Britt ,Gib, Emmy and Gabrielle

Ducks

2011-07-16T23:03:00.003-06:00

Fourth of July

2011-07-16T22:29:00.008-06:00

Our Fourth of July celebrations started with a BBQ and swimming with the Gilberts.
Gabby was crying and Uncle John thought a loooong time about picking her up. He slowly worked his way closer and closer to her.

Finally, he overcame his fears. . .

and he almost smiled about it.

Gotta love that face!

Uncle Greg's back flip.

Gib's cannon ball.

Gabby's funny reactions to the fireworks.

Below is my favorite picture from the day. Emmy's expression says it all!

More squash, please!

2011-05-10T21:17:00.003-06:00

At 5 months old, Gabby had her first vegetable today and loved it!

It was Gib's birthday last month. I took Emmy to buy his birthday gift. She was dissapointed when I said we were getting him a ceiling fan and said she was getting him balloons, instead. She was so excited about it she told him about his balloons before it was his birthday. What a sweetie! She was so proud to give them to him.

Sisters

2011-01-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from the hospital. We are so excited to have two little girls! Having a sister is the best!

Sweet baby girl!

2011-01-04T22:44:00.003-07:00

Gabrielle Winter Gilbert was born 17 Dec 2010 at 12:44 pm. She was 6 pounds 15 ounces and 21 inches long. She is such a beauty with thick dark curly hair. We are so glad she is here! Emmy is learning to be a good big sister. She is very proud of "our baby" and shows her off to everyone.

recovery

2010-10-26T13:44:00.004-06:00

All I can say is this is one tough girl! By the time Emmy turned two, her doctors, Gib and I decided it would improve her health if she had her tonsils and adenoids removed. So, last Wednesday we went to Primary Childrens Hospital for surgery. She also got tubes in both ears. This is a picture of Emmy and Gib before surgery. She was so hungry.

I cannot say enough positive things about Primary Childrens Hospital in Salt Lake. Dr. Muntz and his staff were amazing. And I'm pretty sure it is the only place where a child can ride a big wheel into surgery! Who can complain about that? This is Emmy immediately following surgery.

Yum, orange slushy!

And this is Emmy playing a few hours after surgery. It has been hard on her, but she is one amazing little girl. She is handling it so well!

Jackson Hole

2010-10-14T23:22:00.006-06:00

We had fun at the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago. Emmy is so proud of the white pumpkin she chose and shows it to everyone who comes over. She knows exactly which one is her pumpkin. She hasn't quite figured out why there is one for "baby sister", as we call her, because we have chosen a name, yet.

We took a weekend trip to Jackson Hole with Gib's family. The weather was wonderfully cool. It was beautiful there. Emmy LOVES animals. She would see a herd of buffalo in the distance and wave them toward her and say "Come here!"

Gib's highlight of the vacation was feeding the horses with Emmy. My most memorable experience was when the 3 Japanese tourists standing beside me took Emmy's hand and lifted her up in the window (pictured below) to pose in their picture. Didn't say a word, just took her. It was harmless, especially because they were surrounded by a lot of protective Gilbert's. But it certainly had me panicked. So much I didn't think to get a photo.

Evening play time

2010-08-09T19:02:00.004-06:00

The other day, Chris and Dani rode their scooter over to our house. Emmy had so much fun playing with them I had to get a couple pictures.

I got a couple cute pictures at the Escalante 24th of July parade.

Bubbles

2010-04-20T21:06:00.006-06:00

Emmy loves bubbles! Oh, how I love to see the smile on her face and the excitement in her eyes. She got bubbles in her Easter basket. Better than candy!

What's that? A snowman on Easter? Well, the snow didn't fool the Easter bunny. He brought an Easter basket for Emmy at our house, Grandma and Grandpa Brems' house, Great-grandma and Great-grandpa Sommers' house and Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert's house. Our little girl is well loved!

