The gift of Good Health

My parents gave each of their children a VitaMix blender for Christmas. I have to say, I love it! I made a green smoothie for dessert and it was incredible. If it wasn't dark green we wouldn't even know there was spinach in it. Gib was skeptical before he tasted it and asked, "What did you do, put a tree in it?" But even he loves it and highly recommends it! Here's the recipe for anyone interested. Healthy and Oh So Tasty!

8 oz frozen spinach
1 orange
1 jonagold apple
1 cup green grapes
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup cranapple juice
1 cup ice cubes

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. These pictures are from Grandma Sommers party. Emmy looks excited about getting her present. I love this next picture I got of Logan and Ashley because of the way Logan has his eye on Santa. He wasn't too sure about him this year.Dani, our professional family photographer, had a photo shoot with Emmy and Logan on Christmas eve. She got some great pics. Here are my favorites of Emmy. Isn't she cute!
We tried to get a cute picture of her in a wreath the way they did with McKinley, but Emmy wouldn't have any of it.
Notice her crazy hair! She got that from her Namie Gilbert!


Here are a few more pictures from Christmas day.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton

Gib's sister, Jolleen and her family, Justin, Nick, Grace and Natalie are here from Pennsylvania. As a family, we went to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Forests over the weekend. It was a fun vacation. I was surprised by the beauty and wildlife we saw.

The highlights of the vacation were the Old Faithful Geyser and hot springs in Yellowstone.


We also drove through the Grand Tetons. We stopped at Jenny Lake and rode a 10 minute ferry across the lake to hike half a mile uphill to a beautiful waterfall. I was proud of Gib's mom and sisters who successfully hiked up the steep hill over glaciers and slippery mud in flip-flops. 4 year-old Grace also hiked the whole way in flip-flops. It was hard but worth it.

Several buffalo walked beside our car when we were driving through Yellowstone. We could have reached out the window and touched them. Gib got some great pictures.

Kitties

We are looking for a temporary foster home for our cats. We are moving into my parents' basement for about 9 months and are unable to keep them during that time. We love our pets and will be excited to give them a good home after we leave my parents house but need some help until then. Let me know if you are interested or know anyone who could help. Needless to say, we will provide food, kitty litter and compensation for a good home. They might look mean in the pictures but they're just camera shy. Both are box trained and have front paws declawed. Ichabod, the black cat, loves to play and stretch on his back. Carma, the calico, is friendly and loves to cuddle. Below is a rare belly picture of me. It was taken in March so imagine how much bigger I am now!
By the way, if you haven't heard, we are having a baby girl named Emmy, short for Emmarique Rose. Aimerique is a French name that Gib loved on his mission, so we decided to use the name but spell it phonetically. Hopefully, to make her life easier when her teachers call her name in class.

People say the darndest things

I love so much about my job and where I work. I have met some of the nicest and most diverse people there. With a location in rural northern Utah, my company employs many native cowboys, farmers, ranchers and sheep-herders. No joke, I really work with a real life sheep-herder. From what I hear, he's very talented. His sheep always win prizes at the state fair. Seriously, I love these people, many are so hard-working. I wanted to tell you about some of the funny things these guys have said to me since I've been pregnant. Last Monday I was wearing a bright yellow maternity shirt (very cute hand-me-down from Ash). And there are certain days I feel like my stomach grows out 4 inches overnight. Well, this was one of those days, when my stomach seems to have popped out. I knew it was going to be an interesting day when the first technician I saw in the morning walks out in the hall and says, "Wow, you're. . . um, well, you're. . . um, yellow." At lunch, another technician says, "Brittany, it looks like you're blossoming with spring in more than one way." My most favorite comment comes from a guy who works in operations, meaning he actually makes the rocket case. He is probably close to 70 years old and so entirely grumpy that it is endearing. I saw him a few months ago and told him I was pregnant but haven't seen him since I've gained about 20 pounds. I was on the operations floor the other day, surrounding by dozens of guys working, when this cute, grumpy man sees me. In his northern Utah drawl, he yells across the manufacturing floor, obviously loud enough for everyone to hear, "Well, well, well, there's my favorite little fat girl!" I thought, "What the heck, should I be pleased that he is actually excited to see me or should I be offended that he thinks I am fat?" He immediately recognized his error and gave me a big bear hug. We all laughed about that one. I now affectionately sign my email to the guys on the floor as, "your favorite little fat girl."

Hair products

I had my hair cut yesterday and my stylist likes to thin-out my hair. It might sound strange, but I really like it because my hair is more manageable and dries more quickly. The only downfall is that it leaves my hair with fly-aways when it's straightened. Does anyone have a favorite hair product to smooth out straight hair after it's dried?

