The Brockbanks

Innes Family Christmas Party

2010-01-13T06:49:00.001-08:00

I look forward to our family Christmas party every year!! It is so much fun to get together with everyone. I love my Aunts, Uncles and cousins. They are such a blessing in my life.

Family pictures 2009

2009-09-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

2009-07-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell in June

2009-07-24T09:26:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged for so long, I am feeling guilty. It is my goal to get caught up and print it out before Christmas. Wish me luck!

We went to Lake Powell with the whole family in June. I was so much fun but it was kind of cold.

We stayed in a hotel. I missed the house boat but there is something about air conditioning, a soft bed, and warm shower at night!

2009-01-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Aniston is 2!

2008-12-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

These past two years have flown by! It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in the hospital with just Aniston and I praying that she wouldn't grow up too fast. It didn't work.

I am so grateful to her in my life. She came to me at a time I needed something happy to look forward to every morning.

Becky, Claire, Lauren, Weston and I took Aniston to the park for her birthday lunch. Aniston is so blessed to have such great aunts!

Ani (and her sister) had so much fun opening her new doll house. She plays with it everyday. Mostly she just hides all the pieces. I find the little babies everywhere.

Aniston loves her big sister. They love hanging out together. Kennedie treats her like they are the same age. She makes her help clean her room and do chores. I hope they always stay that close.

She doesn't love T.V.! Now this is a good and bad thing. I would really appreciate if she could entertain herself for just a minute with a little Dora or Elmo. But every time I turn it on she has no interest. Hopefully this will stick so when she gets older T.V. won't be an issue.
She loves to count. She bobs her head and whispers the numbers. We are up to 10 but she refuses to say 11.

At nineteen months she wanted to go on the big girl potty "like squeezy." But now that she is two she would rather just poop all over my house. She rarely has a peeing accident but rarely goes poop in the potty. YIKES!

Everything is pink. Lauren taught her this is a must. I was brave and decided to make her cake. I still think Kohler's bakery does a much better job!

Happy Birthday Aniston, we love you!!

Almost Caught Up!!

2008-12-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

Every year we have a Halloween party. It was our turn this year. We ate and ate and ate......
That is the story of my life:)

The cutest poodle and Minnie Mouse EVER!!

Thanks to Bec, I was able to go to ALL of the kids Halloween parties at school this year. It is so much fun to watch them interact with others. It was a very exciting day.

For UEA this year we went down to St. George. This is Aniston with an orange slice in her mouth. She kept biting into them and then deciding that she didn't like them, just to spit them back out again. We did this with a whole bag. It was loads of fun!Grandma Vickie came with us to St. George. The kids had so much fun with her.

We went to the park everyday and played. I was looking back on the trip thinking how good the kids were. Then I was thinking about what we did. Of course they were good all we did was give them our undivided attention. We did kid stuff for a solid 5 days. It was great. We need to do it more often. I wish everyday could be like that!!

Mindy's Birthday

2008-12-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

Yeah! I love birthdays! We had a Witches theme for Mindy's birthday. She has been wanting to go to Witchapalooza for a while. So ask and ye shall receive.....

We had so much fun at Gardener Village just hanging out.

Misty thanks for the show!!!

I missed the memo about the black shirts!

I think this needs to be a tradition every year. It was so much fun!!

Carrie AND David

2008-11-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

I Forgot my camera AGAIN!! We went to the Carrie Underwood concert and had third row tickets on the floor. We had no idea we had that good of seats! We were like 5 feet away from Carrie. She is even more beautiful in person. Bart and I have loved her since her first audition on American Idol. So we are sitting there enjoying the concert and someone spots David Archuleta five feet behind us watching the concert. He is so cute! I couldn't decide if I should look forward or backwards. I was a little star struck.

I am on my way to lunch and see Twilight today! I am so excited.........

Go Cougars!!!!

Fall in a Flash

2008-11-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

I wish I knew how to do those cute collage pictures but, alas I do not, so......sorry about all the pics!
Our friend Tommy Staker got married in Colorado and so my dad and I, and his friend Liz flew over. It was a fun weekend get away. It was so much fun visiting the Stakers. I FORGOT my camera. I was so mad. Note to self....... Do not go anywhere with dad and girlfriend alone again. It is not safe for anyone. It is not okay to watch your dad kiss anyone!! Gross!Look at the name of this gas station. "Loaf and Jug" What does that mean???

We went to a pumpkin patch with the kids. They loved the animals and blow up toys. It was fun to let them pick out their own pumpkins.

Cornbelly's is always a hit. Bec and I took the little kids in the morning and Grandpa Von and Grandma Becky took the big kids that night.

Two BEST friends with their two famous smiles. Lauren with the shoulder shrug and again the piggy smile!

We had a family Halloween party at my dad's house. Josh is the expert pumpkin carver and wins first prize every year. Claire carved an Obama pumpkin inside a dominant Republican home and about got thrown out. ( You are lucky I love you!) We were potty training Aniston so she was naked the whole night. Lauren was scared of Liz and my dad's costume and was sad most of the night. But all in all it was a success and we had a great time.

The big kids decorated a haunted house, but mostly just ate the candy:)

Brown Braclets

2008-11-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

We have this cute little nine year old girl in our ward. She was diagnosed with Leukemia right after her mom had her fifth child. She has to stay at Primary Children's hospital for a month at a time and then she gets to come home for a week. She is such a miracle and is doing so much better. What an example this family has been to us!

For our Fall Carnival at school we did a fund raiser by selling brown bracelets the say, "Pray for Jane" on them. Our neighborhood raised around 7 thousand dollars, just by selling bracelets.

We did a fund raiser dinner at Thanksgiving Point and it was such a success! It just makes me realize what good people we live by and are associated with. It has been a good lesson for me. I have been a better mom because of my experience.

As you can see Kennedie had fun with the face painting booth. I am not sure what she is or what the face means, but it was funny!

Of course Stockton got the old standby, Y!

And again the piggy smile~

Lisa's Birthday

2008-11-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

For Lisa's birthday we had a slumber party theme. We went to Park City! I had to take a picture of the leaves. This doesn't even come close to showing how beautiful it was up there, but you get the idea.
We tried to get the background in the picture but it didn't work that good.

We hit Leger's for lunch (of course!) then shopping, and Baja Cantina for dinner. The whole time I was whining that I didn't have my camera. Right before we were getting ready to leave, I found it in my bag:(

We gave Lisa new P.J.'s and a gift certificate to the outlet's in Park City.

Mindy made Lisa a pillow case for our sleepover. Doni came up with the cutest poem. (Lisa may or may not have trouble with incontinence?) Here is the poem.....Star light, star bright, I swear it's my last diet coke of the night. I wish I may, I wish might, have excellent bladder control tonight.

This is our slumber party cake. Misty is on the left. She has half an eyebrow. This is because one day she decided to wax her own eyebrow. She almost waxed the WHOLE thing off. Next is me. I have a cell phone to my ear, of course. Doni has her bottle of Ambien next to her. (You can't really see it, but it is on her left shoulder.) Sarah has her book, as always. Lisa has her Diet Coke close to her heart. In Lake Powell Mindy slept with her eye patch on, and her hair in a pony tail.

We had so much fun. I wish we could have a slumber party ever week like in Jr. High!

Pioneer 100 year reunion

2008-11-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

Lehi had it's 100 year reunion in Oct. Sheena called me that morning and tried to talk me into wearing our polyester stir-up pants. I got them out and tried them on...... it was a no go! I looked ridiculous. I am not sure those were ever in style. Although Sheena looks cute in anything I couldn't bring myself to do it. I gave my camera to Mrs. Jacobsen but something got mixed up and all I got were videos not pictures. So this is the only documentation of the night.

