The McLachlans

Bradlee felt the spirit for the first time today...

2011-08-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

My mom and I took the kids to Temple Square this evening to look around and enjoy all the pretty flowers. We took a tour of the Beehive house, ate a snack at the Lion House, looked inside the Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall. But the greatest thing happened in the North Visitors' Center. We, of course, went up to look at the Christus, and when we came back down we stopped to look at the model of Jerusalem during the time of Christ. As Bradlee came to a picture of Jesus on the Cross she stopped and got a little emotional. She told us that she loves Jesus and doesn't want him to die. It was a great opportunity for me to tell her the good new of the gospel. Jesus lives! I explained how Christ died for us, but he was resurrected, and he lives. Because our Savior died and was resurrected, we will live again, too!

It isn't everyday the perfect opportunity to share your testimony with your children presents itself. I know she will probably never remember this, but it meant a lot to me. Right on the heels of Tyler giving our kids their blessings to begin the school year, I feel particularly grateful for this gospel and what it means to our family! My children are precious. I wish I could give them everything good this world has to offer, but at least I can give them the most important thing!

Random Summer Pictures

2011-08-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

We did a ton of swimming this summer, and when I say a ton, I mean pretty much everyday. The kids love it, especially Bradlee. She jumps in all over the place and has NO FEAR at all. Pretty awesome!

So...the kids were playing in our closet and came out in their "work outfits". Tyler and I laughed for about 20 minutes solid.

24th of July Floats

2011-08-09T15:52:00.001-07:00

My mom and I took the kids to look at the Pioneer Day floats on display at the South Town Expo. They are always super impressive.

Bradlee was so excited to take her picture with this mermaid. Brock is clearly distracted by Dory in the background.

(I'm not sure what happened to Bradlee's hair this day, don't judge me.)

I thought these missionary penguins were super cute.

Of course, the kids absolutely loved this float. I gotta say, I was pretty impressed myself.

Zoo Time!!

2011-08-09T15:41:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa McLachlan took us to the zoo this summer! Megan, Kennedy, Lisa and Natalie came, too! I think we all enjoyed ourselves quite a lot.

Baby elephant! Looks pretty freaking huge to me!

Brock thoroughly enjoyed the reading materials.

The Zoo has some awesome dinosaurs on display all over the park. They are incredibly life-like, and they absolutely terrified my kids! However, we did finally get Bradlee to pose on this one. Pretty good picture I'd say.

The Carousel...always a good time.

I did have pictures of the rest of the family members that were there, but I am unable to get them off my cell phone for some reason. I tried, I promise.

4th of July Parade

2011-08-09T15:30:00.001-07:00

Turns out our kids fit in the chair bags. Nothing like being swung around in a bag.

The whole family, except myself, as I am currently too large to fit in a photo.

Somebody's happy!!! P.S. I gave him that shirt for Father's Day.

Pretty girls!

I love this picture of my dad plugging Brock's ears for him. The sirens from the fire trucks were a little too loud for his taste.

Kennedy Marie

2011-06-28T14:13:00.001-07:00

Kennedy Marie was born to Megan and Cory on June 27th. She was 7 lbs. 11 oz. She is sincerely a beautiful baby, and we are so glad to have her in our family. She is Tyler's first niece on his side of the family. Bradlee and Brock are super excited for her to get a little bigger so they can play with her....poor girl :)

Megan is a Mommy!!!

Daddy's little girl.

Kennedy and her Grandpa.

All of Bryan and Wendy's grandkids.

Summer Dance Recital 2011

2011-06-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Bradlee had her dance recital on June 21st at the Rail Event Center here in Salt Lake. She performed a routine for dance and another one for tumbling. She has great rhythm and stage presence! I was so impressed with how well she did! Her tumbling routine was awesome, and I hope to post videos as soon as we get our DVD in the mail.

Here is Bradlee and Kassandra in their tumbling outfits on picture day.

P.S. Bradlee names all her Barbies with black hair after her.

Getting ready for the big performace!

The finished product!! Feel free to enlarge this picture...

Bradlee and Mia before the show started.

I know I say this all the time, but she really is something special. She is hilarious, she is an independent thinker, and she is becoming more beautiful and poised every day! I hope she plans to dance for a very long time because it is so fun to watch her!

Jesus Wants a Hug

2011-06-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

During Family Home Evening on Monday, Tyler showed our kids this famous picture of the Savior, and Brock said, "Oh! Jesus wants a hug!"

Bradlee's Preschool Graduation

2011-05-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Bradlee graduated from preschool today, and we are so proud of her! She is such a sweetheart, and even though she hates school work, she is very smart. During parent teacher conferences her teacher told me that she definitely had a knack for math, and that she was just the sweetest thing ever! The graduation was a luau theme, and I may or may not have bribed Bradlee with the new orange mermaid Barbie to participate in all the songs and to wear the grass skirt. I reminded her about it every time I needed her to smile for a picture :)

Brock, Daddy, Home Grandma and Other Grandma all came to watch Bradlee graduate.

Here is Bradlee receiving her diploma!

Look at that confidence...I love it! Along with the diploma, the girls also got a portfolio of some of their work, seeds to plant and a DVD of some memorable events from the school year.

Here is the whole class with Miss Shawna. I think, Mia, the girl on Bradlee's left in the striped shirt, was Bradlee's favorite friend.

Giving Miss Shawna a group hug.

The Graduate.

After the graduation the girls all made shirts and signed them for each other.

We all had so much fun watching Bradlee's graduation! Bradlee is so ready to go to Kindergarten! She had kindergarten orientation last Friday, and she can't wait to go back!

Brock's Birthday Interview...and Braldlee's, too!

2011-05-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

I love the birthday interview idea, so I had to steal the idea from all my blog friends who also do the same thing. Thanks guys for a great idea!

BROCK'S 3rd BIRTHDAY INTERVIEW

Me: How old are you?

Brock: I'm Brock

Me: Are you 3?

Brock: Uh-huh

Me: Where's Daddy?

Brock: Daddy's at work

Me: What's Daddy's name?

Brock: Daddy's at work

Me: What's Daddy's other name?

Brock: Mommy

Me: What's Mommy's name?

Brock: Bradlee

Me: What's your favorite movie?

Brock: Toy Story 2

Me: What's your favorite toy?

Brock: McQueen

Me: What do you want right now?

Brock: cheese

Bradlee didn't want to be left out, so she got an interview as well.

BRADLEE'S INTERVIEW ON BROCK'S 3rd BIRTHDAY

Me: How old are you?

Bradlee: Um...4

Me: How old is Daddy?

Bradlee: Maybe he is 3 like Brock.

Me: How old is Mommy?

Bradlee: You're 4

Me: What does Daddy do at work?

Bradlee: He just do all his work. He can do the computer and paper and stuff.

Me: What's your middle name?

Bradlee: Bradlee

Me: But what's your middle name?

Bradlee: Bradlee Bricco McLachlan

Me: What's your favorite movie?

Bradlee: Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus

Me: What's your favorite toy?

Bradlee: a Barbie that we got at Target.

Me: What's your favorite thing to do?

Bradlee: I wanna play with toys.

Me: What do we not say?

Bradlee: Poop

Bradlee: Mom, you have to ask me my favorite food, and let's go where we don't hear Brock. My favorite food is hot dogs and nuggets.

(In her defense...Brock was being awfully loud...imagine that!)

Brock's 3rd Birthday

2011-05-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Brock's birthday on Saturday evening with the McLachlan side of the family. We were all pretty exhausted from the day before, but I think we all had a good time regardless. I know watching Brock was pure entertainment! He is such a special little kid. So animated and has such strong emotions about everything. Wendy had a BBQ for all of us, except Collin and Natalie who were on their honeymoon. After dinner, Brock dove right into his presents...

Brock loved the Buzz backpack that we got him. As you will see, he didn't take it off the entire evening.

Bradlee was such a good sister and very kindly helped Brock open his presents. I'm not being sarcastic either. Brock really has a low tolerance for present opening.

Tyler showing off the present from Grandma Wendy. After Brock finished opening all his presents, I told him to tell everyone thank you, and he said, "This is the best birthday ever!" Have I mentioned how charming he can be when he wants?

Sunday was Brock's actual birthday and this is how I found the kids first thing in the morning.

Sunday night we had a party with the Bricco side of the family. Kate, Hunter and Keelia also joined us for the festivities. Keelia may be Brock's single most favorite person. We had Brock's favorite dinner, spaghetti. However, he really didn't feel like wasting his party away by eating.

Here is our little guy opening some more presents. He loved all his presents and I think he had a lot of fun having all the attention for a day.

Was that video precious, or what? I had to post it because he just looks so happy!

Happy Birthday, Handsome Buddy!

Collin & Natalie's Wedding

2011-05-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

Collin and Natalie were sealed in the Bountiful, UT temple on May 20, 2011. It was an amazing ceremony and a very perfect day for everyone... especially Collin and Natalie. We were so excited to be there to share the day with them.