I just added the baby ticker widget on the right. 192 days remaining? Can I really wait that long? I am so anxious to see our little one!

Snowboarding tricks

We just returned from a fantastic vacation to Disneyland with the Brems family. I didn't get to run in the half marathon that I registered for, but that's okay, because I am nurturing baby right now. It was really fun to see the race from the other side. After seeing the pouring rain and howling wind on race day, I didn't feel too bad about not running. The guys did great! Disneyland was a blast. Most of you have probably already read about it on Dani's and Ashley's blogs, but they didn't write about my favorite ride. . . the 12 passenger van! My dad rented a huge van to drive us from the airport and to Disneyland. It was fun because we could all fit in the same vehicle. It was quite an adventure. I was so proud to see Gib ride all of the scary rides. And I don't just mean Snow White's Scary Adventure, he went on the Tower of Terror and everything! He really loved Disneyland and California Adventure. I also ate the yummiest corndog! I love the chocolate covered bananas and metoeric meatballs from Tomorrowland. Thanks, Mom and Dad, it was a wonderful vacation!

The baby is doing well. We had an ultrasound last week and my doctor said we have a very active baby. It was moving all over the place like a jumping lima bean with it's little arms and legs swinging everywhere. I used to call the baby peanut but have started calling it lima bean instead. Gib says our baby will be a runner because it spent it's first 6 weeks training for a half marathon with Mom!

Today we drove out to Tooele to visit the Gilberts. We went into the hills to see Spencer and his friend, Michael Buck, snowboard. They built a little jump and installed some rails so we could see some tricks. I loved to see how much Spencer has improved. I boarded with him his first season and now, a couple seasons later, he looks like a pro! I'll never be able to keep up now. It was a cool, clear day and we had a beautiful view of the Great Salt Lake. Cheryl cooked yummy Pigs in a blanket with mashed potatoes. Yum. I am treating pregnancy as a ticket to eat whatever I want and I intend to enjoy every minute of it that I'm not nauseous!

Parenthood

I received this email shortly before discovering we were having a baby. It's hilarious but I am concerned about the negativity portrayed. In all honesty, we are thrilled to have children and will gladly suffer anything described below for the rewards of parenthood. We think this is our miracle baby and I don't know why I am so fortunate. I am so grateful for this gift. In a way, I almost feel guilty about being so happy about this because I know the pain of wanting children. Ever so humbly, I hope I can share our joy with you. I can't wait for us to be parents. I know Gib will be a tender and loving father. He is already taking such good care of me and the baby. My doctor's office has advised me to rest often and Gib has made sure that he takes care of EVERYTHING at home so I can relax. He does all the laundry, cooking, and cleaning (including the dreaded litter-box). He makes sure there is always gas in my car so I don't have to get it in the cold and smell the fumes. I am so spoiled. He certainly loves me, doesn't he? Okay, now for some humor. . .

Thinking of having kids?

15 Lessons to consider:
Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who
already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, atisleep habits, toilet training, table manners,and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial (or the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air).
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons.
How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
1. Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
2. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
3. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Lesson 7
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 8
1. Get ready to go out.
2. Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
3. Go out the front door.
4. Come in again. Go out.
5. Come back in.
6. Go out again.
7. Walk down the front path.
8. Walk back up it.
9. Walk down it again.
10. Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
11. Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way.
12. Retrace your steps.
13. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you.
14. Give up and go back into the house.
You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9
Repeat everything you have learned at least (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is also excellent). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month old baby.

Lesson 12
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're
thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 13
Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for at least two years.

Lesson 14
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt-sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 14 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Happy New Year

We had a fun New Year's Eve at my parents house playing games with family. As always, we played the Wii and then played a fun game called "Ticket To Ride", which, Chad and Ashley gave us for Christmas. Thanks, guys! We started out the new year with a family run. It was 11 degrees outside. Burr! Can you see my big red watch? I love it! For Christmas, Gib gave me this great Garmin GPS running watch. It has really motivated me to run! It tracks my pace, mileage, heart rate, and elevation with instant feedback.

Merry Christmas! (a little late)

One of my favorite Christmas tradition is the Brems family white elephant present exchange. We had some really funny ones this time. Below you will see a picture of Chris wearing his fake chest hair, Grandpa Brems opening the infamous, new and improved "ab-roller" and Justyn holding a pine cone decoration with dingleberry bells. And isn't Santa so handsome?

For Christmas at the Gilberts we spent a lot of time competing on guitar hero. We are all hooked, it's so fun.

Thankfully, we received a lot of snow in the valley for a White Christmas!