We got together to take picture's and Cody said to a current cheerleader, "Come get in." She looked over at us and said, "With all of the OLD cheerleaders?" What does that mean? I still feel like I am her age..... and just for the record I can fit into my cheer skirt! I loved seeing everyone. For all of you that didn't make it we missed you! There were a couple of ladies that my mom had cheered with also. The only thing I could think about all night was how much fun it would have been to have been able to go with my mom and sister. It was a mixture of sadness and fun:)

Fall Soccer

2008-10-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Soccer is over, for now! I love going to the kids games. Weston just kind of stands in the middle of the field and when asked what he is doing, yells back,"Waiting for the ball to come to me!" Of course why waste energy going to get the ball. Just wait and eventually it will come....

If he is not standing patiently waiting for the ball, he is barking out orders around him, about how the other players should do things.

I just sit and giggle at him. Kennedie has been playing rec ball since she was about three. This year she decided to try out for a competition team. Why not!? I could not believe it when the coach called, she made it! We were so excited for her. She made the B team, yeah! Well come to find out there was not enough players for the B-team so they had to play in the A league. The coaches warned us that we would not win one game.

We had the first game and they looked pretty good. They ended up winning the first couple of games. We were so excited. Out of 13 A and B teams, we were ranked #5. So we ended up playing the # 1 team. I was in Colorado at the time and was so sad I missed it but.......I got a phone call and all I could hear was screaming. Kennedie had scored the winning goal against the #1 team and we won! She was so thrilled. She has great teammates and the coaches were fabulous. She learned so much and made great friends this year. We are looking forward to indoor soccer in the spring.

I am not giving up on my dreams for an olympic gymnast yet, but the way things are going I might have to settle for a soccer gold medal, ha ha! :)

A Day at the Farm

2008-10-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

The kids have so much fun going to Grandpa Von's farm.

Grandma Becky and Aniston

Aniston would not get on until I held her. Then she loved the horse!

My cowboy boyfriend. You can see from the look on his face he is really enjoying it!

Ani loved the gickens ! She kept pulling the weeds and sticking them in the pen.

I have great memories of going to grandpa and grandma's. I hope my kids will also!

Surprise!

2008-10-23T14:01:00.001-07:00

For my mom's 50th birthday we gave her a surprise party. It was so much fun. She loved it. It was a total surprise. My dad brings it up and laughs about it all the time. I kept telling him, "Just wait until your 60th!" So what could we do? We gave him a surprise party too!

I ruined the surprise after dinner when I told him we were going to Barbara's house instead of mine for ice cream and cake. Bummer!

There were so many people there. I am so grateful for good friends and family that support us! This is my Aunt Jody with cute Lola, Stockton and Aunt Paula.

My dad was so happy to be able to visit with all of his friends and family all night. His friend asked if he was going to be mad. Does he look mad!?

These are my dad's two sisters'. They are so sweet. My Aunt Marge went to Idaho to pick up my Aunt Leah who had a stroke a couple of years ago. It was so neat to have them there at the party. Weston is my snuggler and they grab him every chance they get. He is good kiss'n!

Park City

2008-10-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

For Heidi's birthday we decided to take off to Park City for the weekend. We took a tour of Alison's new house, and peeked in on cute Boston sleeping before we left.
Tiffany, Alison, Nan, Trish, Heidi
It is so much fun just hanging out and laughing with good friends. We just don't see each other enough! Here is Heidi and I at one in the morning heading off to bed. Heidi with her diet coke and me with my eye shields, we are ready to go! We stayed up for another couple of hours until Trish told us we were going to get kicked out of the fraternity house if we didn't go to bed. We are bringing her ear plugs next time:)Up the next morning ready for more shopping and of course Heidi with her morning diet coke!
I have a routine in Park City and it ALWAYS includes lunch at Leger's. (Which I found out from Al that I have been pronouncing wrong for years now!)
What a great weekend! My only complaint is that it was not long enough. Looking forward to the next one girls!

Shakes, Seagulls, Sand and Sun

2008-10-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Our summer vacation ended too soon! After the kids started school we took off for Bear Lake just one more time. It was a little cold but we still had a ton of fun. Raspberry Shakes are one of the many joys of my summer. They tasted extra great this summer!

When all of the kids were building sand castles and playing in the water, Aniston chased seagulls. She was so cute running all over the beach. I love her little fat thighs!

Twinners!

2008-10-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

I have an obsession with twins. I have always wanted to be a twin and I always thought I would be a mother to twins. Since neither of these things have happened I love dressing my kids alike. Every night I set out the kids clothes. I try and have them all wear the same color of pants and the same color of shirts. This is not hard due to the fact that they only have four colors they can wear. I love having them all match when we go to church. I know it is weird but it brings me a lot of joy!

I match my kids outfits whenever possible. It is getting a little harder now that Kennedie is out growing gymboree's clothes. They are so much cuter on little girls! It makes me sad, but every once in a while I can still find something. There are not very many stores that have outfits in size 8 and size 2 that match. My girls love to match as much as I love them to, so I will keep looking!

First Day of School

2008-10-08T11:30:00.001-07:00

Okay technically this is the second day of school. We are getting into bed the night before school starts and Bart says,"Do you want me to stay home and help tomorrow morning?" I thought,"How thoughtful of him, that will work out great!" So I just went to bed instead of getting everything out the night before. I am not a morning person so I sleep until the last possible second. I even set my alarm a little later thinking I was going to have extra help. With two of us to tag team the kids it makes it go a lot faster! So my alarm goes off and I look over and Bart is gone!!! Yikes!! We were running around the house like crazy people. So needless to say I did not get any pictures of the first day of school. The second day I planned on being by myself and I was more prepared. It went smooth enough to get pictures!
The kids are not nuts about the uniforms but I think they look so cute. The boys look so much alike in their little matching outfits!

Lake Powell without kids!

2008-10-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Our friends, the Whittinghams, let us borrow their house boat for a fun adult vacation to Lake Powell. I love taking my kids to Lake Powell but I worry the whole time. It was nice not to have to stress about watching to make sure no one drowned.
Sean got a new surf board. We spent most of our time trying to figure it out. You are not supposed to have to hold on to a rope at all. Some of the guys got pretty close but I am not sure we ever totally got it. So if anyone has any suggestions........

We skiied, swam, made pyramids, ate, slept and played cards. (The girls dominated at cards, better luck next time boys!) I can't wait to do it again next year.
It was a relaxing and fun trip. Although I have never been to Lake Powell and had anything but a great time, this was one of the funnest.

Turning 33 :(

2008-09-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

My mom loved birthdays. Thanks to my great friends and family I am beginning to be able to stand my birthday again. We have birthday months at our house. Mine actually started in July...
Happy Sumo and Pedicures with Sarah, Doni, Lisa, Misty (we missed you Mindy)*
Benihanas with Footes, Newmans, Bullingtons, Forshees,(we missed you Christoffersons)*
Sushi (I can't remember the name,but it was delicious!) with Jody, Natalie, Bec*
Lagoon with family and Coopers*
Red Lobster with Dad, Claire, Wes, Bec, Josh, Bart*
Rumbi's with Alison, Trish and Tiff (we missed you Heidi)*
Cafe Rio with Rach, Sheena, Nichole, Tori, Michele*
Alpine Country Club with Barb*
Happy Sumo with Cheryl, Irene and Bec*
Porter's Place with Paula, Raquel, Robyn and Bec*

This is the cute cake Bec made for me, accompanied with cupcakes!
There are a few things we learn from this list.........
1. My life revolves around food.
2. Bec is happy when my birthday month is over. After a month of celebrations she is ready to
move on to Sept.
3. I gain about 5lbs during August!
4.The most important is, that I have the best family and friends in the whole wide world!!!
I love you all!!

Mutual Dell

2008-09-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Girls camp was at Mutual Dell this year. Due to the "Freedom Festival," I had to get a babysitter to stay with my kids, but I got to go for almost the whole week. I hate to camp, but I had a blast. We slept in tents on the ground even. I haven't done that since I was in girl's camp a million years ago!
They had a really fun zip line that we all did. It doesn't look that bad until you get up there on the platform. It looked like it was a hundred feet in the air. We hiked up to some beautiful waterfalls and played lots of fun games. My favorite part was the morning meetings. The stake young woman's presidency had each ward act out a part in the Book of Mormon. They wanted it to be a spiritual thing not funny. I wondered how that was going to work with 50 young giggly girls. We had the part about Helaman's stripling warriors. We worked for a couple of months preparing for our part. It is one of my favorite stories so it was so much fun. Our girls did such a great job. When they finished there was not a dry eye in the crowd.

