Festival of Trees

After the parade, we headed over to the Centre on the Grove & walked through the Festival of Trees. It's indoors, thank goodness, & many businesses & other people decorated trees & displayed them. Some were up for auction while others went back to their owners after the festival. There were so many different themes--I was impressed at how creative people can be. I told the girls to look at all of them & them pick their favorite one. There were over 100 to choose from. I love seeing all the trees. It really starts putting me in the Christmas mood. I get all excited to go home & decorate my tree, but I know it won't look anything like the ones I saw today.














Allie's favorite tree had all the rubber ducks
Nicole liked the Barbie tree
Brittany liked the blue tree with the birds




















Melissa just liked this tree
The candy tree was a favorite for both Jake & I--I was surprised it wasn't my kids favorite

Boise Christmas Parade

We took the girls downtown for the Christmas Parade. We got them all bundled up cause it was cold!! We found a spot right on the curb & enjoyed the good ol' hometown parade. It's always fun to see the kids get excited about different things. Some of the favorites were the big balloons, the old-fashioned cars, the royal courts (they loved the tiaras sparkling in the sunshine), the conehead paramedics and, of course, Santa Claus. Our toes got cold, but fortunately the rest of us stayed pretty warm.

Nicole's Thanksgiving Feast

Nicole had her Thanksgiving Feast in her Kindergarten class today. She has been so excited about it. It's fun to see what little things can make someone so happy. The families were invited & so I took Allie & Brooklyn with me. All the kids had either a pilgrim or indian costume on--each made by themself. The Kindergartners each took a turn & showed a picture they had made about what they are thankful for. Then the parents took a turn--of course we all said we were thankful for our child in that class. =) Next we had a little feast consisting of lunchmeat turkey, rolls, apple slices, goldfish crackers, cheese, popcorn & a piece of pumpkin cake. Finally, the kids played letter BINGO. It was a fun little party & I'm glad Nicole has so much fun in her class.

Melissa's first violin recital

Melissa started taking violin last year when she was at Joplin Elementary. They had an orchestra & she wanted to learn to play the violin. She picked up on it really fast & has enjoyed playing since. She is now at a new elementary & they don't have an orchestra program. We found her a violin teacher for private lessons & it's gone really well. Mrs. Da'Nell Cannon is her teacher & she is great!! She is very talented herself & is always praising Melissa on how well she is doing.
Friday night was Melissa's first recital & she was so nervous. It was a small group, but it's still hard to play in front of any kind of audience. She had 2 songs to play & did an amazing job. She put so much emotion & feeling into her music. I was very proud of her & so was her teacher. Brittany decided she wanted to learn to play the violin, too, after listening to all the students. I love music & love that my children have an interest in it, too.

Melissa playing one of her songs during her recital...


Mrs. Cannon & Melissa after the recital...

I love my children's quotes

My children are so cute! They can come up with some great comments that I just need to jot down more often. Here's few things that have been said recently...

1--Jake & Allie were driving home one day. Jake asked Allie how she could get clean when they get home. Her response was to get baptized.

2--Brittany chose to share her testimony a couple of weeks ago. It was sweet & short, but had a lot of meaning. Here is what she said. "I love my family. I love the gospel. I know we are here on earth to be tested." There were several others who had already shared their testimonies in church, but I got more out of what Brittany said than most of the others. I love the spirit that children can bring into a room.