She was so sad in the picture below because I took away her candy to try to get a good Easter picture. How could you say "no" to a face like that?

Emmy and her mommy.

Uncle Spencer entertained Emmy for a while with a spinning top.

Small Victory

2010-04-08T22:34:00.003-06:00

Emmy has severe food allergies to milk, eggs, and dairy. When we first learned about her allergies, I was desperate. I couldn't imagine how I could feed my child a healthy, well-balanced diet without the staples of milk and eggs. Seriously, milk and eggs are in everything! With the help of an excellent allergist and a supportive network called UFAN (Utah Food Allergy Network) we learned how very lucky we are compared to so many others. Also, we learned how to cook in a different way to accommodate Emmy's allergies.

Yesterday, we just had a follow-up appointment with the allergist. The skin prick test was traumatic this year. Basically, the nurse used a needle to insert an extract of the suspected allergen below her skin in a grid formation on her back. Em screamed and cried and couldn't understand why this stranger was hurting her, and even worse, why her parents weren't protecting her. After they were done drawing her blood, she was easily distracted with a dum-dum and everything in the world was right again.

Now, to the victory part. . . she has outgrown her egg and nut allergies! She still has a significant allergy to milk, but we can deal with that. I feel like this is a direct answer to our prayers! Well, maybe I should say to my parents prayers. . . I really believe my Mom could pray any miracle into existence. I am certain this is the only reason I survived adolescence!

Oatmeal and ketchup

2010-04-01T14:12:00.003-06:00

It can't be easy being almost two years old! For Emmy, she knows what she wants, but sometimes her motor skills can't keep up with what she wants to accomplish. She also has a Mom who doesn't let her eat everything she wants to eat. I try to distract her with something she can eat, so she doesn't feel like I am always telling her "NO". It is clear, however,that she gets frustrated. It's not that I am trying to be mean, but her food allergies prevent her from eating normal foods. I try really hard to find ways to not have to say "no" all the time. Like, keeping dangerous food out of the picture. I also like to let her make choices whenever it is safe. So, that's what led to her choosing to eat oatmeal and ketchup for breakfast! Doesn't it sound delicious! She was so proud of her choice that she ate an entire bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.

The picture below is way back from Halloween, but I love it so I wanted to post it.

mornings

2010-03-30T13:07:00.003-06:00

I am working swing this week so I get to be home with Em in the morning. She is such a sweet-heart in the morning. I feel so lucky to hear her wake up singing, lalalalala, dadadada. I wonder if she is singing the primary song I sang her before bed the night before? I hope so! We walked to the lake to feed the birds. It was really windy, but we loved it. I also got her first pig-tails in her hair. I just love them! I love being her Mommy!

Obama is wrong

2010-02-26T21:00:00.003-07:00

Obama is wrong to cut funding to NASA. In his own words, he said that "our country is in danger of losing it's competitive edge in science and technology, and nothing symbolizes that more than the space program. We cannot cede our leadership in space..." Then, he decides to end Constellation. It doesn't make any sense! See the attached video for a short educational video on the Constellation program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2IQVZmHnJQ

Arlington Cemetery

2009-10-25T15:02:00.008-06:00

We planned a visit to PA to visit family and view the fall foliage. We flew into the Baltimore airport and decided to see Washington DC. The poor weather limited our ability to see everything we had planned. Luckily, we did get to see a few impressive things. Arlington Cemetery was a moving experience. It started on the airplane when we sat by a young man who was traveling to Kentucky to begin basic training. He talked about his choice to serve his country and how much it meant to him. He always knew he wanted to join the military but finally decided to join when the poor economy caused him to lose his job as a motorcycle mechanic in Las Vegas. His distressed mother was having a hard time with his decision to serve. I sat beside him watching my daughter sleep, wondering, how a mother copes with the decision to share her child with our country, knowing the heavy consequences of such service. These feelings were close to my heart as we entered Arlington Cemetery and saw the headstones of 320,000 servicemen and women. All sons and daughters of a caring mother who love their children, the same way I love my baby girl.