I work with the most amazing women. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like a calling because I am just hanging out with all of my friends.

Lake Powell with Kids

2008-09-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

So we got home from Bear Lake on Saturday night at midnight, went to sleep. We got up went to church came home and left for Lake Powell. It was a lot of water in a short period. I love Lake Powell with all of my heart so I was in heaven. Becky tended Ansiton so it worked out great. It was fun to hang out with the big kids and give them all my attention. Kennedie wanted to wake board. If you know this child all it takes is a desire and it gets done. She got up so quick I couldn't believe it. She makes everything look easy.

The boys loved tubing. Sean was a good sport and took them all day long!

After Weston saw Kennedie wake board he wanted to do it. So Sean put him on the board and pulled both of them up. It was crazy! Weston weights a TON!! Weston told Sean he was the strongest person he knew. The problem was that after he did it once Weston wouldn't stop bugging him to do it again. It was fun to watch. Sean got his work out for the year!!

Here is my sexy husband. He is HOT when he wake boards!!

I have been wake boarding a lot more than skiing these past couple of years. So this year I tried skiing again. I started skiing when I was really young, so it is what I know. I found that I am a much better skiier than wake boarder (is wake boarder a word?)

The kids had so much fun going off the slide, and jumping off the top.
I know I keep talking about my childhood but it is what we do when we get older. I remember going to Lake Powell with my grandma and staying in trailers in Bull Frog. I hope my kids will look back with a smile on their childhood as they remember going to Lake Powell as a family. It is still my favorite vacation!

Alaska's Sweetheart

2008-09-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

This is from Becky's good friend from college that lives in Alaska. I thought this was very interesting. (Sorry Laura I totally stole this from you, but I think you have great insight.)

I am not usually a Political person.. okay, I'm still not, but I will say this: Alaska loves Sarah Palin. (And it's Pay (as in rhymes with day)- lin.) We loved her long before she made national headlines. She came to office and immediately tried to clean up after our past loser Governor, who thought he needed all the luxuries life can bestow. One of her first orders of business was to sell the State Jet that he had to have. She has done some "cleaning house" to say the least. She is a strong woman and one of great character. She is a family woman. And yes, her daughter is pregnant. I think we can all agree that no matter how well you teach your children, in the end.. they have their agency.This was her statement after giving birth to her Down syndrome baby, Trig, in April:"We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives"..We may be a little biased up here in Wasilla. :) It is small enough that we all have connections to her:

-Her parents live literally around the corner from mine.

-Her sister works at the same dentist office as my mom.

-I babysat for the loser trooper that she is under investigation for trying to get fired. (I worked with his wife at the time, whom he cheated on.)Anyways just wondering your opinions on her?

Who Am I?
Does history really repeat itself?
Who Am I?
I am under 45 years old,

I love the outdoors,

I hunt,

I am a Republican reformer,

I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,

I have many children,

I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office.

Did you guess?

I am Teddy Roosevelt.

Viva Las Vegas

2008-09-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have not been to Vegas since I was the good year blimp, pregnant with Stockton, in 1998. The Hills and us were staying in St. George and decided to drive down for the day. I don't remember much about Vegas other than we had a lot of fun, and I did a lot of whining about how fat I was. In July we decided to go down for the weekend. We had so much fun laying out, going to the spa, sleeping and eating. My kind of perfect trip.

This is my friend Shanna and I standing in front of Pamela Anderson's car she was auctioning off for charity.

It is so nice getting away with good friends and hanging out with each other. I feel like I am a better wife after trips like this. Bart doesn't love Vegas but he was a good sport. I can't wait to go again. Raquel you are so lucky to live so close to good shopping and nice weather!

Okay so it is the marathon blog posting month. I am so excited, I have almost a year on my blog so I am ready to print it out from blurb. I just have to get caught up from the summer and I am done!!! I am still in July......

Bear Lake Fun

2008-09-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

My grandparent's built our cabin before I was born. Bear Lake has been a summer tradition my whole life. Just driving up there brings a happy feeling to me. I love everything about it. I have so many happy childhood memories driving in my grandma's green station wagon sitting backwards in Logan canyon. (No wonder just looking at a car makes me car sick!) Every weekend we would stop in Logan and get curds then up to USU campus to get my mom Aggie icecream. I am so blessed that I get to share these fun memories with my kids. Sometimes when my kids are out making sand castles or collecting sea shells I imagine my mom and grandma standing on the same red deck, that has been there for 35 years, and smiling while watching them.
I love Aniston's chubby little legs!

This is my cute sister in law Claire.
Two little peas in a pod ruining the big kids sand castle.

See what I mean about the piggy smile.
Here is our new tradition.......sitting around the camp fire roastin marshmellows and just visiting.

Again the piggy smile!

She said she wanted to go tubbing with Squeezy. I don't think she understood what that meant. She got in and started screaming. Maybe next year!

Stockton's 10th Birthday

2008-09-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

My baby turned into a great big boy over night. I seriously feel like I had him yesterday. As long as I can remember I wanted a baby. When we found out we were going to have a baby, 11 months almost to the day we got married, I was thrilled. Bart and I were both still in school and thought McDonald's was our splurge for the week. We were just livin' on love. The minute he was born I was in love. We went in on June 1st to have him. I was in labor for 12 hours and didn't dilate past a one. My Doctor sent me home. So 14 days later I went into my Dr's. office and told him I would sit there and cry until he got this baby out. I had waited long enough and I wanted him NOW!! I was in labor for three straight days and pushed HARD for about 17 hours, and finally he was born. It was worth all of it. He was born on June 17th. As soon as he was born I knew he was special. He hardly even cried, he just laid in my arms and slept. I had never seen anything so special and wonderful in my whole life. I didn't know one person could feel this much love for anything. He was an angel and still is. He is such a good boy and always wants to make everyone around him happy. We used to sit around for hours and laugh at the funny things he did. He is my parent's first grandchild, so he grew up with all of our undivided attention. Still to this day he brings me so much joy! Thanks for making me so proud of you everyday. Happy Birthday Stockton!

Stockton loves Indiana Jones. He got to pick out his own cake.

The boys had so much fun playing football outside I wished we had planned that for our activity. They were sad we had to get in the car to go to the real party.
We went to the Space Center in Pleasant Grove. It was so neat. They all had a blast! Stockton already has next year planned out for the same place.

At our house it is Birthday week. We had a fun family birthday party also. Stockton get spoiled every year. He deserves it!

Birthday Fun!

2008-09-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Doni are the best cake makers ever! Misty's birthday is in May then we have one a month until Mindy's in October. Last year they did cake's to match everyone's personality. Misty had a breast cake......with a bikini on it. That is self explanitory! Doni's was a Edward Cullen's head. Sarah's was a purse. Mine was a cell phone. (I do not know why they did that....whatever!) Mindy's was a ski scene with polly pockets, and Lisa's was a diet coke can. They were so neat. I wish so bad I had my camera but alas I did not. So anyway this year we did themes. Misty had just had a baby so we did a spa theme. They made a face with cucumber eyes, creme on the face with a towel around the head. (There is a picture on her blog of the cake. The Newmans) Then for her gift and activity we went to a spa in Salt Lake. It was a birthday present for all. Sarah's was all about tennis. Doni made a tennis racket cake. It looked like you could pick it up and hit a ball with it. We gave her a tennis outfit and a ball holder with tennis balls for a year. Then we went and played tennis and went to breakfast at Kneaders. Doni is going to Hawaii for the first time this fall. We got her a gift certificate at Hapari for a new suit. Her cake was a pinneapple with a real top. I wish I had a picture because it looked so real! Then we made pina coladas and layed out by the pool until it got to windy and we came back inside for more drinks. This time I had my camera....
I promised Doni I would not show anyone these pictures. But this was the only birthday I captured, so I have to use it. She looks darling. She does not look at blogs so the deal is no one says anything and she will never know she is in her swimming suit on my blog.
Here is Mindy making our drinks with her special recipe minus the rum!
So for my birthday this year they made a sushi cake. It had all my favorites, a california roll made out of twinkies and fruit by the foot, and a vegas roll from half of a powdered donut. Then we went to Happy Sumo. After we went for pedicures from the talented Asains! I got a cute watch and necklace wrapped in a chinese to go box. (They couldn't think of an Asian gift I would appreciate.) It was so much fun. Turning 33 wasn't as painful as I imagined! Lisa and Mindy's birthdays are coming up and they are going to be great. I can't give away the surprise but stay tuned.....