They make a perfect couple!

Coming out of the temple as husband and wife.

Brock loves Natalie and spent the whole day calling her "the princess".

Collin and Natalie at their luncheon.

Bradlee carried Natalie's train everywhere and loved it.

Aww! Cute!

Brock only wanted Natalie told hold him. Actually, it was kind of a problem.

Bradlee didn't want Collin to feel left out, so she showed him some love, too!

This guy is cute as a button!

The car.

Even the kids helped with the car.

Cutting the cake.

After cutting the cake...

Bradlee and daddy gettin' jiggy wit it.

Very good memories of this day, but I gotta say my favorite memory is of Brock asking me to dance and pulling me on to the dance floor. Collin and Natalie are so lucky to have each other and even more lucky to be sealed together for all of eternity. I love this gospel!

Bradlee Makes Me Laugh

2011-05-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

I was doing Bradlee's hair the other morning, and I told her to stop wiggling because it was irritating me. She said, "Mommy, what is irritating?"

I said, "it is when something is upsetting you or annoying you."

Bradlee then says, "Oh, well, drawing my letters at school is irritating."

At least I know she understands the meaning of the word! Such a smart mouth!

We B. Rockin' !!!

2011-04-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Brock is the man, and he knows it!

He LOVES pop, Buzz Lightyear, Lightning McQueen and his bed. He is always telling me, "I needa go back oo bed!"

I was able to potty train Brock in one day! He owned potty training! He is a very smart little guy...especially when it comes to people. He knows exactly what it takes to get what he wants.

He sleeps in a big boy bed, and while I think he kinda misses being confined in a crib, he has never complained about his new sleeping arrangements.

Brock has a TEMPER!!! He is never just mildly agitated. He is either completely content, or 100% ticked off! We are working on it, and he is slowly but surely learning to control his emotions! Unfortunately, certain grandparents (they know who they are) think it is super fun to push his buttons.

We love Brock so much! I think the best thing about Brock is that we know he loves us too! He might be exhausting and cranky, but he has his ways of showing us he cares, and that makes getting up in the morning and doing it all over again a little easier!

BB Mack

2011-04-29T12:53:00.001-07:00

"Do you know where I have been the last four years? Wrapped around this little girl's finger!" --Tyler

And, really, who hasn't been?!

Bradlee is incredible! She is smarter than anyone knows. She says some very insightful things, but has really no need to prove herself to anyone. She knows what she knows, and whether you or anyone else knows she knows it is really not a concern!

She is very funny! She always has some witty remark and is already a little sarcastic.

She loves her grandmas (her "home grandma" and her "other grandma") more than anything in the world, and that's a FACT!!!

Has recently started telling me when things hurt her feelings :(

Loves dancing and singing and owns almost every Barbie movie ever made!

Easter 2011

2011-04-29T12:30:00.001-07:00

I always love Easter! We started things of with the a visit from our dear old friend, Mr. Easter Bunny! We love that guy!!! Clearly, he loves us too!

After we settled down from the Easter Bunny, it was time to get ready for church. Here are the kids in their Easter Sunday clothes! Wendy got some better pictures, but I couldn't manage to get them off of Facebook for some reason. If you are wondering what is in Bradlee's hair...it is obviously a Rapunzel hair extension and, no, I did not let her wear it to church!

After church we went to the McLachlans for Easter dinner. The Easter Bunny visited us at their house, too! That bunny is brilliant. Look how our kids run after those eggs like they actually had some competition or something.

Uncle Collin... this picture says it all. Apparently the kids did have some competition after all!

I love Easter and all it represents. So thankful for my knowledge of Jesus Christ and his triumph over death. Such good news and such a blessing! It feels good to be loved!!!

Lacey's Visit

2011-04-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

The day after Molly and Craig left, Lacey came to visit! She was my very best friend growing up, and we hadn't seen each other for over eight years. Ridiculous! With so much catching up to do, we didn't know where to even start! We talked non stop for almost three days! It was really good to see her, and I am glad she is doing so well! While she was here we ate out a lot, shopped and shopped and shopped, went to a movie, and we were also able to catch up with Nicole(one of my other most very favorite friends from Klamath)!!! It was SO fun to see her too!!! We also got to meet her husband, Bron.

I hope Lacey and Nicole had as much fun as I did, and we promised to never go eight years without getting together again!!!

The Phairs' Visit

2011-04-29T11:55:00.001-07:00

Molly, Craig and family came to visit during the middle of April. They came for Molly to run the Salt Lake Half Marathon with my dad (almost one year to the day from my dad's open heart surgery). Craig and Kole ran the 5k. We did a lot of stuff while they were here that I don't even remember. I know we went to see "Hop", we played at the Granite Quarry, went to the park, went out for ice cream and went shopping. We also colored Easter eggs!! It was the one thing I wanted to make sure we did while they were here. My kids don't have cousins around very often, and I knew they would have a lot more fun coloring eggs with them than boring ol' Mom and Dad. As you can see, Jordan and Max also came to spend time with the Phairs and color eggs with us. I love our family!!!

Old and Very Random Pictures

2011-04-10T08:52:00.001-07:00

I found a random stack of pictures in our storage unit the other day. Most of them were pictures from college, but there was also a lot of family pictures, too. Some are pretty old, so I decided to scan them before they get anymore trashed. Unfortunately, most of them are of me, otherwise I probably wouldn't have them. Sorry! I wanted to post them because I think my family might get a kick out of some of them.

Age 6...that's my best guess since we still lived in Walla Walla.

Mama Jamie

Probably around age 6 also.

Rowdy and fat baby Tory.

I think this must be Chase. What do you think, Molly?

Seriously...I was so huge!

Mommy!

Mom and Dad at the Capitol Theater.

This is the day Tyler proposed. Unfortunately, neither of us remember what day that was...

Mom when she was pregnant with me. Seriously, she looked GOOD! Were you guys coloring Easter egg? Anyone know?

Baby Thaiya! Look at that smile!

Me in nursery.

Jamie and I having a food fight in the back yard. I happen to remember that was cake, and I was wearing my cheerleading skirt.

Pretty average night on the town for the Briccos. Yes, that is lettuce.

I LOVE these kids! They are so attractive.

Baby Max...so precious!

This is one of my very favorite memories of coloring Easter eggs. We had EVERYONE there and we had so much fun together as a family.

Jordan has always been so pretty. It is incredible.

I even had a picture of Tyler when he was little stashed away in there.

Trip to Klamath

2011-03-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we took the long drive to Klamath to visit Molly and Craig.

Here we are bright eyed and bushy tailed within the first hour of our drive.

Saturday morning we headed out to KUHS for their annual Run for the Music.

Molly and Craig have been planning to race each other for quite a while now, so we decided to show our support and run with them.

Is it just me, or does Craig look scared?

You know... Tyler and I just getting our stretch on like a couple of pros. Seriously though... that is some good stretching. Like so good that we probably intimidated some people.

Chase came in first for his age group for the kids' one mile race.

Kole was flat bookin' and took first overall in the kids' race. He ran it in like 6:20. It was SOOO fun to watch him! Look at that face. I am so impressed that he can push himself like that.

This race was a victory for Team Molly. Molly worked Craig. Honestly, though, Craig ran a great race. Super fast for someone who didn't train.

Also, I have to give a shout out to my AWESOME husband. This was his first 5k ever. He ran it with practically no training, and he never had to walk once. I was SOOO impressed with him! He plans to keep running with me. I don't know if he will ever be interested in running long distances, but he plans to run another 5k next month.

After our race on Saturday, Molly and I left Tyler and Craig with the kids to have a girls night out. We went to dinner at Applebees and then went to a Ladies Night Out at the Sports Complex. Molly had a Stampin' Up booth there, and we also tried a little Zumba. After that we went to Walmart for some food for Sunday, and while there we may or may not have tried on some child sized Justin Bieber shirts (you will have to watch Molly's blog for pictures of that). After Walmart we hit up.....The Epi Center!!!! We don't know what our bowling scores were, but we do know that we looked awesome doing it!

Sunday we went to church. It was fun to see so many people I knew! Sunday night Walt came over for dinner. It was so good to see him. It has been years, and he had never met Brock before.

Monday we just basically hung out. I went to see Walt, Jack and Raury at the new real estate office. We took the kids to play at McDonalds. That night Walt took us out to dinner at Pizza Hut. It felt good that he wanted to spend the extra time with us! Monday while Molly and I were out goofing off with the kids, Tyler and Craig spent some time out fishing/hunting/shooting. I think they had a great time just being outside with guns.

We had a lot of fun being in Klamath with Molly and Craig. Our kids played really well together, and the trip went by really fast. Luckily, we will be seeing them shortly!! Bring on the Salt Lake Half Marathon, am I right?