The remains of veterans from every war and major conflict in US history are sheltered at Arlington. It was an honor to pay my respect to the many who have given their lives for freedom. I sincerely thanked that young man on the airplane for his service and I thank all those who give so much for our country.

The atmosphere at The Tomb of the Unknowns was reverent and respectful. If you have the chance, I would definitely recommend seeing the changing of the guard. I would suggest wearing nicer clothes. I felt under-dressed.

Stephie and her blushing groom

2009-10-25T09:42:00.003-06:00

Stephanie (Gib's sister) and John Park were married October 10th, 2009. Don't they look great!

Here, Stephanie was teasing John because his face was so red from embarrassment. Steph was looking forward to the garder belt; no blushing from her!

Em was just happy to be there!

Emmy and her handsome daddy.

Emmy liked walking with Steph and hiding under her dress.

Cheryl sure knows how to put on a party. She prepared all the food herself and it was delicious. She received many compliments!

Happy First Birthday!

2009-09-05T21:55:00.007-06:00

We celebrated Emmy's first birthday a couple weekends ago. It was a fun party filled with good company and good food. We had a beach party with a BBQ and homemade cupcakes. I spent a significant amount of time trying to perfect a cake recipe that doesn't use milk, butter or eggs because Em is allergic to them. I wanted this to be her special cake she could eat without inhibitions from her Mom and Dad. After a sorry attempt at a fish-shaped cake that tasted like flaxseed (I have a humiliating picture, but I'm not brave enough to post it), we decided to make vegan cupcakes. I was so excited for her to have her cupcake! She really loved it after she got used to the sweetness.

She was spoiled with sooo many great presents! Logan pushed Emmy around the entire park on her little car. They both loved it.
Emmy got to go to the petting zoo at Gardner Village on her birthday. We thought she would enjoy it because she loves animals. The ducks, goats, donkeys, pigs and horses were all called dogs by Emmy. It was so cute how excited she was! She kept screaming out, "Dog, dog, dog"!

The pig was a good sport when Emmy tried to step on it's head.

It was amazing celebrating Emmy's first birthday. Thanks to everyone for making it special!

Emmy's favorite game

2009-07-25T18:50:00.003-06:00

Emmy's favorite game is pickaboo. She hides behind her toy, it can be anything: her favorite Elmo book, the drapes, the edge of the couch, or her bath towel. Then she waits for me to say, "Where's Emmy?". She pops her head out with the biggest smile and giggle that melt my heart. What a sweet-heart. We love this little girl. Notice her cute bottom teeth!

8 months old

2009-04-26T17:14:00.010-06:00

At 8 months old Emmy sits by herself and is almost crawling. She definitely doesn’t have a problem moving around to get what she wants. She was drinking her bottle at her babysitter’s house when she finished it. Emmy was still hungry so she army-crawled across the floor, picked-up another baby’s bottle and started drinking it. Unfortunately, the other bottle had formula in it, which, Emmy has never drunk before. When her Dad got Emmy home she threw-up all over the bed and broke out in hives because the formula didn’t agree with her. She is a girl who knows how to get what she wants!

Emmy’s babysitter tells us that she is a bit of a bully at daycare. A 6 year-old boy was in her way so she grabbed the bottom of his pant leg and single-handedly pulled him down. I wonder if she made him cry?

Peas are Emmy’s favorite food. She is a good eater. Carrots, squash, green beans, prunes, applesauce and rice cereal are everything Emmy loves to eat. Her Dad bought peas at the grocery store as a joke, thinking it would be funny to see what faces she would make when she ate them. He didn’t imagine that she would love them! She sure showed him!

She is still very petite and small for her age. She is just starting to wear her 6 month clothes. Her Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert keep her well-dressed. They buy her everything from princess pajamas to baby cashmere. She has more clothes in her closet than her Mom and Dad put together!