Homestead Family Reunion

2008-08-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

My dad's family has a family reunion at the Homestead in Heber every summer. My parent's started going when my mom was pregnant with me. It is a lot of fun and my kids look forward to it every year. I kept forgetting my camera so I only got a couple of shots of us at the condo.
When Aniston was a baby she would make this funny "piggy face" when we told her to smile. We call it her piggy smile now. She loves to do it. The only problem is, it is almost impossible to get her to do a regular smile.

Here are our two trouble makers. They love playing in the loft!

My dad has some snazzy swim trunks in his drawer that he keeps just for swimming in Park City. We have laughed about them for years. Josh came and modeled for us. What a HOTTIE!

We ALL Love Bees

2008-08-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

I am so far behind in my "journal, via blogging" that it is going to take me forever to catch up. These are not going to be in any order but here are the activities for summer.
We took the fam to a Bees game in June. Wes (my cute brother) and Claire (my cute sister in law) met and fell in love at a Bees game and then got engaged at a Bees game. So the Bees have special meaning to us! We love Claire!
We were late as usual and Aniston wanted to walk. It is a little scary parking a car anywhere in the vacinity of the game. It is not the safest part of town!

Here is the gang just relaxing and enjoying each others company. They are laughing of course at my expense! I am just glad I can provide such great entertainment for my family that I love.

We had so much fun and can't wait to go again next year!

Finally, we can swim!!!

2008-08-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

I have been doing public swim lessons since Stockton was 9 months old. Ever since, everyone of my children have done swim lessons every year. I go through the whole wait in line for hours to get them signed up. Then put them in a class for 1/2 hour with 5 other kids. They just never seemed to improve. Kennedie is a natural swimmer so I don't worry about her but the boys........ We had two near drowning accidents with Weston last year. That was the final straw. I finally signed him up for the private swim lessons at the Legacy Center. I don't have great ideas very often but this was brilliant. Okay I can't take all the credit, Lisa and I worked together. I am not kidding, after the first lesson it was night and day different. Weston had improved so much, it was like he was a different kid. I could have cried I was so happy. This summer has been great! He no longer even has to wear a life jacket. He jumps off the diving board in the six foot section and swims to me without any problems.

Aniston and Kate had as much fun as the boys. Aniston kept sticking her feet in the water and making the life guard a little anxious. I want to sign her up as soon as possible.

By the end of the lessons the boys were swimming like fish! I couldn't believe it. I could be on an ad for the Legacy Center. I sound like a commercial!

Pictures

2008-07-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

We got these pictures taken in April, they have already grown so much!

Here is my pride and joy!! These are my greatest blessings!!!

USU!

2008-07-17T12:19:00.001-07:00

I love my calling in the Young Women's! We went up to Utah State University (Go Aggies!!) for youth conference this year. It was so much fun. They had a ropes course for us to do. I am a pretty brave person but I am afraid of heights. I had to climb up this ladder and walk across the log to the other side. I screamed like a little girl but I did it.
Then it was my turn to secure (I don't know the technical term) the next person. As you can see I didn't do a great job but at least no one fell.

This is my cute friend Denise. We bunked together in the dorms. My bed squeeked so loud everytime I moved I don't think Denise slept the whole time. We had so much fun together I felt like I was back in College again. We even got to sneek off a couple of times for shopping and diet coke.

I work with amazing women and I feel blessed to learn from them each week. It is good I get another chance at being in Young Women's because I don't think I did a great job the first time.

Kennedie's Baptism

2008-06-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

Kennedie got to pick out her special dress all by herself. Everytime she tried one on she would twirl around in the dressing room. I think the deciding factor was how well it twirled. She looked like such a princess in everyone of the dresses.
I was a little okay a lot dissapointed in the pictures. Out of about 300 I loved two. I can't decide if I am picky or they just did a bad job. Either way at least we got two right!?

Another birthday in St. George

2008-06-04T21:03:00.001-07:00

It is so frustrating that I am so computer retarded. I wanted the part about her birthday first but I don't know how to move pictures...........so these are backwards. Oh well!!! :)

Kennedie just tried out for the Strikers soccer team and made it! Soccer is a new beast for Bart and I. We are a little clueless but learning as we go.
She has been taking gymnastics since she could walk. I am so proud of her, you have no idea how bad I wanted a daughter to love gymnastics like I do. She is really a natural and is much better than I was at her age.
Kennedie just started skiing last winter and picked up on it so fast. I was amazed how easy it came to her. She loves it!

Kennedie is eight!! We celebrated her birthday in St. George again. As I was looking through her pictures to make her baptism video I noticed that we usually are in St. George for Memorial Day and therefore we are there for her birthday. I cannot believe my baby is 8. Wow time goes by so fast. Kennedie was such a good baby and a wild little girl. These last couple of years she has grown up so much. She is such a big helper and so much fun to be around. I learn more from her family home evening lessons than I am sure she learns from mine. I am so glad she is in our family. I love you Kenners!!

We have a new tradition, breakfast in bed on our birthdays! I had an inner ear infection and had taken some medicine Saturday night. I could not for the life of me get up on Sunday to make her breakfast. Finally at nine Stockton came in and said, "Mom Kennedie has been sitting in bed for two hours waiting for her breakfast." I felt horrible! I drug my lazy butt out of bed and made her breakfast while I was half a sleep. She ate and then opened presents, and I quickly went back to bed before I threw up. Not a great birthday for her but she didn't seem to notice.

The No Talent, Talent Show

2008-05-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

It was time for the Mountainville Stars Talent show. Kennedie told me she would be doing a dance routine with her friend at 1:00 p.m. Doni and I woke Aniston up from her nap and ran over early to get a good seat. After much trial and tribulation they got the boom box working and the program started at 1:20p.m. The put an overhead projector up on an, uneven wall, so that no one could see it. (Maybe we should have planned this out a before the show started.) It was 3 pages long. To make a long story short we had the same students doing two numbers and each of them were about 5-7 min. long. Hello! If you have 300 students wanting to perform should we limit that everyone can do one thing and it can only be 2 min.? Well needless to say that Kennedie was on the second page and it was 3:00 p.m. and time for school to be over before they got to the second page. She did not get to perform!! I had sat there and refereed Aniston (with half a nap) for two straight hours! At least we got to see Doni and Sarah's kids dance. They were so cute. They did a Hannah Montana Merry Christmas song. When they were done Ally yelled out "Have a Merry Christmas everyone!" I loved it! That, and watching Doni figure out how to swallow her tongue was the highlight of the day.

So after being tortured for two hours we did not want to go home and get Doni's car for her carpool so we just piled BOTH carpools into my car. It was hilarious. By then I had to laugh to keep from crying. I got the giggles and we laughed all the way home with 20 kids in the car yelling, screaming and laughing too.
We warned everyone not to tell their parent's about this or we were sure to get kicked out of our carpooling groups.
The only thing that would have made the day more fun would have been to get pulled over and given a ticket. With my luck I am so surprised that didn't happen!
I can't wait until next year! I think I am sick that day!