Jungle Jims

2011-03-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

Our kids really love carnival type rides, so we thought it would be fun to take them to Jungle Jims. We had never been there before, and I just thought it would be something different for the kids. I figured it would be kinda ghetto, and OH MY GOSH...I had no idea. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot I wanted to turn around, but by then the kids were way too excited, and there was no way out of it. Let me just say this...it smelled a lot like urine in there. Anyways, you get used to the urine smell after a while, and we ended up having a lot of fun. I haven't seen the kids laugh and smile like that in a long time!

Look! Tyler fits perfectly!

On the carousel the kids kept yelling, "Giddy-up, Bullseye!"

Turns out Bradlee can drive a bumper car all by herself. I had no idea.

Seriously, Bradlee had me crackin' up on this ride. So fun!

Yes, we had a lot of fun. Will we return? That is still up in the air! For now we are just happy we all made it out of there without anyone catching pink eye.

Twinkle Twinkle

2011-03-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Bradlee's a Rock Star

2011-02-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

So, Bradlee has a definite opinion about the type of music she likes to listen to. For example, in the car just this last week, she told Tyler and I to turn up "Love Like Woe" by The Ready Set, but as soon as Tyler switched it over to some country station, she immediately told him it was too loud and he needed to turn it off! (I swear I am not purposely trying to influence her taste in music!)

Anyways, yesterday in the car on the way to preschool I turned on the radio. Immediately, Bradlee says, "Oooh, Mommy, what's this song?" Just so happens it was "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. She then says, "Oh, this is my new rock star song. I am going to sing it in my microphone with my rainbow hair."

I am still not really sure what it is about that song that she loves. Also, not sure how she learned that as a rock star you need to have colored hair.

Random Pictures

2011-01-31T14:38:00.001-08:00

Brock no longer lets me feed him. I put it off letting him feed himself for about a year too long just because I hate messes. Turns out he got good at it pretty fast (not that you can tell by looking at these pictures).

Yogurt is yummy!

Wish she would cuddle like this more often...

This picture is so sweet, I could just eat it right up! That's not weird, I promise.

Just something about your husband cuddling and reading princess stories that melts your heart.

New Years Resolutions

2011-01-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

(I usually try not to type very much, so this is me apologizing for this post in advance.)

2010

For 2010 I had two New Year's Resolutions. I had resolved to run my first half marathon and to learn to play twenty hymns on the piano. I feel really good about my accomplishments this year. I ended up running a half marathon in April, a 10K in July, another half marathon in early September, and a 5k on Thanksgiving. I really grew to love running and the peace of mind it gives me, and just being fit in general. I talk about it a lot because it is really the only hobby that I have and really enjoy. I would apologize to everyone who has to listen to me, but I am not really that sorry :)

While I don't know the exact number of hymns I can now play on the piano, I do know that I couldn't play any before, and I put a valiant effort into practicing. However, even more than that, I am proud to say that I actually sang and accompanied myself on the piano for a musical number at the care center in our stake. It was a perfect audience for my first time, and I am happy to report that it was not a total train wreck. I actually made it through the entire number, not perfectly by any means, but I did it!

2011

My New Year's Resolutions for 2011 are a little more involved. I have resolved to run a full marathon and learn to play at least one song on the bass guitar. Last year I didn't make any spiritual goals that were easily measured, and I am changing that this year. I have resolved to pray ever morning. I have always been able to make time for my night time prayers, but mornings are a little more hectic. I need to remember to say my morning prayers EVERY DAY! I also will read "Jesus the Christ"and read the Sunday school lesson and scriptures before Sunday each week. I think these are goals that can be tracked easily and will make an impact on my spirituality in ways that can't be measured.

I would say wish me luck, but I guess no luck is needed. I have committed to do these things, so I will! Happy New Year!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

We kicked off Christmas Eve by watching "The Nativity" with the kids. Tyler and I have decided to make that a tradition in our family. We always watch that movie before we open any presents to help us remember to true meaning of Christmas. After that we opened presents with Grandma and Papa Bricco. The kids also got to open their traditional Christmas jammies.

Here are the tents they got from Grandma and Papa Bricco. The kids really liked them a lot!

After that we headed over to the McLachlans to have breakfast for dinner and wait for Collin to get home! He proposed to Natalie, and she said yes!!! We were all super excited for them to get back! Then we played some games together as a family.

Christmas Day

Tyler and I were really excited for Christmas morning this year because our kids are finally starting to understand and get excited about Santa. Brock had asked for a rocket ship and Bradlee had asked for the Fashion Fairytale Barbie, a pink curling iron and a white dress. They were so excited that Santa actually brought them what they wanted.

I found Bradlee on Christmas morning sitting in front of her presents from Santa in just her underwear and looking kinda sad. Turns out she thought Santa would still be there, and was upset that he had "disappeared". After we showed her her stocking, she started to get over it!

After that, we had her put some clothes on, and then the real present opening began.

After we opened presents from Santa, we headed back over to the McLachlans for more present opening!!!

The McLachlan girls...we meant to take another picture later once Natalie got there, but surprise...that never happened.

Bradlee is a very efficient present opener.

For the record, Brock is the worst present opener ever!!! He seriously cannot focus long enough to even get one present open. He is SO SLOW, and then he has no desire to move on to any more presents.

Here is Tyler opening Brock's presents.

Here is Lisa looking all pretty and stuff!

Tyler showing off his new beanie.

Megan was SUPER excited about some new maternity clothes!!!

Collin loves movies.

Bryan was really excited about the new coat Wendy got him. He wasn't expecting that at all!

Collin also got a new coat...and a fiance!

We mostly just relaxed the rest of Christmas day. We watched some movies, ate some snacks and played Twister. All I have to say is I dominated at Twister. Tyler finally pushed me down because I am so amazing!

I think everyone had a good Christmas! I love the whole Christmas season and the way it brings families together. I love the extra emphasis the whole community puts in to being more Christlike and charitable.

Carriage Ride

2010-12-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

Sunday night we went caroling with the McLachlans. We sang "Jingle Bells", "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger". Bradlee and Brock especially had a good time. They knocked on the doors and rang the jingle bells. Every single person there forgot to bring a camera even though we talked about it before we left the house. I am sad we didn't get any pictures because I think everyone had more fun than they thought they would.

Monday night for FHE we went out to Red Lobster for dinner and then on a carriage ride around Temple Square. Once again I forgot to bring my camera. I was ready to forget all about pictures, but Tyler (being sentimental) didn't want to miss their first time on a carriage ride, so he ran all the way back to the car to get our camera. The kids had a great time!! They love horses, and they love lights. We still couldn't get very good pictures of the kids because they were too excited to look where we told them. Our horse's name was Wesson, and he did a fine job! Also, we had the only carriage with a heater...sooo nice!

Here's Brock petting Wesson's nose.

Bradlee wouldn't take her eyes off Wesson long enough to take a picture.

She's still trying to get a look at the horse.

Brock was pretty pumped that he got a free candy cane. Ok, technically, I guess it wasn't really free at all.

Gotta love the Christmas season. Today I watched White Christmas with my mom. It is sort of a tradition. I swear I love that movie more and more every year. It might possibly be my favorite movie of all time. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Two of My Favorite Teenagers

2010-12-21T17:52:00.001-08:00

The other weekend Jordan and Max came to visit. While they were here we watched some movies, went to some Christmas parties, went out to lunch and went to the mall. They also came with us to see Bradlee's second dance recital. After the recital we went out to eat at Iceberg. Pretty sure those two were bored out of their minds most of the time, but they were good sports about it anyhow.

FHE with the Jacksons

2010-12-07T10:42:00.001-08:00

Last night we had FHE with Kate, Hunter, Keelia and Hadlee. We went to Gardener Village and went on an Elf Hunt. We had to find about ten different elves doing a bunch of different things. After we found all the elves the kids got free candy sticks from the candy shop.

We also stopped to have treats and hot chocolate at the bakery while we were there. My kids both chose to have chips. I don't let them have nacho flavored Doritos or Cheetos at our house because of orange fingers, so they ALWAYS want them when we are out somewhere. As you can see, Keelia is the only child who cooperates for pictures.

Hunter is all about the PDA!

Keelia with her blue frosting face.

Bradlee with her nacho cheese face.

which brings us to Brock...?

I don't know about everyone else, but I had fun. I love being out and about during the holidays. Plus, Kate and Hunter are always entertaining!

Bradlee's First Dance Recital!!!

2010-12-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

Bradlee had her first dance recital ever tonight! It was held at the Festival of Trees at the South Town Expo Center. She did AMAZING! Tyler and I could not have been more proud of her. She told us that she wasn't nervous, and she wasn't lying. She did everything exactly like she was supposed to, and was easily the cutest girl out there (I swear I am not biased)!

Oh my goodness! Look at that face! Those eyelashes just DO NOT stop!

Here she is at the venue before the show started showing off her costume.

When I picked her up after the recital was over, the first thing she said to me was "Mom, my lipstick is coming off!" She was so excited when I took her to see everyone who had come to support her. She seemed really surprised!

This picture is just precious! Tyler loves that girl like nobody's business!