She smiles easily and is most often happy. Her bright blue eyes are vibrant and twinkle when she smiles. Everyone says we are spoiled to have such a good baby. She seems so wise, as if she already knows who she is as a daughter of God. She is keeping busy noticing and loving everything; a tiny string on the edge of the comforter, Chris and Dani’s plush carpet, her shadow on the side of the bathtub, the feel of the breeze in her hair, the sound of the cars, and the reflection of light on the ceiling from her toy mirror. Cause and effect is an exciting concept for her right now. She loves to see how the light reflection moves across the ceiling as she points her little mirror in different directions.

Emmy loves to play with her Mom and Dad. Her Daddy holds her and jumps backwards when her Mom lunges at her and says, “I’m gonna get you!” We repeat this over and over in different combinations. We all laugh together when we play this game.

Emmy loves to sit with Grandma and Grandpa Brems at church every week. She is certainly the most entertained baby at church. It is one of the many advantages of living with Grandma and Grandpa! They share a special relationship. Every Friday, when her Mom and Aunt Ashley go to work, Emmy and Logan get to spend all day with Grandma and Grandpa. They do so many fun things together. They play with toys, walk to the park, swing on swings, read books, visit Great-grandma and Great-grandpa Sommers, and giggle and smile a whole bunch.

Five little monkeys

2009-03-12T21:37:00.005-06:00

Logan and Emmy love it when we sing
"Five little monkeys swinging from a tree
Teasing Mr. Alligator, Can't catch me, Can't catch me
Along comes Mr. Alligator quiet as can be and
Snaps that monkey right out of that tree!"

As you can see, the adults like it as much as the babies!
We got some pictures of Emmy in her Minnie Mouse ears from Disneyland.

Chris also really liked the Minnie Mouse ears. I wonder if he is thinking, "I'm too sexy for my ears"

Celebrating . . .

2009-02-21T22:22:00.004-07:00

We are celebrating Emmy's half birthday. We can't believe it's been six months since she was born. Time flies! It has been the most rewarding six months of our lives. Here's a picture from Valentine's Day. We are so excited that the builders are breaking ground on our new home on Monday. I ran 5 miles with Chris at Daybreak today and can't wait to have our own home there. This is a picture on our property. Sorry about the poor light. It's the best we could do. We are happy that we just had good food with good friends, Drew and Alesha. Thanks for the fun night. Can't wait to do it again.

Is it always so dark in here?

2009-02-03T19:56:00.002-07:00

My family went to Disneyland over the weekend. We got to play at Disneyland and California Adventure, visit the David Brems family, and cheer for our runners at the Huntington Beach Marathon and Half Marathon.

On Saturday night, we went on the Storybook Land boat ride. It was awesome riding a boat through the whales mouth. Then, the boat emerges from the whale in a quiet atmosphere where we see well-lit scenes from various Disney stories. After puzzling about it for half the ride, I finally ask, "IS IT ALWAYS SO DARK IN HERE?" It took everyone a minute to figure out what the heck I was asking. When they discovered that I thought we were inside, I got a lot of laughs, even from the strangers and the Disney tour guide on our boat. Dani kindly explained that I really do have a college degree. Oops, that was embarrassing! Now Gib tells me to come out of the dome when I am gullible.

It was a blast to have Emmy and Logan at Disneyland. Emmy loved it. She enjoyed looking at everything; the bright colors and lights. The weather was fabulous. When we got off the plane on the Long Beach Airport runway, there was a warm breeze that blew through Emmy's hair. She looked into the breeze and smiled and giggled as if it was the greatest feeling ever.

Her favorite ride was Toy Story. She loved the sharp turns. She smiled the whole time and she didn't even chew on the lap bar. Good girl!