The Great Debate

2008-05-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

It was time for the Brockbank's most despised time of year again. It seems to come around so fast. Didn't we just have the pinewood derby last week? I grew up thinking you would get kicked out of the church if you didn't do scouts. My brother got his Eagle Scout award when he was 15. I didn't know that was optional. Bart never even went to scouts. So after we got married and had Stockton we have never really agreed on how to handle scouts. So last year was his first pinewood derby. I kept reminding Bart that this was to be a father and son's activity. To make a long story short 15 min. before the derby we are in the garage painting the car. It was a miserable experience. There is nothing like watching your nine year old son stare at his car, fighting back the tears, as it finishes last EVERY SINGLE TIME!
I begged Bart to start early as to not have a repeat of last year. I vowed that if we lost the first race I was going to scoop Stockton up and drive straight to Chucke Cheese. I could not handle it again this year. Bart at least started working on it the day before. So that was an improvement! We won a couple and lost a couple but all in all it was better than last year (although that is not saying much!) I hate the pinewood derby. I think next year we will be out of town.

Bart's mom and grandma came to support Stockton. He was so happy they were there, and grandma Vickie helped cheer on his BYU car! Great grandma Johnson was still a little confused what all the commotion was about. She was a good sport.

Spring Break in St. George

2008-05-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

We went to the big bra to swim indoors with the Bullington's. I think Stockton had more fun than Kennedie did playing with Tara and Maddi. Lisa and I were on full alert watching our kids every minute. We do not have good luck together with our kids swimming in St. George. Last year during Spring Break Weston almost drowned and grabbed on to Tara. It was one of the most terrifying moments of our lives.

I am a little late posting this. But better late than never! St. George for Spring Break means something totally different to me now versus when I was in High School. No more dragging Main, and staying up late, sleeping in and laying out all day with friends. Now it means taking care of kids and more taking care of kids. I have to admit I like my life better now than then.

The kids were so brave getting in Grandpa's pool. It was freezing, and they did not even seem to notice. Bec, Josh and Lauren were there with us for the first couple of days. We had so much fun with them. Well except for Josh. He is a pain in the butt. He asked if we were coming down in May. I thought he was asking me because he wanted us to come with them. No, he was asking to make sure we were not coming with them. He is so mean to me but I know deep down he loves me. The kids adore Lauren, almost too much they about sufficate her.

Of course Fiesta Fun is always on the agenda. Bart usually goes without me and takes the kids. I am not sure why but he made me go this time. We went on the bumper water boats. I am pretty sure I will not get the invite again. The whole time all I did was yell at the kids. As I was taking pictures with my camera they kept squirting me in the face. (It is not a water proof camera.) Then they kept squirting Aniston in the face, and she was screaming. I kept thinking to myself, "Stop being a party poop." I couldn't help it I was getting so annoyed. I am NO fun at Fiesta Fun. Aniston enjoyed the jungle play area a lot more than getting sprayed in the face on bumper boats!

Our friends the Mendenhall's invited us over for a BBQ at their place. We had so much fun. John is a great griller. Thanks for having us!
We met our friends the Ross' for a little tennis and swimming too. Their pool was heated and the kids had a blast trying to poke each other's eyes out with the plastic diving toys.

Tulip Festival?

2008-05-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to go to the Tulip Festival. You might say it has been one of my goals for about 3 years. (I know, lofty!) So finally I get around to it...........and there are NO tulips! It was so sad. It has been such a cold winter that there were no tulips out. I couldn't believe it. I was highly dissapointed to say the least. Oh well, the kids still had fun. We walked around for a while and then ate lunch at the Trelis. The highlight of the day with the delicious Diet Coke! Seriously you know how picky I am. They really have good drinks and great fries.

This was the biggest bunch of tulips we saw the whole day. SAD!!
My cute buddy!

I look like a midget in this picture. Don't get me wrong I am short, but not that much shorter than Misty! A five year old took the picture so the angle was not great. But she didn't cut any of our heads off. Thanks Lexi!

The kids were cracking us up. They would run up ahead of us and get these pamphlets out and cover their faces. After we laughed the first couple of times they kept doing it to get a reaction from us........it worked, we kept laughing.

Go Jazz!

2008-04-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

We love the Jazz! We have had so much fun going to the games this year. Thanks Chad and Mindy!! Bart bought these Korver shirts and ever since he has been doing really bad. Bart said he is burning the shirts tonight before the game. Hopefully that will work............
The boys got their faces painted at the Oprah's Big Give celebration. It is supposed to be a spider man's eye but by that night it looked like we had just punched them.
Aniston loves going to the games. She runs around and eats what anyone will feed her. Mostly it is Diet Coke. (No wonder she never falls asleep on the way home from the games.)

GO JAZZ!!

This Is The Place

2008-04-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Stockton informed me that I have never been on a field trip with him before! What! I could have sworn I have been on lots of outings, but for the life of me I could not think of one. I am the worst mom ever. He is in fourth grade for heaven's sake. I am going to continue to think of a field trip I have been on, but for now I am going to remember this one. We went to the "The This Is The Place Monument." It was so much fun and very informative. I am not sure that even though I was born here I have ever been. We go to the zoo every year but I guess we just drive by the monument.

We went inside an old classroom and the lady conducted class like it would have been done in the Pioneer times. It was so cute. She had all of the kids bow and say their names as they walked in the door. She made them stand at attention when they were answering a question. Wow what a difference to how they act in a normal classroom. The children were silent the whole time she was talking. They even got to write on their own personal little chalk boards. Stockton has an adversion to the way chalk feels in his hand but he was a good sport.
They taught them to square dance just like in the olden days. Instead of watching T.V. or playing video games I am going to have Stockton do this. It was very entertaining to watch the boys and girls dance together while trying hard not to touch.
They even got to pull handcarts in the snow just so they could get the full effect.
It was such a fun day. I learned a lot of new things. One of which was just a little insight as to what the pioneers had to go through. It made me so grateful for my life and the thing I take for granted each day. It was a real eye opener. I enjoyed watching Stockton interact with his classmates. He was a good sport holding my hand and letting me kiss him all day. It was so much fun being with him I will not miss another field trip if I can help it.

Girls Weekend Yeah!

2008-04-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon Sarah and I headed to St. George for our annual girls weekend. But before I left I got a ticket in the mail saying that we owed $57.00 for not paying the $1.50 toll road when we were in California last October. Whatever! Bart and I do not remember that so I just put it aside. So after stopping for some snacks we were on our way. We got down by Fillmore and I looked in my rear view mirror to see lights blaring. I was in Bart's truck and I knew I had not been speeding. He said he pulled us over for the windows being too tinted! Sarah asked, "Can you pull us over for that?" He pulled down his glasses half way and as cool as he could said, "We are here aren't we?" What a jerk!!! So another $50.00 ticket.

As soon as he was leaving I looked down and noticed that we were out of gas. There was not a gas station in sight. Mr. To Cool for School guy, told us that the nearest gas station was about 15 miles away. So after praying in my mind we took off. We coasted in after 8 miles to the gas station. I am not kidding, I mean COASTED in. I filled up and went to start the truck and nothing! It would turn over but that was it. So we asked this nice man next to us and luckily he had a screwdriver and knew just what to do. He primed the tank and we were off again. I was begining to think we were not going to make it!

Our friend Terri built a six million dollar home to sell at the parade of homes that hasn't sold yet, so she invited us to stay there for the weekend. Friday night she took us to the Colbie Caillet concert at the Tuachan. I had no idea who she was, but the concert was great! The opening singer was as good or better than Colbie. So on the way back to the Ledges I was driving about 20mph because traffic was so bad. All of a sudden I see lights behind me. ANOTHER COP!!! Seriously leave me alone. It was April 3rd and Bart's registration expired on the last day of March. Three days past due. Is there no grace period here? He gave me my third ticket for the day! He was even a bigger jerk than the first cop. They really have way too much power!!

We had a lot of fun just laying out, eating ,talking and even a little Christensen's. Terri's house was amazing. I felt like a movie star staying there. We hired some massage therapists that came in and gave us massages in her own salon that she built downstairs.