When I was growing up my dad gave me yellow roses every time I had a performance, so Tyler is carrying on that tradition! She LOVED them, and that is an understatement. She wanted to carry those flowers with her everywhere!

Grandma and Papa Bricco also brought her flowers. She couldn't get enough of them!

I am the proudest mom ever! Can you tell? I think it is because she has changed so much in the last few months, and dance has made such a big difference in her! She loves her friends in class, and she loves her teachers.

Daddy is pretty proud, too!

I did not mean to only take a picture of my mom with Bradlee. I was a little anxious and excited this evening, and that is just how it worked. Papa Bricco, Grandma and Papa McLachlan were also there. I wish I had pictures of them, too! I hope no one takes it personally! Megan, Cory and Lisa all came to support this little angel too! She was eating up all the attention. I don't think she has EVER been this cooperative while taking pictures!

Brock wanted to show Bradlee some love too! He yelled for her as soon as he saw her come out on stage! I wish I also had a picture of this pose from the back, Brock had his arm around her!

Afterwards, per Bradlee's request, we took her out for pink ice cream with sprinkles. The McLachlans all came to celebrate with us! She has another performance on Friday, and we hope to get video of the actual dance to post! We'll keep our fingers crossed...

Jazz vs. Bucks

2010-11-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

Last night we had free tickets to go see the Jazz vs. Bucks. Not the most exciting game ever, but we had good seats. The Jazz won, and NBA games are always a good time! Pretty sure my parents thoroughly enjoyed themselves also (mostly because the company was amazing). My mom made some crude comments about the Jazz bear, pretty sure Tyler swore once or twice, I overate, and my dad gave us his trademark look of disapproval at least half a dozen times. So, all in all, I guess it was a pretty routine outing for our family.

I loves me some cotton candy!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2010

2010-11-28T10:20:00.001-08:00

The weekend started out with a 5k run out in Draper on Thanksgiving morning. It was Mom's first race ever, and it was my dad's first race since his open heart surgery in April. My dad had a little trouble getting dressed for the event, as you can see, but other than that they both killed it!

It was only 9 degrees outside on Thursday morning, so we had to dress as warm as possible. We ran with handkerchiefs around our faces because the air was too cold to breath. I literally had an icicle in my hair when the race was finished!

Thursday afternoon the Jamie Bricco family rolled into town. Oh my gosh! Laying down with a sleeping baby is the best thing in the world! I swear I could sniff Keira's head all day long. I was so glad to meet her finally. She is so sweet and has the cutest laugh and smile!

Thaiya gets more beautiful every time I see her! Bradlee was SOOO glad to have Thaiya for the weekend. She had been talking about it for weeks. Thaiya was a super good sport and spent lots of time doing things with Bradlee. Bradlee cried for about two hours when they left because she wanted to go home with "her" Thaiya.

I think it is awesome that Jaiden and Thaiya are so close with their grandparents. It is pretty special.

Look at the smile on that baby! Bradlee is looking a little rugged in this picture, but I just had to post this picture of Keira!

Tyler and Jamie...REPRESENT!

Did I mention that they are pretty close? Those two are constantly trying to spoon with each other.

Brock loved having some boys to play with. Jaiden is really good with the kids and they all love him. Brock and Jetrin only got in a couple of "altercations". Other than that, they had a really good time together. We could never get a picture of them because they never stayed still...ever.

Saturday morning, Bradlee woke up and clearly had a UTI. Tyler was a good sport and took her to urgent care. I don't think he knew he was going to have to spend 3 hours there holding a cup to try and collect a urine sample from her. Bradlee refused to cooperate for the longest time, and Tyler tried to bribe her with a pink balloon, but Bradlee drives a hard bargain. She wasn't going to do it for any less than FOUR pink balloons.

SOOO HOTT!

Princess Keira

We had lots of good food over the weekend. Some of us went to see Harry Potter, and some of us went to see Tangled. We played some games, and just had a lot of fun hanging out together.

Family Pictures 2010

2010-11-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

We have never taken family pictures ever since we have been married. I have felt guilty about it, but always rationalized that my kids would never cooperate and it would just be a waste of time and money. Well, my niece, Jordan, takes amazing pictures and my kids love her, so I thought now would be the perfect time to give it a go. The pictures turned out more AMAZING than I had even hoped for. I LOVE Jordan, and I LOVE our pictures!!!

Max's Ordination

2010-11-01T00:09:00.000-07:00

Tyler and I were so sad to miss Chase's baptism this weekend, but we were really glad to be in town for Max's ordination. He was ordained to a Priest this Sunday, and Tyler was able to stand in. I wish I could've been there too, but I was home with sick kids. There or not, I am really proud of both Max and Chase. I have the best nephews ever!

Halloween

2010-10-31T23:47:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Halloween and did the whole trick-or-treating thing on Saturday since Halloween was on Sunday. But first.....the kids had a blast playing in the leaves!

Brock was always careful to not get too many leaves on top of him. He liked to play with the leaves, not in the leaves.

Here's Bradlee getting Mommy. AHH!!!!

Here's Aunt Megan getting Buddy!

Daddy LOVES getting buried in leaves. Who doesn't?!

Bradlee couldn't not get enough of the leaves. She had a blast!

So handsome!

So gorgeous!

Brock was everyone's favorite Space Ranger for Halloween. BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!

Bradlee was a WITCH!!! Best looking witch I've ever seen.

We went out trick-or-treating in Grandma and Grandpa McLachlans neighborhood. Only problem was it was POURING RAIN the entire time. Wendy was nice enough to brave the storm with us. We all carried umbrellas and were still soaked to the bone when we got home even though we only went to about five houses.

The kids woke up all night with coughs and fevers. Not sure if it was because they were already kinda sick before or if all that rain really did them in! Anyways, they got candy and that's what matters!

Ward Halloween Party

2010-10-31T23:43:00.001-07:00

Later on Wednesday night we spent a whole ten minutes at our ward Christmas party! Our kids lost interest super fast. Actually, neither of them were really feeling good this whole week which probably explains their total lack luster attitudes.

Here is Bro. Cruz scaring the crap out of Brock. Poor kid thought he was a monster and just kept yelling for him to get away!

Bradlee's Halloween Party

2010-10-31T23:33:00.001-07:00

Bradlee had her Halloween party at preschool on Wednesday. I got her all dressed up and ready to go completely against her will! Luckily it just took her a few minutes to get in the spirit of things.

Here she is all smiley and happy in the car on the way to school.

They made all kinds of cute crafts at school that day. They made spiders, painted pumpkins and exchanged treats. Bradlee took Hershey bars to hand out because those are her favorite things right now. She had dance right after preschool, and the got to stay all dressed up in their costumes for dance class. Parents were invited into class for the last ten minutes to watch their Itsy Bitsy Spider dance. I planned to get the whole thing on video, but Bradlee had a melt down as soon as I walked in the door so....better luck next year, I guess! She looked cute anyways!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T23:24:00.001-07:00

Monday night we carved a pumpkin with the kids for FHE. Actually, Monday night Tyler carved a pumpkin with Brock for FHE. Bradlee wasn't too pumped about the whole pumpkin thing this year, but she did pick which face our pumpkin should have based on the sketches below. All the sketches are Tyler's except the one on the bottom right is mine, and Bradlee picked mine becuase she has good taste :)

Uh Oh! Brock touched some pumpkin innards, and he is not pleased!

The finished product! Thanks to Tyler, I think it turned out pretty dang cute.

Papa is hilarious!

2010-10-31T23:18:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't make you smile, there is something wrong with you! My dad used to do the same thing with us when we were little. We laughed just as hard back then, too! Timeless.

Moab 2010

2010-10-31T23:04:00.001-07:00

We went to Moab in October with the McLachlans, as we do every year. Tyler has to get his fix of wheeling on the red rock. Everyone had a great time just hanging out and relaxing. Thanks to Wendy and Bryan for putting it all together and for all their hard work.

Wendy and Lisa

Mommy and Bradlee

Megan, Cory and our beautiful children

Um...Buddy, that's gross! The kid likes cheese, ok, get off his back!

Bryan, rollin' with the punches just like always. I think he got to spend some good quality time with a couple of his kids this trip. I know Tyler really enjoyed it.

If only everyone looked as good as she does camping!

Da boys.

Wendy made everyone matching shirts complete with tire marks across the back as we spend most of the time on Jeep trail whenever we are there.

I know, the front view is cuter. I just wanted to make sure Wendy got credit for the back of the shirts, too!

Salt Lake Half Marathon

2010-09-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

Ran my second half marathon today. It went pretty well all things considered. The first four miles were completely uphill, and I lost a lot of time. By the time those four miles were done, I felt like I had already run ten. Plus, I had to run extra hard to make up time. After about 8.5 miles, I completely hit a wall. I was completely spent, and felt like the course had completely defeated me. I decided to slow it way down and just try to regroup. I was able to run the entire way, and my time was 1:58:20. That is almost exactly a 9:00 min/mile pace. I was hoping to be a little faster, but hey, I ran this half marathon 34 minutes faster than my last (shaved about 2.5 minutes off every mile).