The gift of Good Health

2008-12-30T20:17:00.003-07:00

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

2008-12-27T15:29:00.008-07:00

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

2008-06-16T21:04:00.003-06:00

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

2008-06-02T19:58:00.003-06:00

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

2008-03-10T15:14:00.002-06:00

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

2008-02-15T18:51:00.005-07:00

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

2008-02-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

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

2008-01-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-01-05T21:08:00.001-07:00

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)

2008-01-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

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!

Four little elves!

2007-12-13T18:52:00.001-07:00

Check this out, click on the link below! I dare you to try not to laugh!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1375606710

French Onion Soup

2007-12-11T22:00:00.001-07:00

My parents came up to Ogden last Saturday. They gave us money to help us buy new leather couches for Christmas and they wanted to see them. We also went to dinner at the Union Grille and ate some of the best ever French Onion Soup. Seriously, you should try it if you ever get the chance. It is worth the drive from Salt Lake to Ogden.

This is our fancy tree for which we have spent years collecting matching decorations.

This is our fresh-cut tree with hand-me-down decorations. There is one ornament Gib made his Mom back in 1986. Wow, that's a long time to keep a homemade ornament in such good condition! Gib's Mom also gave us his first ornament, a glass soldier, to put on the tree. Also, notice the homemade tree skirt my Mom made before I was born. She's so talented. I think she thought it was funny to see that I still had it.

Oh Christmas Tree. . .

2007-12-03T18:45:00.001-07:00

Gib's parents, Dave and Cheryl, came up to Ogden to visit us on Saturday. We saw a Christmas tree lot on Washington and decided to stop and look. Gib's Dad bought me a tree. I was really excited to get a fresh cut tree that smells like pine. Now we have an artificial tree in the living room and a real tree in the kitchen. The artistic snob inside me rejected the flaws of a real tree but now that we have decorated it with homemade ornaments I am very fond of the real tree. It looks great with a hand-me-down tree skirt made by my Mom over 20 years ago and special ornaments given to me and Gib as gifts. We also had dinner at the Pizzeria and drove past Pine View Reservoir to see the snow. As you can see, it was so beautiful with the banks covered in fresh snow. We had a fulfilling weekend. On Sunday, Chad blessed Logan. It was a touching blessing and it was rewarding to watch the men in our family join efforts to bless our sweet little spirit. Here are some great photos from that day.

Above is Grandma Brems with Taylor Tebbs. She is so fun-loving. She kept running around in a circle over and over again with a huge smile on her face. She was very proud to tell me and my Mom that she wanted shiny diamond things for Christmas. Amy said she sat on Santa's lap and told him exactly what she wanted without any prior coaching from Mom. She is a girl after my own heart. After all, who doesn't love shiny diamond things?

Funny Gib

2007-11-28T21:13:00.001-07:00

Have I told you how much I love my husband? He keeps me laughing. I was in a bit of a bad mood when Gib stuck this bottle on his forehead to cheer me up. It worked! He was so kind to let me take this picture. Isn't he cute and talented?

Please Comment

2007-11-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have fixed our settings so anyone can comment on our blog. If you're here, please comment! We love to hear from anyone. . .

Thanks Credit Union One (especially Chris)!

2007-11-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been in a cash grab machine? Credit Union One had a cash booth at their grand opening today. We each took 15 seconds in the booth while dollar bills and green pieces of paper swirled around us in a whirlwind. The paper literally flies around your body! The Brems family banked! We took home $251. Gib and Mom both got the only $100 bill in the booth. Gib and I thought we would come out of the booth with a few dollars but were astonished and pleased with catching $127! Thanks Credit Union One! Check them out at cu-one.com, it's worth it.

Tribute to the new Snowboarding season!