The upstairs had great big huge windows instead of walls. The view was amazing. It was all a little surreal! So sorry Terri but I hope you don't sell it. I am already looking forward to next year!

So after living it up for just three short days it was time to go home. It was great hanging out with good friends. There is nothing like relaxing and being around your friends to make you appreciate how blessed you are.

I was sure I was going to get a ticket for speeding so I went about 5mph under the speed limit the whole way home. But I am proud to say that I made it home without another ticket. YEAH!!!

Baby Ethan (4 weeks old), Misty, Nan, Shannon, Baby Gavin (4 months old),

Krystal, Cindy, Hillary,

Terri, Sarah, Doni, Mindy

Oprah's Big Give

2008-04-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Oprah is giving each state some money to donate to a needy family. ABC contacted Bart and Sean about being the contractor's on the project for Utah. They found this family with 17 adopted children. Yes 17 !!! Their kitchen is not big enough for them to all eat together at once. Surprising huh!? So what started out to be a kitchen remodel has turned into a house remodel. Bart kept sending me pictures when he was there walking through the home. It is so sad. The baby lives in an utility closet. The Heart to Home foundation is going to repaint and repair all of the walls in the house. They have gotten beds donated and gift cards from Costco along with a lot of other fun things. This family adopts these kids just because they want to. They are so humble grateful for everything that they have. Nothing like a couple of pictures to keep me humble and remind me of how blessed we truly all are.

Because of Bart's diddo comment, Sean and John Adamson are going to be on Good Things Utah on Friday morning, to tell about the house. Stay tuned for more info..............

Palm Springs

2008-04-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Wow it was hard to come home to snow!!! We went to Palm Springs last week and enjoyed 80' weather all week long. It was the perfect trip. I had a specific routine that I followed everyday. *Sleep in
*Tennis Lessons
*Diet Coke run (Thanks to the "L" sisters) Diet Coke or a gas is not easy to find it took some looking but our hard work paid off.
*Lunch
*Laying out
*Getting ready (Kind of, pony tail no make-up)
*Shopping
* Dinner
*Rotation between hot tub and movie
*Bed

I only had my camera once or twice with me so these pictures are a little cheesy. We stayed at this huge Marriott. It about took a map to find anything. It had a little lake with boats in the middle of it.
We had so much fun playing tennis. I still need a lot of work but my game is improving. It goes to show I am not too old to learn new things. The guys were so patient with my 300 serve game that lasted an hour.

We played tennis on these grass courts, just like Wimbleton. We needed to practice up for our training. It was so different than cement. We also played on clay courts like the French open just to mix it up a little. It was a blast.

This is Sean's cool grandpa car. All the babes were trying to pick up on him. I think he is going to trade in his mustang for the Grand Marque he liked it so much. It was even baby blue! Sweet!!
Seriously look at the form........
I think I gained 10lbs in one week. That has to be a record. Of course In and Out Burger at 11:00 p.m. probably didn't help my cause at all, but it was worth it. (The one in St. George is opening in one week.) Well just looking at the pictures and writing about it while I look out my window and it is snowing is making me depressed. It was a great week with Bart. It is nice to get away and spend some time together.

Happy Easter

2008-03-27T21:09:00.001-07:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Heart2Home

2008-03-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

Aniston was a little scared of all the commotion.

This is the house all the way done!

This is the Grove's family as they are going into their new home with Sean and Bart.
Thanks grandpa for coming up and supporting us. We really appreciate you taking the kids home for us afterwards!

The Heart to Home was so much fun this year. When the family pulled up and got out of the limo I don't think there was a dry eye in the crowd. It was so moving. The house was beautiful. They did such a great job. It was fun to watch. The television reporter asked Sean to give a couple of comments about his feelings. Sean did a great job. Then they turned to Bart and asked him to give his thoughts. He looked at the camera and with a straight face said, "Dido." Dido!!! If front of channel 13, 5, 4, and 2. Dido!!! My smart intelligent, college graduate husband, and dido!, is all we can come up with!!???

The kids had a blast playing with all of the mascotts and getting their faces painted.

These are the cute Foote girls with Stockton, Kennedie, Weston and the Jazz Bear.

Last Cheer!

2008-03-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

We had our end of cheer banquet a couple of days ago. It was so much fun. Everyone was all dressed up and my cute husband showed up in his jeans and tee shirt. He IS a construction worker now! He looked hot anyway. I loved coaching this year. The girls were so much fun and I am so proud of each of them. When you get nine 15-16 year olds together the drama can be crazy. There was not one ounce of fighting or drama all year. Thanks Whitney for being such a great leader. You are an example to us all. I loved coaching with Courtney she helped me so much and I really appreciated it. Good luck girls and thanks for a great year!

(I had just gotten back from Hawaii. Wow that tan faded fast!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-21T21:20:00.001-07:00

I love St. Patrick's day! It was my parent's 35th wedding anniversary on the 17th. We went to dinner at Cafe Rio and then went to Bec's for cookies and kisses from squeezy. I am so mad......I bought a green and white shirt on Saturday and I totally forgot to wear it. What was I thinking, Black!? So I have been wearing my green shirt all week. We can have St. Patrick's day week, right?! This is one of my favorite holidays'. When Stockton was little he asked my mom if Leperchan's were real. Nanc told him the only Leperchan she knew of was grandpa. Every year he asks me still if grandpa really is a leperchan. I told him that if he is, grandpa is holding out on us because I haven't seen any gold!

Heart To Home

2008-03-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Bart is doing the Heart to Home again this year. The family they are building the house for is so cute. They have three little boys that all were born with severe health problems. The house was going to be condemed because it had black mold growing in it. The mold just made the boys health problems worse. So the family couldn't be upstairs, they had to live in the basement. Bart and Sean knocked down their house and they have to build a new one in 9 days! Sean said today that the outside is almost all the way done. It is quite the undertaking! It is amazing to me to see the good side of humanity come out in people. That place is filled with all sorts of volunteers willing to give of themselves. All these cute little old ladies have set up a tent and have food there all the time for the workers. There are just random people that are out there hauling lumber and cleaning up the site. On Wednesday the electrition that they had scheduled just didn't show up, and would not return phone calls. So they called their stucco guy that does a little electrical work and asked if he would come right then. It was 6p.m. at here he comes with two of his hispanic workers. He had to wire the whole house by 10 a.m. the next morning. I about started crying when I saw him get out of the truck to come help. It really is quite a miracle to watch. The kids had so much fun going and seeing daddy. During the 9 days Bart is not home much, and the kids really miss him. They loved helping in the tractor and playing in the dirt. After Weston threw too many dirt clods it was time to go before we got kicked out. It is such a great cause and we feel blessed to be a part of it.

Great Friends and Good Food

2008-03-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

We went to dinner on Friday night for Jay's birthday. It was Bart's perfect night. Some of his best friends' and one of his favorite resturants. He loves Ruby River. I think the tables around us thought we were drinking more than the stupid Diet Pepsi. (Seriously that stuff is gross!) Cole and his obscence hand signals,(I didn't dare post the picture, but it was really cute. I hope you weren't meaning that directly at me! Remember we are friends forever?) and Pete's stubborn ketchup bottle, Bart was laughing so hard I thought he was going to wet himself. It is fun for me to see him let loose and laugh a little. He is known to be a little serious. The boys were making fun of our blogging talents and so we pulled out our camera's and started snapping away. Obviously my blogging skills need sharpening because this is the best picture I could get. They loved getting their pictures taken. We had so much fun hanging out with great friends. Thanks Sara for putting it together!

Early Spring in the Backyard

2008-03-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

The weather has been teasing me. I got home from Hawaii and it was so warm. We hooked up Aniston's swing, she got for her birthday in November, for the first time. It was beautiful in the backyard. The kids have so much fun with Aniston. They are so rough with her and she loves it. They were so excited to show me their new trick. They twist her around in her swing and then let go. I thought by the time she got done she would be screaming. But as soon as she got done twisting she started saying, "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee" and then "Mo, Mo, Mo." I guess that is what you get when you are the youngest of four and Weston is your older brother.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-16T21:34:00.001-07:00

The Big Island of Hawaii

2008-03-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

This waterfall was at the Hilton. It was hard to keep Wes and Claire off of each other. Techincally I guess they are still newlyweds. (Since Claire and Bec don't blog I have to do it for them.)