Special thanks to my friend Lindsey who ran the race with me! She's a rockstar!

P.S. Don't knock the compression sleeves...they are very effective!

Also, nevermind the huge bags under my eyes. It was a rough morning.

San Diego

2010-09-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my mom and I accompanied Keiler on his drive back to San Diego. We stayed through the weekend to visit with Rowdy and Diane and did lots of fun stuff.

Here's Mom, Keiler and Brock eating lunch on the drive down.

The kids' favorite part of the trip was definitely THE BEACH!!! They loved the water, sand, putting sand in the water and putting water in the sand. How is he not the most handsome little fellow ever?!

Miss Beautiful Bradlee striking a pose. She would just run out in the water and let the waves crash around her legs. This was their first trip to the ocean, so I was glad they had such a good time. For the rest of the trip, Bradlee kept saying, "Don't worry, we will go to the beach again later."

Our best shot at a family photo. Tyler wasn't able to come with us. He had to stay home and work :(

Rowdy and I did some boogie boarding. I just love being out in the ocean. Maybe next time I will let him teach me how to surf!

Brother and Sister...Aww!!!

Keiler was a good sport and played with the kids in the sand.

Rowdy took the kids for LOTS of rides on Diane's scooter. Let's just say they LOVED it, and it kept them from screaming NON-STOP in their house the ENTIRE time we were there.

We we to Fiesta Island to watch the fireworks from Sea World. Rowdy built a fire, and as you can see, everyone clearly enjoyed themselves...

...except Bradlee. She HATES fireworks. She told us the whole time that she didn't want to see any fireworks, but we forced them on her anyway. Too bad we don't have a picture of her scrambling through the back window of Rowdy's truck to get away from them.

This picture was taken with the candlelight setting.

Here is Keiler completing one our family's famous park challenges.

Oh my goodness....these next two pictures are just the cutest things ever. I am definitely going to have to frame them. This kid might scream a lot, but he is SO sweet!

I can hear her laugh perfectly when I look at this picture. That's some good photography skills right there. Thanks, Rowdy!

He is pretty photogenic as well.

Exactly how it looks...that's how it is...

You're never too old for a good old fashion ride down the slide.

NEVER!

We also went to the mall and shopped with Diane, we went out to eat and Rowdy took me on a fabulous tour of all the great and not-so-great parts of San Diego. Maybe one day, when my kids are older, Rowdy and Diane will allow us back in their home!

Welcome Baby Keira

2010-08-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Keira Amelia Bricco

Keira was born on Friday, August 13th. She is beautiful, and we are so excited to have her in our family. Thank you, James and Ames for making such beautiful children!

Bradlee's First Dance Class

2010-08-25T15:28:00.001-07:00

Bradlee had her first dance class on August 17th. It was actually just a trial to see how she would like it. Turns out she loved it. She was like a completely different girl, all grown up. At first she was a little nervous, but within a matter of minutes she was in the middle of the floor participating 100%. I was so proud of her. She followed instructions, waited her turn and danced across the floor all by herself. I can't even look at her the same now. She is getting to be such a big girl.

She officially begins dance the second week in September. I have actually enrolled her in a preschool that incorporates dance and tumbling into their curriculum. She will attend preschool Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Mondays she will also have tumbling, and Wednesdays she will have dance. I felt very strongly that she needed to attend this school regardless of the cost, and I don't "feel strongly" very often. After seeing her at class, I know this will make all the difference in her development in 100 different ways.

Bradlee's First Talk in Primary

2010-08-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, August 15th, Bradlee gave her first talk in primary. Her topic was: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and he is a God of miracles. We spent all week practicing her talk, and we even practiced it in the microphone at church before primary. All four grandparents came to support her. She is very special to a lot of people.

I was relieved when it was time for her to give her talk and she walked up to the podium all by herself. I whispered the first sentence in her ear, and when she repeated it....the microphone wasn't working. It really threw her off her game and embarrassed her! I ended up giving a very nice talk, and we were all still proud of her for being so brave...and so pretty!

You should click on these pictures to enlarge them. They are super cute.

Bradlee Turned 4!!!

2010-08-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Bradlee's birthday party on August 21st at a park in North Salt Lake. Bradlee had been telling me all week that she didn't want a party, she just wanted presents. Nevertheless, the party turned out to be a success. All four grandparents, all Tyler's siblings, Keiler, Max, the Healeys and the Jacksons all came to celebrate with us. We are so glad they came because I could tell Bradlee really felt special having all those people there just for her, even if she did spend the whole time just playing with her friends, Caylin and Keelia.

Pizza and cake. No party is complete with out them.

At first she didn't want to open presents, but after I forced her to open one, she was ready to get down to business. She got tired of it after a while, but she pushed through. Poor girl!

You'll all have to forgive me. I didn't get pictures of everyone, but here are a few of the people who were there.

Lindsey and Bree. They were so nice to let Brock play with them.

My mom and Kate and Hunter.

Grandma Wendy and Megan.

T. Chuck.

Caylin.

Keelia.

Thanks again everyone for making it such a special day for Bradlee.

Camping at Hobble Creek

2010-08-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, July 29th we went camping with Bryan and Wendy at Hobble Creek. Everyone knows how I feel about camping, but it was only for one night, and turns out I can handle that pretty well.

Here are Father and Son starting a fire.

Here are Mother and Daughter watching Father and Son start a fire.

Yeah, I don't know. Except there were some cows up there. Clearly, Tyler was armed and ready for action.

I hate it when he gets dirty. So gross. That's chocolate, by the way.

On Friday morning we hiked up the creek to some natural hot springs. Turned out to be a much longer hike than we thought, but we made it! I don't know about everyone else, but I totally got a workout too.

The people who made it happen.

We, of course, had to get in the water. I really like this picture. Tyler looks like he is glowing.

I was a little nervous to get in the water, but if Bradlee could do it, there was no way I could wuss out.

Grandma got in the water too!

Tyler, Brock and I went home Friday night, but Bradlee wanted to stay an extra night with Grandma and Grandpa. I know she had a lot of fun because she didn't want to come home.

Thanks, Bryan and Wendy!!! We had a really good time.

24th of July Weekend

2010-08-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday, the 23rd of July, we went up to Bountiful to see the Pioneer Day parade with Tyler's family. It started out super duper hot but it cooled down pretty fast, and we had a really good time. Apparently, they are still allowed to throw candy at parades in Bountiful. Who knew? Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of the parade, so you will just have to imagine how awesome we looked and how awesome all the floats were.

The Phair family also came to town for the week, and we did a TON of stuff. Don't worry...I will be brief. I want to type this any more than you want to read it...besides pictures say 1,000 words, right?

Saturday morning bright and early, Molly and I ran the Deseret New 10K. Molly beat me by 3 seconds, and we both ran our best times. I finished in 51:55 which is 8:22 min/miles. Since then I have been able to increase my speed A LOT. That race really helped me break through. I am excited for my next half marathon on September 4th.

We also went hiking at Silver Lake.

We went to the Days of 47 Rodeo. Thanks Mom and Dad for the tickets!

Bradlee really grew fond of Aunt Molly this trip...not sure why...oh, that's right, Molly gives her everything she wants.

so....attractive.

That's right, he wore a cowboy hat, and so did Dad.

We went to the Salt Lake Temple grounds with my parents' singles ward. After we toured the grounds a church architect came and spoke to us about all the symbolism on the temple. It was very interesting and very educational.

We went up Mill Creek Canyon and had tin foil dinners. It was nice to get all the kids outdoors.

FYI, Brock was in time out in this picture. He runs away a lot.

Christa was not in time out.

YUM...s'mores.

He's bringin' sexy back.

We had competitions to see who could keep their hands and feet in the ice the longest. Craig won both competitions. However, in fairness to Kole, Craig cheated. Kole easily could've kept his foot in the longest, but Craig shoved him out!

We also did a lot of swimming, and well let's be honest, we ate a lot. Other than that, I am so behind on my posts, I can't even remember what happened. I know we had fun, and I am pretty sure I remembered all the main things.

4th of July Weekend

2010-08-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

On Fourth of July weekend we went with the McLachlan side of the family to watch fireworks at the Eagle Ridge Golf Course. Everyone had a really good time hanging out and playing before the show started.

On a side note...Bradlee made her first boyfriend while we were there. It was ridiculous!!! She pretended she didn't know how to throw a ball just so he could show her how. He was also pushing her all over in her stroller. On the up side, homegirl has good taste in boys because he was a cutie for sure!

Rowdy, Diane and family were also in town over the weekend before they left for Europe. My mom, Bradlee and I spent all day preparing fun treats for their arrival because we all love the Fourth of JULY!!!

Here is Bradlee with the festive cupcakes we worked so hard on!