2007-11-08T21:01:00.001-07:00

Last season, Jolleen, Justin and their family came to Utah from Pennsylvania for their family vacation. I had the chance to snowboard with our nephew, Nick Stewart. He's good at snowboarding and he loves it! Gib commented on a jagged looking peak on the mountain top and Nick would respond, "I'd grind that." He also said that about stairs, rails, rooftops, trees, curbs, etc. Nick definitely coined the phrase and now we all love and remember him for it. We had one funny incident on the slope after Nick caught his front edge and belly flopped on his stomach. Every snowboarder understands what I am talking about. We have all done it plenty of times, right? He had to pee so bad after his crash. He took off his snowboard to find a good tree and his snowboard leaped down the slope without him. We both frantically chased his board half way down the slope but we couldn't keep up. We found it after it slammed into a big metal box. Whew, we were glad we found his board. I can't wait to board with him again this year. I'm sure he will be teaching me some jumps and turns this year!

We've been tagged!

2007-11-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

The rules:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. Gib and I love "Little House On The Prairie." Most people collect the season DVD's of "The Office" or "24", but Gib and I have collected the first 2 seasons of "Little House On The Prairie." Only 6 more seasons to go!

2. I HATE to vacuum. I can scrub a toilet, clean a stinky litter box, scrub cat throw-up or diahrea from the carpets without problems, but I really dislike vacuuming. This means Gib is the lucky one to vacuum the floors every time it is needed in our house! Good thing Gib doesn't mind vacuuming.

3. We love cats. I have always loved cats. My first pet was an ornery old cat named Blossom. She is most remembered by Chris for chasing him while attacking his feet. Yes, that's right, Chris ran from a cat. Ashley's friends still make fun of Blossom's old croaking meow. Oh, I love my Blossom. Gib was never much of a fan of cats. After marriage he developed a "tolerance of cats", as he puts it. From the way he baby-talks to our cats, Ichabod and Carma, I think it's more a fondness than a tolerance!

4. I am terribly uncoordinated. I tried out for junior high dance company and was one of only 4 people to be cut, out of a total of 96 girls to try-out. I also tried out for cheerleader a couple times but wasn't good enough. I guess something could be said for persistence, right? So, I decided to focus on other talents and spent my time practicing the violin. Secretly, I still want to be a cheerleader!

5. I love to sing in the car alone. . . especially Primary songs. Lucky for anyone else they don't have to hear me. I wouldn't say that I'm tone deaf, because I spent a lot of time training my ears when I practiced the violin and I can HEAR that I sing out of key. I have never been able to develop my vocal chords to sing the notes on tune. But I love to sing when I am alone, even if I sing poorly and get most of the words wrong!

6. I love raw cookie dough. When Gib's brother lived with us, we would make a whole batch of cookie dough and use a spoon to eat it all before we had the chance to bake the cookies. For people who sell cookie dough for fundraisers, this is so unfair! It has definitely hindered my diet.

Lessons learned from a Classic

2007-11-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

Gib and I loved this story Grandpa Brems told us about his first car when he was 16. He had been working hard and saving all of his money for his first car. Knowing Bob Brems, there is no question he was working very hard. He has an incredible work ethic and serves as a great example to his kids, grandkids, great grandkids and all who know him. At a dealership, he had his eye on a canary yellow roadster with a rumble seat in the back. Finally, he had saved $50 and bargained the purchase of the roadster as his first car. He tried to register the car but the state wouldn't allow it because there was no VIN number on the vehicle. Back then, the number was etched right onto the engine block but his new car's number had been ground out with a grinder. The state said it was a sure sign the vehicle was stolen. Grandpa's folks wouldn't allow him to drive an unregistered car. Half a block down the one-laned Ford avenue then back up to the house was as far as he drove his prized first car. With the help of his persuasive brother-in-law, Jim Reed, Grandpa returned the car for a full refund. The reason we like this story is because of the lessons learned from Grandpa and his Ford Roadster. The first lesson exemplifies his dedication to hard work. It is admirable for a 16 year old to work hard enough to earn enough money to purchase his own vehicle. The second lesson is his ability to set a goal then saving money to achieve his goal without debt. The third lesson is his obedience to the laws of the land. He understood that it was required to register his vehicle to drive it on our city streets. I'm certain that it would have been easy to drive his unregistered car all around the city but Grandpa chose to follow the law and not drive illegally. Thanks Grandpa for your good example. We have a lot to learn from you and Grandma!