This is Bart and I at the Wiameia Falls. It was so beautiful. This picture does not do it justice. The Kona temple was the highlight of my trip. It was so much fun being there with my family. It is a small temple and we got to meet the Temple President on the way out.

We had so much fun playing tennis together. Finally my year of lessons paid off. Bart and I actually won a couple!

This was at Hapuna Beach. It is rated one of the top 10 beaches every year. It was perfect!
Bart and I had so much fun hanging out together (literally, we are in a tree). It is fun being to together without the stresses of everyday life.
This picture is on our way to the volcano by Hilo. The boys had a moustache growing contest. So Josh and I took a picture everyday to see the progress. I will post those on my next blog. We had fun laying out and reading every morning while the guys played golf. Then at night the girls kicked the boys butt at cards. We beat them every night. Bart and I enjoyed watching Hero's on DVD before bed.
It was a perfect trip! The weather was gorgeous every single day. We did not even have the usual daily rain of Hawaii. It was so much fun being with my family and getting to know Claire better. I love my family so much and enjoyed every minute with them. Thanks Dad! Until next year........Same time in Kauii!

Rascal Flatts

2008-03-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

We went to the Rascal Flatts concert on Friday night. It was so much fun. In my older age I don't love country like I used to but I do love Rascal Flatts. Bart begged until I let him wear his wranglers and cowboy boots. He was actually so excited to go he stood up in the back of the suite and watched the Jazz game. Whatever! He missed a great concert.

My Hobby

2008-03-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

I know what you are thinking, "Which of these girls is not like the other?"

Cheerleading is my passion! I love it. It is in my genes. My mom cheered at Lehi, and my sister and I followed in her footsteps. Go Pioneers! I love going to sporting events just so I can sit and watch the cheerleaders. (Don't tell Bart he won't let me go anymore) Sometimes I find the cheerleading competitions on television, and I am glued. Even though I am old, I still love it. Because I can't do it anymore (I tried fitting in my skirt and if I didn't need to breathe it would have worked) I decided to coach it. The girls have been so much fun, I love this age, it keeps me young. The girls spotted me the other day and I did the first backhand spring, post four kids. My back felt like it was going to break in half but I didn't do any serious damage. Go Lonepeak!

President's Day Weekend in St. George

2008-02-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

We went down to St. George on President's Weekend. We didn't have a babysitter so we did not go to the home show. I was tempted for just a minute to let Stockton tend. Then I came to my senses and decided that was not going to work when I called his name three times a foot away from him, and because he was playing spiderman on the WII, he did not even flinch at my voice. I figured that if there was a fire he probably wouldn't notice until he got too hot to stand it. Even then he would wait until he had saved his game before running for safety.

We played a little tennis and ate a lot of food. I read a great book and finished it in two days. (The Other Boleyn Girl) It was a relaxing trip. It was so much fun hanging out with the kids. You know those trips where you go and for once no one is fighting and everyone for some reason is calm and cooperative? It doesn't happen often on our family trips but this one it did. Aniston was so good. She seemed to really thrive with all of the kids with her all the time. We came home on Tuesday and I was sad to pull into town. Until next time............

Instead of scrapbooks!

2008-02-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

My cousin Natalie has this on her blog I think it is such a great idea! I quit scrapbooking because I get too stressed out about being far behind. I try to write in my children's journals but it is hard. So this might ease my guilt about both! Thanks Nat!

http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

Bart

2008-02-22T10:39:00.000-08:00

Tagged

2008-02-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Bart thinks that blogs are the stupidest thing he has ever heard of. He makes fun of me all the time even though I tell him this is my way of scrapbooking and making a journal. So he would be pleased that I am writing all about him. This was so fun to think back. Thanks Tara!

What is your husband's name? Bart Johnson Brockbank

How long have you guys been married? Almost 11 years

How long did you date? That depends which time we are talking about..........He was my first boyfriend in seventh grade, then off and on for the following ten years. I am not kidding we dated for a year here, and month there, and a night every now and again. (Just Kidding!)
When we started dating right before we got married we started in March and got married that July.

How old is he? 33 but more importantly older than I am

Who eats more sweets? For sure me. Bart hardly eats any sugar.

Who said I love you first? Bart said it to me through a third person story he was telling.

Who is taller? I am 5'2" you can't get much shorter than that!

Who can sing best? Bart, I am horrible!

Who is smarter? Bart is more book smart, but I am for sure more street smart. He lacks common sense some times! We will be driving places and he will just forget how to get there. It is funny to see how embarrassed he gets when I catch him. Sometimes I wonder if that is why he gets home late, because he forgot the way.

Who does the laundry? Me, it is my favorite "mom" job.

Who pays the bills? Come on, I married an accountant. I tried for a while, it was a mess!

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do, which is nice for Bart because I am the one who encounters the children first when they come in in the middle of the night.

Who mows the lawn? Lance the Lawn guy. I enjoy mowing the lawn but after my stripes last year I got grounded. Bart never even goes in our yard let alone do something when he gets there!

Who cooks dinner? I do. I have been trying to be better since Christmas.

Who drives? He does.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? ALWAYS me! I can't stand to be in a fight. So even if I am right I conceed just to not fight.

Who is more stubborn? Bart, I can be talked in or out of anything.

Who kissed who first? I really can't remember back then.

Who asked who out first? He asked me. (This is the dating segment after his mission.)

Who wears the pants? It depends on the situation. If I feel strongly about something I do. But mostly he does. He is pretty quiet until he puts his foot down and then I just as well give up.

Quote for the day

2008-02-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

I loved this.......

"Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-20T14:59:00.000-08:00

I did not have my camera with me very much so all I got were these cheesy pictures. You can't see how beautiful it was from these pictures but the view was amazing! There was a light snow fall that was so romantic...............

When we got married Bart was so fascinated by holidays. He thought the only holiday you bought gifts for was Christmas, and even then he thought that was dumb and overrated. I soon taught him that yes, you buy a little something for St. Patrick's Day, much to his horror. So needless to say we have had quite the learning curve when it comes to Valentine's Day. After 10 and a half years, he got it! He was such a sweetheart. I can now put away my puffy snow suit! He got me the cutest ski outfit ever. It is plaid just like all of the teenagers on the slopes. Now I totally fit in. Then he got us a room at Daniel's Summit Lodge. He even scheduled a massage! I was so impressed. We had a great time just hanging out. We went to a steak house and ate then played cards with our friends by the fire. What a great Valentine's day, one that will be hard to top next year!

2008-02-01T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well after a ten year off and on break from skiing, because we couldn't afford it, I was pregnant or had a newborn, I have started skiing again! It has been an adventure. I put the three oldest kids in lessons. They are going to be better than I am really soon. I have begged, threatened, bribed, cried, asked nicely, yelled meanly, used a guilt trip and nothing has worked to talk Bart into coming with us. I think it would be such a fun family activity for us. He will not do it. Once he puts his mind to something that is it. So he is the designated babysitter. So if any of you want to come with us, Bart is up for tending.
The first day we went I was a little surprised at both of my big kids. Stockton did great and loved it. I thought he would struggle more and hate it. Kennedie hung on to me for four hours as I tried to get her to stay upright for at least five feet at a time. My shins hurt the next week from skiing backwards all day. The next Saturday Kennedie was not even the same girl. She didn't need me at all and skiied by herself the whole day. She hardly even used the "pizza" stance it was mostly just the "french fry." It was amazing! I am so glad the kids have had fun. I don't love the cold and the hassle of skiing. I am clausterphobic and I hate all of the clothes I have to wear, so skiing is not my favorite sport. (I wish I could ski in a tennis outfit.) But it is fun going with the kids and spending time together uninterrupted. It has been a good bonding experience!