Freedom, family and food...that's what the fourth means to me.

Here we are all dressed up to go the Bees game and watch more fireworks. They were probably the best fireworks I have ever seen. I usually am not close enough to hear the music that is being played, and being so close definitely made it a much more spiritual and patriotic!

Graduation and such...

2010-06-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well, my oldest niece graduated about a week and a half ago. Can you believe it? I am so proud of Jo! She is so smart and talented. She accepted a full scholarship to the University of Utah guaranteed for four years! Now that is something to brag about! Well, that and the fact that she got an almost perfect score on her ACT. I think she only missed one question.

Of course her parents came to town to go to graduation and celebrate with her. We had a lot of fun with them in town. We went running together, got snow cones from Jo at her new job, watched the UFC fights on PPV and had an all around good time. I am always a happy camper with family in town!

Poor girl...I clearly invaded her personal space...sorry! I just love her SOO much!!!

Brock is IN LOVE with his boy cousins. They spent so much time fussing over him...he was in heaven! Also, you may have noticed that Brock is very much in favor of any and all types of headwear.

Brock's Birthday Party

2010-05-24T09:32:00.001-07:00

Brock's birthday was AWESOME! He woke up pretty sick that morning, so I was kinda worried. Luckily, he slept all morning! I woke him up around 2 and pumped him full of Motrin. Then Tyler and Poppa took him out for lunch to get some nuggets, french fries and Coke! I know it's gross, but those are three of his very favorite things!
While they were gone, I decorated the house, blew up balloons and got everything ready. Also, His Grandma and Grandpa McLachlan, Lisa, Megan and Cory all arrived while he was still gone. It worked out really well, and turned into more of a surprise party which was really fun! Collin was able to make it to the party also, but had to come a little late because of work. The picture below shows him walking in from the garage before he saw any of the decorations!

He was SO SURPRISED! He held his hand over his mouth for probably ten seconds while he took it all in. I think it was a combination of all the decorations, balloons and having everyone he loves all in the same spot! This picture says it all...

His party was a Mickey Mouse theme. I gave him a choice of two different types of party plates, and he picked Mickey!

He wore his Mickey ears the WHOLE time, and threw an absolute fit every time they fell off!

We opened presents first. He loved all his presents...especially these shoes and all the cars and movies! He wasn't as excited about the clothes as I was.

He was not a very efficient present opener, so Bradlee finally had to take charge.

I have no doubts that Brock will grow up to be a gentleman, so this T-shirt is really for his safety! Besides...he's a mama's boy!

Here's the birthday boy eating his cake and ice cream. This is actually the first time I have ever let him eat with a fork on his own. He did amazingly well! It appears that he even got some of that yummy goodness in his mouth!

If you ask me it was a very successful party! Thanks again to everyone who came to celebrate this special day with us. Brock had a blast!

My Baby is Two!

2010-05-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Then... Now...

Brock turned 2 this weekend. I wish he could just replicate himself at every stage of development, so I could keep him how he is, but still see how he'll turn out. Does that make any sense? His favorite things to eat are fruit, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and pretzels. I still can't get him to eat vegetables. He also loves nursery, cars and Diet Coke (don't even try to give him Sprite). He always says please and thank you. He even tells me thank you when I brush his teeth, change his diaper and put him in his crib! He has quite the temper! He is very easily agitated and let's you know it by making fists and screaming as loud as he can! I love how he snuggles into my shoulder and sucks his thumb almost every time I pick him up. He is always super excited to see Tyler when he comes home. As soon as he hears him come in the door, he stops whatever he is doing to run and give him a hug! He said a prayer for the first time this last week. I can't wait to see what kind of a person he'll turn out to be. I am sure there is something special in store for him!

Aquarium

2010-05-24T08:53:00.001-07:00

Last Tuesday we took our Spring trip to the Aquarium. Sorry...these pictures are in no particular order. Every time we go to the Aquarium the kids like it more and more. This time they wanted to take a second trip through to see everything. The main reason we went was to see the penguins. They are a fairly new attraction. Bradlee liked them just fine, but not as much as I thought she would. However, later in the car when we were talking about what we liked best, Bradlee did say her favorite part was the penguins.

I would say that Bradlee's favorite part was petting the sting rays. That is where she spent the majority of her time.

They always like to find Nemo...

Brock's favorite part was definitely the "Sharks!" He yells "Shark!" every time we talk about it. He kept running back to the shark tank and never got tired of standing there. The sharks were my favorite part too!

Campfire Videos!

2010-05-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been disappointed by a Tyler video?

Cory is here to entertain as well..

.....wait for it.....

Sad, I know!

Campfire Fun!

2010-05-15T23:31:00.001-07:00

Tonight we went up to Heber Canyon to have a campfire and hot dogs with the McLachlans. The kids had an awesome time running around outside. The adults managed to find things to occupy their time as well! There are lots of pictures, but I just couldn't narrow it down any more!

Brock HATES having the sun shine in his eyes!

Bryan "Mountain Man" McLachlan

Ty da Supa Fly

In the following photos you will see me being attacked by my tricky husband...Everything started out just fine.

Here I am...happy and content with a fair amount of personal space...

He lures me in with a fake hug...

Things are starting to get a little crazy...

and BAM! I almost lost my face!

Wendy and Brockers!

This is Bradlee's new pose for all photos.

Lisa is a genius and put the kids in the back of the truck to keep them from wandering off....and BONUS...the kids loved it!

Sharing some quality man time in the back of the truck. Apparently man time is pretty serious...

Throwing rocks in the stream. We can't keep these kids away from water...or rocks.

Now begins our UGLY photo shoot competition.

First you see Tyler's lame attempt at an ugly picture. Funny? Yes. Ugly? No. OK...maybe it is a little unflattering!

Lisa...pure sexy!

Wendy...she totally ate that piece of licorice after I took this picture. Just sayin'...

Megan and Cory...I do love this picture, but next time I would like to see a better effort. Not everyone has what it takes to be ugly enough to be a true contender in this competition.

AND THE UGLY PHOTO WINNER IS...

Seriously, I don't know why anyone even competes with me....I cannot be beat.

Finally we moved on to the balancing portion of the evening. This rock was a lot harder to stand on than you might think.

We also took a few awesome videos that I will post very soon!

Tattoos

2010-05-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

For a fun wholesome (and super classy) Friday night activity....we gave each other tattoos with a ball point pen.

Look at those sexy and ridiculously hairy legs...

Yep, we let Bradlee in on the action as well because we are awesome parents who are going to have a very hard time explaining why we can draw on her but she can't draw on Brock...

Bradlee gave Tyler some sort of a landscape tattoo. All we know for sure is there are some mountains.

Mother and daughter with matching palm tree tattoos! It was Bradlee's idea.

And to top it off Tyler gave me this super awesome and accurate tattoo of our family. I had no idea I was so busty...what a pleasant surprise!

Aren't you glad you took time out of your day to check our blog today?!

Boogie Update...

2010-05-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I spent some time last night reading over all of my previous blog posts, and I am now recommitted to being a better blogger. So many cool stories and videos that I had totally forgotten about that I am glad to have recorded. From here on out I will be better...I PROMISE!

Bradlee has the most amazing memory ever! She remembers song lyrics that she only heard once, yards where she saw a cat five months ago, what she ate at the movies the last time she went...it is incredible! She still isn't speaking up to her age. I always know what she means, but she skips over/slurs a lot of her sentences. I need to look into getting her in speech therapy again now that we are here in SLC, but for some unknown reason I keep putting it off. Currently she is terrified of being burned. She thinks all water and food is too hot and will burn her.

She has also taken a liking to these glasses recently. My siblings might remember these as Grandpa Ken Bricco's glasses. I find Bradlee wearing them all the time. In this picture I had gone in one night after I thought she was asleep to check on her. As soon as I got close to her she threw the covers back and looked at me with these huge eyes and even bigger glasses! She cracks me up, and the best part is she knows she is funny!

Brock will be turning two in a couple weeks so stay tuned for a B. Chunks update very soon!

My First Half Marathon

2010-04-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

I had been planning to run the Salt Lake City half marathon since I started running again in February. Molly and Rowdy were going to be in town the weekend of the race, so they decided to run the race with me. My farthest run before the race had been 11 miles. I felt pretty optimistic about the whole thing until I got super bad shin splints. My only real goal was to finish the race and never walk, so I guess I succeeded, but next year it would be nice to be a little faster. Molly and Rowdy both did awesome and were super fast with hardly any training!

Getting ready at 5:15 AM on the morning of the race.

All three of us before running our fist half marathon...

View of the finish line at The Gateway. It was really fun to finish at the Gateway. The Briccos and the McLachlans were all there to cheer me on. It was so nice of everyone to come out to support me. Next year I promise to make it worth their while and run a little faster.

After...

Gotta give a shout out to everyone who helped me reach my goal by watching my kids for me for hours while I got my runs in...Thanks Mom, Dad, Wendy, Bryan and especially my hot husband! Couldn't have done it without any of you guys!!!