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T22:13:00.001-06:00

I wanted to post this picture in honor of Halloween! and thinking about pirates I wanted to share this with you. To tease me when I asked Gib what was taking him so long in the shower, he responded, "Aaaargh, I'm scrubbin' me poop deck." He, he, now you can tease Gib.

Microwave Popcorn

2007-10-23T11:51:00.000-06:00

I was cooking popcorn in the microwave the other day at work. We have an old-school heavy duty industrial microwave that cooks a bag of popcorn in 30 seconds. I turned the dial and started to watch the popcorn since there isn’t a timer on the microwave. I was distracted and went into the lab to help a technician. A few minutes later I recognized the rank smell of burned popcorn. I ran to the microwave to try to salvage my popcorn but it was too late. A small thread of black smoke escaped from the microwave door when I opened it. In normal conditions, this wouldn’t have been a big deal, right? Throw away the burned popcorn then end of story. Well, in the propulsion industry, where I work, fire is a serious concern. A small flame from a match or cigarette lighter could be fatal. Even ignition from static energy is a big concern. Every room on plant has highly sensitive smoke detectors that immediately alert one of two fire departments on plant. Before I could close the microwave door, blaring alarms started sounding and the whole fire department arrived at my lab prepared for an explosion. How embarrassing! All because of my burned popcorn. The fire department teased me unceasingly about my cooking skills. Oh well, at least the fire department got some entertainment for the day! Hazmat was then called for a nuclear fallout analysis. . .

Gas Mask

2007-10-21T20:24:00.000-06:00

Gib taught gospel doctrine today at church. He related the armor of God in Ephesians 6:13-18 to his personal protective equipment he uses at work. He works at a microbiology testing laboratory where they use ethylene oxide (EO) to sterilize medical devices. Gib discussed the danger of this toxic gas by describing EO. It is a colorless flammable and highly reactive gas. It's health and safety dangers are extensive in that it is carcinogenic and mutagenic. Lung injury, cancer, and nerve damage are a few of the symptoms of exposure. Circumstances sometimes require Gib to be exposed to moderate levels of EO, which is a considerable health concern. I often fear for Gib's health because of his chances of EO exposure. For protection, he wears a Darth Vadar mask which filters out the toxic gas, providing him with clean oxygen in the hostile, EO rich atmosphere. Gib was wearing his mask one day while working, as required by safety protocol. A new hire working in the same vicinity mistakenly exposed Gib to a large volume of EO. Without his proper personal protective equipment, the gas mask, Gib would have undoubtedly suffered serious lung and nerve damage and would have run the increased risk of cancer, reproductive problems and even death. Gib described his fear after the exposure and expressed how grateful he was to have chosen to follow protocol and wear his gas mask. He then related his protocol to wear personal protective equipment to the protocol layed out by the Lord, to "take unto you the whole armor of God" and how we have the choice to fortify ourselves against the "fiery darts of the wicked." While Gib's exposure to a large volume of EO was not expected, our exposure to temptations from the adversary are unquestionably inevitable. Gib said how thankful he was for his personal protective equipment at work that day and challenged the members of the class to fortify themselves against the exposure to the adversary by putting on the armor of God.

Our own blog!

2007-10-20T16:52:00.000-06:00

I was so excited about the birth of our nephew, Logan, that I wanted a chance to share the pictures with everyone. . . so, I started this blog to celebrate. He was born 18 Oct 07, weighing 8 pounds 15 ounces. He's a cutie! It has been a pleasure to spend time with Ash, Chad and Logan these last couple days. I love everything about him, even his little cry. He has clear blue eyes and curiously looks towards his Dad whenever he hears Chad's voice.