2008-01-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Stockton was so excited to have everyone come to his first Jr. Jazz game of the season. He is more concerned who is watching than actually playing basketball. After everything he does he looks over to see who saw his "great move." If we have turned our heads and missed something we get a lecture in the car about how we are not supposed to talk during his game. We are there to just watch him. He gets so excited. He told everyone for a week how he made the "buzzer beater!"

Christmas 2007

2008-01-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas just keeps getting better and better. I love seeing the kids get so excited on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas Eve was quiet this year. Wes and Claire went with her family and Josh had to go to work. So Bec, Lauren, Grandpa and our family had our own little party. We all got new P.J.'s, we read books and ate a lot! On Christmas the kids opened presents from Santa and then we went to Grandpa's and opened presents all over again. Thanks Grandpa! It went by so fast I am already looking forward to next year!

Tubbing at Soldier Hollow

2008-01-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Aniston wasn't quite sure why we had dressed her up so she couldn't move and then stuck her in a tube and made her ride around. She would smile and then cry. She kind of had a confused look on her face. After one time down the hill there was no more smiling, just crying. The other kids had a blast and Bart and I took turns sitting in the truck while Aniston slept. That was an expensive nap!

2008-01-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun going to the Polar Express this year. We left Aniston with a babysitter so it was nice just to spend some time with the big kids. We ate cookies and drank hot chocolate but the highlight was when Santa came and passed out bells to all of the kids. Weston had all of the elfs crowding around him while he entertained them with his stories. I think they thought he was one of them.

FOOD!

2007-12-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

#4 I love food and I love a lot of it. I can eat as much as Bart and sometimes more than Bart. I plan all of my activities around food. I start thinking about my menu for the day at about ten in the morning. Bart says food is my hobby. At first I was offended now I just embrace my favorite hobby. I love all kinds of food but lately my obsession is sushi. This is difficult because Bart hates any kind of fish. I am not very picky and will eat out almost anywhere. I hate home cooked food. On the rare occasion that I cook at home I do not eat it. Home made food is not for me. I do not love breakfast food but if I do eat it I prefer it after noon. I am perplexed by fruit, meat, vegetables and mayo together. I like all my food groups all separate. I HATE any fruit mixed with any meat or any vegetable. I think that sweet and salty should not be mixed. .........and I wonder why I can't lose weight, I need a new hobby!

Tagged

2007-12-12T21:03:00.000-08:00

#3 I love to be pregnant! Crazy I know. I would be pregnant all the time because that means I would have a newborn all the time. The only problem with that is the newborns turn one and then two................... I don't really like one or two year olds that much. I had a friend tell me that she is trying to get pregnant and I had a twinge of jealously last night. I have always been jealous if someone is pregnant and I am not, but now that I will never be pregnant again I get really sad. I love having a big belly (not so much the big butt that comes with it!) I love feeling the baby inside. I enjoy the hospital part so much, I don't even mind the delivery because the medical part facinates me. It is such a happy and peaceful time. I am sad that I will not ever have that again. So all of you that are just getting started with your families will have to share your new babies with me! Enjoy this time because before you know it, it will be gone. You will have nine year olds that don't listen to you, and seven year olds that talk back to you, and five year olds that torment your one year old that screams all day long! The motto is "I love my babies!"

2007-12-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry Raquel it is taking me forever! Okay here is number 2.
I love things on sale and I love coupons. I found a pair of jeans that I really wanted but they were like $90. That is just WAY too much. I just did not want to spend that on jeans. Two days later I went to a boutique and everything was 20% off. I found these jeans that were $120 but with %20 off that made it just fine. It just makes it feel better that they were on sale. I love to use coupons. I won't even need anything but I will buy it just because I can use a coupon and it makes me feel like I am getting a good deal. I have a lot of my mom in me. I will use a coupon for anything!

Tagged!

2007-12-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

I can only do this one at a time. First because it takes me a while to think about it and second I am trying to get my Christmas done before the 24th this year and I can spend 5 hours a day on the computer if I am not careful.
Okay here goes the first of seven things about me...........
1. I am very picky about my Diet Coke. I do not like it in a can, I do not like it unless it has tons of ice, and I have my favorite gas stations that I like the best. I love crushed ice. But in an emergency I will go anywhere. I do not like to drink alone. I am always trying to talk Becky into liking it.
So far no luck....... I want whoever I am with to have one also. My two favorite places for Diet Coke are Taco amigo and the drive through gas station in AF by Albertsons. They both have crushed ice and limes. I love the thought of "going to get a Coke," as much as I like drinking a Coke. Diet Coke makes my life happier!

Thanksgiving in St.George

2007-12-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun hanging out with all of our family in St. George. I am so grateful for my extended family. My children really enjoy being with all of my Aunt's and Uncle's and my cousins. I am so blessed to have such a close family. We had a fun sport filled Thanksgiving. We played tennis, football and bowled. Everyone had a blast. I am thankful for everyone of you who play an important part of my life.

2007-12-02T14:14:00.001-08:00

Make a slide show, scrapbook, or ecard

Aniston is one!

2007-11-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Aniston was born yesterday and the next day we celebrated her first birthday. She did not take a nap all day........needless to say she was the only one that did not have fun on her birthday. She ate so much frosting that her poop was bright pink the next morning. Yeah her favorite color!

Grandpa with Minnie and the Ladybug

2007-11-16T07:02:00.000-08:00

Minnie and the Ladybug love it when grandpa reads to them. They were not quite sure about this whole Halloween thing. But they sure looked cute!

2007-11-13T10:41:00.001-08:00

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

2007-11-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Weston had so much fun playing soccer this year. He was more worried that everyone was obeying the rules than scoring a goal.

Football

2007-11-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

Stockton's team won the Championship last week! They went undefeated for the second year in a row. He has grown so much this year and seems to be getting the football bug. I am so proud of him. It took a ton of time and a lot of work but he never complained. Good job Stock!

Aniston

2007-10-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

Aniston is almost one! I keep thinking that the novelty will wear off of our family, but everyone acts like we brought her home yesterday. The kids still fight over who gets to sit by her and who held her last. She is starting to talk. I am sure she will be like the other three. Once she starts talking she probably won't stop. She picks up the phone and puts it to her ear and says, "hi", about ten times. She learns it from Bart. (You know how he is with his phone.) She stands by herself but no steps yet. We are not encouraging walking. The longer I can keep her a baby the better!

Weston

2007-10-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

This picture is deceiving, he is a wild child! To know him is to love him. He is the joy of my life, (along with my three other children). He keeps me laughing all day long. He has invented a new game of tackle soccer. If a child is doing something that he doesn't like he "takes them out." (Those are his words.) Or if it is taking too long to get the soccer ball in the net you pick it up and throw it in. That is much faster and easier. He is learning to read and loves school. He spends most of his time following his big brother around repeating everything he says and does. When he is not following Stockton he is torturing Aniston. I cannot believe my baby is going to be five soon.

Kennedie

2007-10-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

Kennedie is seven, wow time flies. She is so much fun and full of energy! She has grown up so much this past year. She is in gymnastics and dance right now and is really enjoying them both. She also got her dad's intelligence and is doing very well in school. I don't know what I would do without her help around the house. She can practically take care of Aniston by herself. Aniston starts clapping and squeeling as soon as Kennedie walks in the room. She has her dad wrapped around her finger. She is a joy to have around. I am glad we didn't get rid of her when she was two!

Stockton

2007-10-20T13:23:00.001-07:00

Stockton is nine. He is the kindest, sweetest boy ever! Luckily he got Bart's brains, he is brilliant. I hate to brag but......... he is in fourth grade and is in math 5/6. He is playing tackle football this year and is doing great. His team is undefeated for the second year in a row. They played their first championship game today. It was freezing! He is the best big brother. Weston follows him around all day and repeats everything he says and does. I am just glad Weston has a good idol to follow.

2007-10-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am bored and not sure what to do with my time so I decided to give in to Josh begging me to do this and start a blog. I have had so much fun reading my cousin's blogs, I thought I would give it a try. So here is the family.....