This may have been my first half marathon, but it will definitely not be my last. I can only get better from here. I will never be fast, but I would at least like to be average. Next up...I will hopefully get in the lottery to run the St. George FULL MARATHON! Wish me luck...

Dad's surgery...

2010-04-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

We found out just about a month or so ago that Dad would need to have open heart surgery to replace a faulty heart valve. Apparently, it was a birth defect that no one had noticed until now. He had just recently started to black out during runs, but other than that he had no real noticeable symptoms.

Last Saturday, April 17th, all the boys in our family came together to give my dad and mom blessings before he went in for surgery. My dad bore his testimony to all his kids and grandkids. Between that and the blessings...we were all pretty emotional. I just thought how special it was that Rowdy, Jamie and Craig would all travel from out of state to be there for my dad. Tyler would have traveled too if he had needed to. What a blessing the priesthood is! So happy that my husband and brothers are all worthy to exercise their priesthood when asked to do so!

Surgery went well, and my dad is now home to finish recovering. He still has a long road ahead of him, but the doctors say in a few months he should be better and stronger than ever!

Princess Bradlee

2010-04-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here is Bradlee in her Princess Tiana dress. As soon as she put it on, she started referring to herself in the third person..."Princess Bradlee will help you make dinner", etc... She also told us that it isn't her temple dress....but it is her primary dress! Don't worry, there is no way I am letting her wear that to church!

Easter

2010-04-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Our kids really love coloring Easter eggs. Every year it gets more and more fun. Here you see Bradlee showing off all their wonderful creations...

Here is Brock on Easter Morning on his way to hunt for his presents from the Easter Bunny!

For some reason almost all of our pictures turned our really blurry this morning. Sorry, Bradlee...

We also had a fun surprise visit from Rowdy and Diane on Easter Sunday. They had a layover in Salt Lake and were able to come by for a couple hours. We had a really good time visiting with them.

Too Funny

2010-03-11T08:12:00.000-08:00

I was in a particularly bad mood on Sunday due to reasons that shall not be named (Bradlee and Brock running and screaming through another ward's sacrament meeting). After dinner Lisa asked Bradlee if Brock was poopy and she said, "Yes, and so is Mommy!" She's very perceptive.

Bradlee's Ears!!!

2010-03-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

That's right...we finally did it! Bradlee got her ears pierced, and SHE DID SOOOO GOOD!!!! I was so proud of her! After several minutes of deliberation she decided she wanted to wear princess crowns on her ears. The whole thing just went really well, the lady who did it was so good with Bradlee. She kept her talking and singing the whole time. In fact, we even had a little audience of sweet little old ladies, and everyone was singing their ABC's with Bradlee. We sang all the way through both ears.

BEFORE

Ear #1

After the first ear, I fully expected Bradlee to freak out, but she didn't. She got a little concerned, and her singing pretty much stopped but she held it together for the second ear.

Ear #2

AFTER

She finally let go once both ears were finished, but she still did so good. She barely cried at all. I was so proud of her! I almost cried just because I was so proud of how good she did for the whole thing. It was amazing! Plus, how sweet is this picture...don't you wanna just give her a big hug?!

Our little girl got a little bigger today. Getting your ears pierced is kind of like a small landmark in a little girl's life. I can't say enough how proud I am of how good she did, and I think she looks beautiful with her princess crown ears!

Brock's Hair

2010-03-09T15:36:00.001-08:00

Brock loves getting his hair cut, but who wouldn't love getting a hair cut while riding in a fancy car, watching a movie and playing with toys?! He is in heaven everytime we go. In fact, I think Tyler is a little jealous that he can't get his hair done at the same place.

Good News...Finally!

2010-02-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ever since we moved here in September Tyler has been staying busy working at Sears. It didn't really take us long to realize that was not really going to meet our needs. Just this last week TYLER GOT A NEW JOB! As of this Monday he is the new resort manager of The Kimball Condominiums in downtown Salt Lake. I think this job will challenge him, but I also think he will love it! We will get to travel often as a couple, it will allow him to continue in sales and keep him busy ALL the time! We are so thankful for this job! We know it was a blessing from our Heavenly Father! It was a very long shot for him to get this job, and we are very grateful! He is also planning to start school again very soon. To celebrate his last day at Sears he cut his finger open with a blade and had to get four stitches. Gotta go out with a bang, I suppose.

I have really not been up to very much. Everyone in this house has been sick for months it seems like. Other than that, I have kept busy with Young Womens and training for a half marathon. We are excited for the future and hope things continue to look up!

B. Rockin'

2010-02-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

Brock is growing up so fast! He is talking more all the time! He calls all food cereal. That's all Bradlee all asks for, and so Brock thinks that is what all food is called. It is amazing how much of his vocabulary comes from her. My dad also taught him to yell, "Where's the remote!". Now, if he wants to watch something on TV he just yells that real loud. Frankly, it cracks me up. He climbs all over counters and gets his own food. I have to watch him all the time. He always bows his head for prayers and says amen. The other day, he thought my dad was going to leave to go somewhere, so he found his coat, handed it to him and asked "with you?". It was tender to say the least.

The Great Salt Lake

2010-02-23T19:43:00.001-08:00

One morning my mom had the great idea to take the kids to the lake. We all know it's there, but no one ever really goes there, especially not in the winter! Oh wait...we did, and it was totally worth it! My mom taught the kids to throw rocks in the water and that's all the wanted to do!

We couldn't stay for long because their little hands were so freezing from getting rocks, but they acted like they might die when it was time to go. There was a lot of screaming as we dragged them back to the car.

Kangaroo Zoo!

2010-02-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

Grandma Wendy took me, the kids, Megan and Cory to Kangaroo Zoo for a fun Saturday activity. It is safe to say that the adults had just as much fun as the kids! These pictures are too cute not to share, but they are of poor quality due to excessive movement!

I was impressed with how fun this place was. We will definitely return! Thanks to Cory and Megan for helping out so much with the kids on the toys and to Wendy for taking us. We went to out to eat afterwards, and Collin and Bryan joined us.

Jesus Wants Bradlee for a Sunbeam!

2010-02-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

Bradlee has officially started Primary! We tried to get her all excited for the big day, but let's face it...SHE HATES PRIMARY! Tyler and I have to sit with her every week because she is too active for the teachers, but frankly I can't blame her! The senior and junior primaries are combined and most of the stuff is geared for the older kids. I am sure we will all have a good laugh at this one day, but I never thought I would have the challenging child! We are working on her sitting still skills, and are having friends over from her class to play. Hopefully this will help her want to go and pay attention!

Bradlee is talking a lot more now. She still runs her sentences together and skips some words, but still she has improved SOO much. She knows all of her ABC's and counts to 12 and sometimes higher. She is constantly talking about the temple. For example, she saw a white hat at Target, and she kept telling me she wanted the "Temple Hat".

Christmas...Finally!

2010-02-23T18:41:00.003-08:00

So, yes, we did in fact celebrate Christmas! We celebrated the day before Christmas Eve with the McLachlans, but we only have that on video, and I don't know how to get video off our camcorder onto our computer. I only know how to download video from our camera. Don't judge me. Anyways, pictures or not, the kids SCORED at the McLachlans. We don't want Grandma, Grandpa and all the aunts and uncles to think we are ungrateful just because their are no pictures. Everyone was spoiled rotten and we had a lot of fun.

This Christmas was extra special to me because it was the first time I can remember being with all of my siblings at the same time in probably four years! Rowdy and Diane came first and it was awesome to spend time with their family. Rowdy and Diane took me snowboarding at Brighton the day before Christmas Eve. It was my first time boarding at a real resort with lifts and what not. Unfortunately, I sucked, but I had a blast. Thanks again guys! I can't wait to go again.

Molly, Jamie and their families rolled into town late Christmas Eve. We stayed up WAY too late and got up WAY too early on Christmas morning.

Santa came, and all the kids were super pumped except for ours. As you can see below...they are clearly not morning people.

All the kids had matching pajamas. Here are the girls...

The babies...

The boys...

The Saturday after Christmas we all went to see the lights at Thanksgiving Point.

Below are the Rowdy Briccos looking all put together and charming.

The Jamie Briccos...

(I also had a picture of the Phairs, but I don't know what happened to it.)

Lezzy and C-Pops...

Mom and Dad rented a trolley just for our family to take us around to see all the lights. It was nice to be out of the cold and not have to worry about the kids acting up. It was super duper nice.

Who's that handsome guy at the front of the trolley? Apparently, his beautiful wife chose not to turn around for the camera!

Teenagers! 'Nough said...However, I love being around these guys. They make me laugh so hard! Clearly, their personalities have not adequately been captured in this photo. What up guys?! Can't throw up a smile for Aunt Tory?

Chase and Krew.

James, Ames and Jetrin.

Bradlee, such a happy and cooperative child. You can't tell from this picture, but she LOVES her oldest cousin. Who doesn't though? She's beautiful, WAY smart and funny! Everyone loves her!

Happy much, Craig?

Yeah, I don't really know about this one...

Dude, I don't even know this guy, I swear! Who let him on the trolley, seriously?!

Jaiden and Kole. Best Buddies! Reunited, and it feels so good.

Brock (a.k.a. future heart breaker and Mommy's Boy)...

By Sunday both brothers had gone home, but Molly and Craig stayed a few days longer. Here are the girls before church.

Sexy, I know! Look at it...savor it!

We took a couple group pictures since we hardly ever have everyone in the same place. Here are the original six!

The kids. Yeah, I know, my face is fat and my hair is awesome. Thanks for noticing.

The siblings and our awesome spouses!

Saved the best for last. This is easily my favorite picture. As you can see, Bradlee is once again super excited about another photo opportunity! However, this pictures will be outdated in August....Thanks to Jamie and Amy!

We had an awesome awesome Christmas. I miss everyone!

The Kids

2009-12-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

So, if you read Jamie and Amy's blog you probably have seen a photo similar to this one of Jetrin. I laughed out loud when I saw their picture and thought to myself, "that is really funny, but I am sure glad Brock would never do that!" Famous last words, I guess, because today he did just that!

In Bradlee news...

I had bought Bradlee's Christmas dress a few months ago, and she hadn't seen it since I first bought it. Well, yesterday I was all excited to get her dressed up for church and while I was doing her hair I was getting her excited for her new dress. When I brought her into our room to put it on her and she saw it, she 100% freaked out. She was sobbing so hard I couldn't even understand what she was saying. When I finally could hear her, she was yelling, "I wanted a pink one!" She hated her dress so bad that as soon as I had her dressed she went to her room covered up with a blanket and wouldn't come out for about an hour. I never even got a picture of her because she was so mortified by the RED dress.

Also, Tyler and Bradlee have been spending some quality time in the "jam" room together singing. Apparently, when it is Bradlee's turn to take over the vocals, Tyler will point at her and say " Go Bradlee" and she will do the same when it is his turn to take over. Well at church yesterday, as I was singing the closing hymn, I all of a sudden hear Bradlee scream..."Go Mommy! Go Mommy!" Oh my goodness, it was hilarious and a little embarrassing all at the same time.

The McLachlan Race Track

2009-12-21T11:15:00.001-08:00

To keep our kids from going absolutely insane, we made this path for them throughout the house. They had a pretty good time driving their cars and running on it.

Zoo Lights!!!

2009-12-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

Last night we went with the whole McLachlan clan (sans Collin) to see the lights at the zoo. It was SO COLD!!! We bundled everyone up as best we could!

The lights were pretty cool and very different, I thought. If you would like to see an angry baby, feel free to enlarge this photo.

OK, just when we thought we weren't really going to get to see any animals...we came across the tigers!!! Oh my goodness it was amazing. The snow tiger cub (sorry no pictures) came right up to the glass to play with us. He would follow Cory's hand with his paw all over the glass, and he would jump to get it if it was too high. He would also snuggle right up to the glass and show us his belly.

These tigers were in fine form as well. These pictures below are not zoomed in at all; we really were that close to the tigers. Cory was blowing in his face and making him hiss/growl. I am not really sure what you would call that noise.

Soon the mommy came to make sure everything was to her satisfaction.

Eventually we let Brock out of his stroller to look at all the reptiles. What a little charmer. Wherever we go, he has the ladies eating out of the palm of his hand.

Sorry we didn't have any pictures of the rest of the McLachlans on our camera. You guys will have to send those pictures to me. All I can say is...seeing the tigers definitely made braving the cold worthwhile.

Festival of the Trees

2009-12-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to see the Festival of the Trees. As long as Brock was being fed, we had a great time. Here are some pictures of a few of our favorite trees...

The kids really liked these froggies.

Bradlee of course loved this pink girly tree.

This one was my favorite. I thought it was so cute.

How do you like this gingerbread house?! More like gingerbread castle.

The Care Bear tree was also a hit. Seriously, why decorate a tree when you can just jam a bunch of animals in there?! These people had the right idea...

Last ...but certainly not least...

I have to say, I expected these trees to be amazingly beautiful, but I did not expect to get emotional. All the dedications to people who had died were very touching. My mom and I decided it is definitely something we would like to be involved in...a new family tradition perhaps!

'Tis the Season...

2009-12-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

We are officially done decorating for Christmas. Bradlee helped Papa put the lights up outside. Meanwhile, Brock helped inside with the lights for the tree. By helped, I mean he tried to eat them.
The following Monday we made our advent calendars to start the countdown to Christmas Eve.

Bradlee kept stealing candy from hers to eat. Finally I just gave her a bowl full and let her have at it...

Brock had his fair share of candy as well.

They played around while Mom and Dad finished tying the bows and what not.

The finished product...

These advent calendars have always been a tradition in the Bricco family. I have made one every year since I can remember. I am trying to carry on the tradition, and from the looks of Molly's blog...so is she!

Tyler's Birthday!

2009-12-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Tyler's parents took us to Red Lobster for his birthday dinner. Lisa joined us as well, and we had a lot of fun! Of course, since his birthday was just on the heels of the Yankees winning the world series...he got some Yankee paraphernalia. Father and son...any resemblance?

Tyler and Lisa! I am not sure how Wendy escaped all the pictures...Tricky!

After dinner we came back to our house for cake and ice cream. Don't be jealous of my cake decorating skills! I know, it's just not right that one person should be good at so many things...

Happy birthday!

A Trip to the Aquarium

2009-12-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago, or maybe more like a month ago, my mom and I took the kids to the Aquarium. We originally brought the stroller in for Brock, thinking Bradlee would want to walk around the whole time. Well, Brock didn't want any part of the stroller. He wanted to be right up in the action the whole time. However, Bradlee was not a huge fan of the aquarium, and as soon as we let Brock out of the stroller she jumped in and locked herself in tight!

We eventually found Nemo, and she started singing a different tune. As it turns out, while small fish are apparently terrifying to her, she LOVED the sharks and petting the sting rays.

This turtle really liked Brock!

It started out rough, but in the end the end, I think the kids really had a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday To...

2009-11-11T14:57:00.001-08:00

The ultimate Yankee fan... The sexiest man alive...

a talented musician...

an amazing father...

a worthy priesthood holder...

and my best friend.

Happy 28th birthday, Babe! I love you more everyday.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T16:50:00.001-08:00

This year Bradlee was a fairy/butterfly (if you ask her, she was a butterfly), and Brock was a monkey. It was really the first year that we took them trick or treating to houses. Usually we just do the trunk or treat at church. Anyways, it was a very successful day!

Who wouldn't wanna give this handsome fellow some candy?!

In case you were wondering if Bradlee was at all attractive...here's a close up.

Papa helped me get them ready and took them out trick or treating around our neighborhood. They were a little shy about it at first, but it only took them about two houses to get all warmed up!

Later we went to Sears to surprise Daddy and pick him up from work. Then we went up to see Grandma and Grandpa McLachlan and the rest of the family. We them trick or treating to a few houses up there as well.

Inspecting their earnings.

Pumpkin Pickin'

2009-11-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

On the Saturday before Halloween the kids and I went with Wendy, Lisa, Megan and Cory out to Black Island Farms to get our pumpkins and have some fun! First, we went on a hayride (sans hay) to the pumpkin patch.

As you can see, we only had a couple of pumpkins to choose from.

Then we went down the awesome slides. I love the Bradlee is brave enough to do it all by herself.

They had this little train type ride thing that Bradlee loved. It was perhaps one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

When we got back we painted our pumpkins. Bradlee loved doing this. She just talked and talked and talked. We had some good laughs.

Thanks, Wendy, for taking us all out there! I know the kids had a blast. Bradlee also jumped in a huge pumpkin moon bounce deal and went through a "kiddie korn maze".

I'm back!

2009-10-20T15:17:00.001-07:00

Well, we've lived in Utah for a little over a month now, and I haven't blogged once! I just finished up five posts, and I believe that makes me all caught up. If you plan to read any of these, I would start from the bottom up!

Anyways, all is well for the McLachlan family. Tyler is working full-time at Sears for the time being and getting everything situated to go back to school. The kids and I have been super busy too. We've been on trips and family has visited. We have been to Gardener Village, Temple Square, The Clarke Planetarium, The Gateway, The District and a couple movies! We are all situated now, and we are happy!

Gardner Village

2009-10-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Before the weather turns crappy my mom and I decided to take the kids on a walk down the Jordan River Parkway to Gardner Village. The whole place is all decorated for Halloween with lots of witches. We just planned on eating lunch there and walking around, but then we discovered the PONY RIDES! Bradlee said she wanted to ride, and I was worried that she might get scared, but she loved it! Her only concern was that she didn't get to ride the big horse! When her ride was over she patted the horse and said, "Thanks pony!" It was so cute!

Another successful outing!